Lovely Camberwell station saved from re-development (and DDA compliance)
Thank goodness Camberwell station has been saved from re-development.
The project has been shelved, so it will remain as lovely as it is today:
The superb vistas from Burke Road will be preserved:
…as will the views from the platforms:
The ramps will remain non-DDA compliant, helping to maintain its exclusivity:
The car spots, providing parking for a lucky 75 people (about half a carriage’s worth) is surely the best use possible of some of the most valuable land in Australia:
Why would you even think of changing it?
Now, with sarcasm mode off, to be fair, many observers were against the VicTrack proposal but do support upgrades to the station that preserve the overall heritage.
Something’s got to happen to provide DDA access, and to provide better interchange to and from trams (and to a lesser-extent, buses) and for Alamein line shuttle passengers.
The question of increased density around railway stations is another debate that seems to generate a lot of opposition. My own view is that population growth is inevitable, and the city can’t keep sprawling — there’s got to be some effort made to get more residents into established suburbs, particularly in such a way that people are less car-dependent.
- I see one online comment reckons the station is of heritage value because it was the first station to be electrified. No it wasn’t. The first lines electrified were those to Essendon and Sandringham, in 1919. Then to Darling, Fawkner, Altona, Williamstown, Broadmeadows, Reservoir, St Albans, Hurstbridge, Dandenong and Frankston… then the Ringwood line in 1922. (Isn’t it impressively amazing how fast it was all done? Plentiful post-war labour perhaps?)
- City of Boorondara heritage listing
- National Trust heritage listing — which incorrectly claims the line was electrified in 1918
- Adam Dimech has some good stuff on the station: a potted history and photos and as he rightly points out in this post from 2007: perhaps the core of the station building needs preserving, but the stabling yard ain’t beautiful.
