The Ouyen to Kow Plains railway was the first railway line in Victoria built ahead of settlement, similar to many lines in the region. Construction of the line began in 1909 and was completed from Ouyen to Murrayville in 1912 and extended to Pinnaroo in 1915.
The line was built by the South Australian Railways from Pinnaroo. but trains on the Murrayville to Pinnaroo line were run by Victoria Railways.
From 1948, a railcar passenger service was provided to Pinnaroo, with the last passenger service in 1968. In 1996 the line was cut at Panitya when the South Australian end was converted to standard gauge and the cross-border section was closed.
Now known as the Panitya line, it’s been converted to standard gauge and still sees irregular freight and tourist trains.
Ouyen
Ouyen is on the Mildura line and opened in 1903.
In the early days, keeping the steam trains on the line supplied with water was a major task. Water supply was tenuous at best for everyone throughout the region and water was railed along the line from Ouyen and Hattah Lakes and when these ran dry, from Mildura.
It was closed in 1993 when passenger services to Mildura ended.
Tiega
Galah
Walpeup
Torrita
The line was fascinating because each station was unique; even when standardised buildings were used temporarily, every station still featured its own local characteristics.
Underbool
Linga
There was once a small tramway that ran north to the Pink Lakes for salt mining. That would have been a tough gig! The tramway lasted from 1924 to 1929.
Boinka
When the Adelaide to Wolseley line was closed east of Tailem Bend for gauge conversion, the Pinnaroo line became part of the main line between Adelaide and Melbourne for two weeks during April 1995.
Tutye
Cowangie
Freight from Cowangie was basically just gypsum and grain.
Danyo
Murrayville
The South Australian Railways built the Murrayville to Pinnaroo railway from Pinnaroo, crossing mallee land with sand ridges and limestone but facing no significant engineering challenges. The line included two stations: Carina and Panitya.
In 1996 the line was cut at Panitya when the South Australian end was converted to standard gauge.
As part of the Murray Basin Rail Project, the line from Ouyen to Murrayville was upgraded to 19 tonnes axle loading and converted to standard gauge in 2018
Carina
Panitya
Pinnaroo
The Murrayville–Pinnaroo railway opened in 1915, linking with the Tailem Bend–Pinnaroo line from 1906. The “Mixed” train from Ouyen to Murrayville then extended to Pinnaroo three times a week. Since Pinnaroo lacked turning facilities, locomotives ran “tender-first” from Murrayville.
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REFERENCES:
https://www.stationspast.net/victoria/pinnaroo-line
Midura Railway History – Bruce Mclean https://vmrs.net/mildura/section1/Ouyen_to_South_Australia_Border_Construction.htm