Katanning Bridgetown Railway
PROPOSED KATANNING BRIDGETOWN RAILWAY.
MR. RANFORD AT BRIDGETOWN.
Bridgetown, January 18.
Great Southern Herald
21 January 1905 – P3
Mr H. S. Ranford, of the Lands Department, has been inspecting the country all round here for the last few days. He was instructed by the Minister for Lands to extend the inspection to Bridgetown, Western Australia, after fixing the position of the reserves that would be required for railway purposes between Katanning and Kojonup.
Bridgetown (WA) Railway Station opening, c October 1898
Mr Ranford reports that an easy line can be obtained from railway via Nookanelling, Carlecatup, Warkleup, Kojonup, Mooradup, Mobarrud, Dinningup, to James Blechynden’s, thence to Gnowergerup, Moulton’s, Jaye’s and onwards to Bridgetown by way of Hester’s siding.
Over half a million acres of fertile, well-watered vacant land will be opened up for settlement within 20 miles of the proposed line, which will bring into touch land admirably adapted for mixed farming along the valleys of the following rivers: – Brooks, Balgarrup, Arthur, Boyup, Blackwood, Gordon, Frankland, Towerlup, Tone, Tweed, Denninup, Gnowergerup and Peerup.
Many of the freshwater pools are more than a mile long and over 20ft deep. Lucerne grows luxuriantly in the cultivated fields where it has been planted apart from cereals. The native grasses are abundant, and in most places the poison plant is fairly plentiful. This, with care, can be eradicated. Already selectors are securing land 40 miles each way from the agent’s office at Katanning and Bridgetown, and as the total distance is only about one hundred miles, the necessity for greater facilities for a farming population must be apparent to all who know the good quality of the land in question.
An alternative route is suggested leaving the Katanning-Hester route at Dinningup Hill, following the Dinningup Brook to its junction with the Blackwood to Boyup Brook, up Saw Brook, thence to Mr Wilfred Steere’s, inwards to the head of the Preston River, and thence downwards to Donnybrook. This route would add forty miles to the length of the line.