Pansy Old Right-of-Way at Elderslie

Vellas Fresh Produce Market Gardens

25-85 Camden Valley Way, 

Elderslie 

DA  010.2016.00001366.001 

Old Right-of-Way for Camden-Campbelltown Railway

The Old Right-of-Way for Camden-Campbelltown Railway viewed from Kirkham Lane looking towards Camden at the proposed Vella Market Gardens site. 2017 (I Willis)

Camden-Campbelltown  Railway Locomotive at Camden Railway Station

Pansy Locomotive on the Camden-Campbelltown Railway Branch Line in 1950s  seen here at Camden Railway Station (Camden Images)

There is a re-development of a rural property adjacent to the Cowpastures Bridge at Elderslie on the Camden Valley Way (formerly the Hume Highway) with the old right-of-way for the Camden-Campbelltown Light Railway.

The Camden-Campbelltown Railway was an essential part of local transport infrastructure from 1881 to 1963 when the New South Wales Government closed the branch line.

The Vella Markets Garden development site not only has the old right-of-way. Some culverts still exist from the 1950s.

Old Right-Of-Way for Camden-Campbelltown Railway view from Camden Valley Way looking towards Kirkham Lane. The horse's location indicates the line of trees that marks the ROW on site for proposed Vella Market Gardens. 2017 (I Willis)

The old right-of-way is clearly identifiable by the line trees that follow it to Kirkham Lane.

Unfortunately, the developer does not mention this old right-of-way in any of the development documents.

View of Old Right-of-Way for Camden-Campbelltown Railway view from Kirkham Lane looking towards Camden. Camden Valley Way is visible on left of the image. The presence of the embankment for tracks are clearly seen in this image in the proposed site for Vella Market Gardens .2017 (I Willis)

Read more

Read more about Camden-Campbelltown Railway here and here.

Read more in Camden History the Journal of the Camden Historical Society and visit the
Camden Museum to view several artefacts from the railway days.

The Camden-Campbelltown Railway has been the subject of the recently published Pictorial History of Camden & District seen here on the book's back cover.

The back cover of  Pictorial History of Camden & District which tells some of the stories of Pansy the Campbelltown-Camden train.

Updated 10 January 2021, 15 August 2020. Originally posted 27 January 2017. 

Kirkham



Camelot (formerly Kirkham) (Camden Images)

Kirkham is a picturesque, semi-rural locality on Sydney's rural-urban fringe between the historic township of Camden, with its inter-war and colonial heritage and the bustling commercial centre of Narellan.

Sydney rural-urban fringe

The arrival of the rural-urban fringe at Kirkham in recent decades has created a contested site of tension and constant change, resulting in an ever-evolving landscape. Successive waves of occupants have created their own stories, heroes and icons through a reinterpretation of history and heritage.

Rural aesthetic

The most recent newcomers have taken ownership of Kirkham's identity, assisted by developer-created exclusivity and the locality's rural aesthetic. The physical landscape of Kirkham is dominated by a bucolic scene provided by the valley of Narellan Creek.

Colonial heritage

John Oxley (1784–1828) was granted 1,000 acres by Lieutenant-Governor William Paterson, which he had to surrender in 1810. Governor Macquarie subsequently granted Oxley 600 acres, which was increased to 1,000 acres in 1815. The grant was named Kirkham after Oxley's birthplace, Kirkham Abbey in Yorkshire, and had frontages on the Great Southern Road and the Nepean River.There are two heritage icons from the colonial period: Kirkham Stables and Kirkham homestead (Camelot).

Main road

The main road passing through Kirkham is the Camden Valley Way which was known as the Great South Road until 1928 when it was renamed the Hume Highway.



Pansy, Camden-Campbelltown train (Camden Images)

Pansy, the Camden tram

 The route of the railway ran alongside the Great South Road through Kirkham between Camden and Narellan and was a prominent cultural feature on the landscape. Kirkham Railway Station, which was one of nine stations located on the railway.

Yamba Cottage, Kirkham c 1920 (Camden Images)

Yamba cottage

Historic Yamba cottage fronts Camden Valley Way (formerly the Hume Highway) and has been a contested as a site of significant local heritage. The building, a Federation style weatherboard cottage, became a touchstone and cause celebre around the preservation and conservation of local domestic architecture.

Read more @ http://www.dictionaryofsydney.org/entry/kirkham