East Maitland–Morpeth railway line

[1] Commencing with the mooring of St. Michael storeship at the head of navigation of the Hunter River at what was then known as Green Hills, Morpeth came into being as a port for vessels of deep draught of those days.

The opening of the first section of railway between Newcastle and East Maitland in 1857 and its subsequent extension further up the Hunter River was watched carefully by the residents of the two Maitlands and the rural properties on the river, resulting in the commencement of an agitation for the construction of a railway linking the Northern line with Morpeth for the more ready handling of the rich local products for shipment to the Sydney and Intercolonial markets.

This proposal also did not receive the necessary Parliamentary sanction but, such was the pressure brought to bear, the Government later undertook to construct the line and compensated the company for the use of its plans and specifications.

The public was incensed, considering they were tricked, as this meant that the railway would not extend beyond Queen's Wharf and thus completely failed to give the desired connection between the Northern line and the steamer wharves.

Benjamin Ventors took over Martindale's cancelled contract to provide and lay the permanent way and ballast and the section was finally opened for traffic on 2 May 1864.

It was opened when the New South Wales Railways had only three short lines, i.e. Sydney to Penrith, Granville to Picton and Newcastle to Singleton.

Two narrow 250feet timber platforms served the main and branch lines in the form of a "V", with a small booking office and store, lamp and waiting rooms, placed in the apex.

A siding turned away towards the river bank rising on an embankment thence to a trestle crossing over the extension of Steamer Street and terminating in coal staiths at the Queen's Wharf.

The local populace maintained their persistent agitation, which at length bore fruit, as the Government let a contract to William Pendall on 1 July 1867, to construct an extension of 63¾ chains, terminating at Edward Street.

Though abandoned some 15 years later, the building still remains as the rear portion of a residence, which was erected on the street alignment in front, and the stepway has become a drain.

On Sundays, the service was conducted by railway suburban train and crew from Newcastle, the trams remaining resting at Morpeth.

A waiting shed was brought into use at Queen's Wharf on 5 January 1894, the trams stopping with the car on the level crossing of Steamer Street, the platform not being added until the resumption of railway operation in 1915.

The present day Northumberland Street bridge over the Hunter River to Phoenix Park and Clarence Town was opened on 15 June 1898, and this limited navigation above that point to craft without masts.

In more recent years, the improvements to general shipping at Lee Wharf, Newcastle, and the establishment of wool stores close by, gave Morpeth a knock-out blow.

W. D. & H. O. Wills established a tobacco factory in recent years on the old Newcastle & Hunter River Company's site and used the old siding, but the works are now closed.

[2] As there was only one man on the footplate on this branch, the locomotive always faced Newcastle so that the driver could "spot" the cars at the two intermediate short platforms on the Up side.

Vigorously whistling for the ill-famed Melbourne Street open level crossing, the train left East Maitland and rounding the 1O chain curve, followed the Morpeth Road along the edge of the finest lucerne flats in the State, the rich black soil being renewed by the periodic floods as in the case of the Nile Valley in Egypt.

The river trade was long gone and its last local source of goods traffic, the butter factory, declined rapidly from mid 1952.