This Day in History: 1888-01-05

The railway line from Clackline to Newcastle (officially called the Newcastle Branch of the Eastern Railway) was formally opened by Governor Sir Frederick Napier Broome.

There were seven sidings on the line, which terminated near the first St. John the Baptist Catholic Church on New Road, Newcastle. The contractors were C. & E. Millar.

Sources:
West Australian, 7 Jan. 1888, p.3.
WA government gazette, 5 Jan. 1888, p.6.
Rica Erickson. Old Toodyay and Newcastle. Toodyay Shire Council, 1974, p.290.
Wally Chitty. Toodyay – the good old days. Hesperian Press, 2004, pp.24-26.