Is this the oddest station in Melbourne? (And swooped by a bird!)
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- čas přidán 15. 07. 2024
- Heyington is a small railway station located on the Glen Waverley Line in Melbourne's inner south-east. With all of these attributes, is this Melbourne's oddest station?
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I acknowledge the traditional owners of the lands on which this video was filmed, the Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung people. I pay respects to Elders past, present and emerging, and their extensive historical connection to these places.
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My website: philipmallis.com
One thing that makes it even odder in view of its accessibility issues is that a few years ago, the waiting room on the citybound side had a wheelchair ramp installed…
they must've had some real geniuses involved in that decision...
Perhaps it's of use to St Kevin's students, given they don't need to use the stairs?
Citybound side - Platform 1 - is ONLY accessible by stairs.
@@danielscott524 "You can check out anytime you like but you can never leave" 😀 Very odd to accommodate wheelchairs in a one-way direction.
I remember when they built that ramp and thinking what’s the point.
Box Hill, I believe, is the only station that does not have a Platform 1, yet it has Platforms 2, 3 & 4.
Well, it has the shell of a platform but no tracks. This was because when the Station Street level crossing was removed around 1980-ish, the construction went like this:
1. New below-ground platforms 1 & 2 were built on south side of the existing 2 above ground platforms.
2. City bound tracks connected to new Platforms 1 & 2, Leaving Ringwood bound tacks connected to old platform. (passengers had to get off and walk between old and new platforms. I remember doing this!)
3. Station St. bridge built in situ, ground excavated below Station street aligned with new platforms 1 & 2.
4. Ringwood side tracks realigned with below ground Platforms 1 & 2.
5. Old platforms demolished, level crossing removed, New platforms 3 & 4 built.
6. Track 1 removed, platform 1 left as a place to hang advertising targeted at city bound commuters/consumers waiting on Platform 2.
Unique? Odd? Unusual?
I think the reason for platform number 1 being unused, at the time of the new stations construction they intended to build (dates from the 1960"s) a line to Donvale which so far has not happened!
Fantastic information...
There’s provision for a forth track
@@topher1976au Yep, as I alluded to in Points 2, 4 & 6 above.
Not to mention mcdonald's being built where the escalators were to go for platform 1.
Mcdonalds actually have storage space they use on the old platform too
Not all stations are truly accessible, some have very steep ramps, which don't meet the disability act, huntingdale and jordanville are examples
Yeah that's true as well for glenferrie station next to good ol swinny, I actually had a guy in a wheelchair ask me to push him up the ramp as it's one of those fairly long and steep ramps that I'd imagine would be pretty tiring for those having to wheel themselves up
@@magoo9866 yeah, not sure Glenferrie is as steep as a few others, as having my dad who was wheelchair bound even some small inclines at shopping centre's are hard let alone these train ramps. But the good thing is there is money in the budget to make them (God knows how) more accessible and disability act compliant
I reckon it’s time for the Victorian Government to make everything accessible for people in wheelchairs and walkers and other mobility issues! People are getting older now so there’s more people in the world who are unable to walk very far these days and it’s becoming a normal thing now! So I agree with you about how bad the access is to train stations in Melbourne are these days and they need to change it and support people with disabilities! Because I’m a strong supporter of disability rights my whole life! I use a walker sometimes and I even find it hard to get around Melbourne sometimes even on trams which are sometimes still not accessible yet! Time for a change now to give better access to public transport for everyone especially people with disabilities either in walkers, wheelchairs, mobility scooters and deaf and blind people!
@@clintdeverson6186 there is money in the budget for the trains, and the new g class trams to remove some of the old z and a with their high floors. Unfortunately post pandemic money isn't freely available so it all can't be done in one hit. But at least they identify it as issues.
@@clintdeverson6186 was just saying the other day we need a lift up the side is the Grampians. Make everything accessible. Even the station’s that get 250 passengers a year. What’s another 5 million for lifts
Heyington has always reminded me of certain Sydney railway stations which often have curved platforms, set in a cutting with a lot of greenery.
It's unusual that the pit is so wide. It looks like you could fit a third track through there if it wasn't for the piers of the pedestrian overpass.
Wollstonecraft be like
west richmond is curved too
Curved railway station platforms aren't ideal, as it means there needs to be a gap between the train doors and the platform. Children sometimes have fallen through that gap, and it can cause issues for those on crutches or a cane too.
Perhaps the third line was envisioned for the Alemain extension to Glen Iris which was never built? But the cutting was made to fit it.
You forgot that the stationmaster used to have rows of flowers cultivated in boxes on the south side - petunias and daffodils and irises and many coloured flowers. It was beautiful in the 70s. When the stationmaster was removed in the 1980s, the flowers were left to perish.
Yep, Disgusting neglect, everywhere now.
Brings back many memories of a bunch of sweaty, stinky young boys sprinting to make their trains home after school. Bolting up the stairs on the school side, across the bridge and back down the other side to platform 1 City-bound. "HOLD THE DOORS!!!" Could be heard, train door alarms beeping, backbacks full of heavy books flying about, musical instruments being banged around in their cases... god help you if you were on crutches and held up everyone trying to make it coming down the stairs. Fun times indeed... Thanks for the trip down memory lane.
Nice video. It’s certainly odd. One thing that’s worth noting: “step free” access does not necessarily mean DDA compliant. Ramps can be steep and not easy for wheelchair users to get up and down. There was a good article written by Daniel Bowen on the matter.
Yes but think. If the ramp is steep they’ll get to the train first and get the best seat!
We did a video on disability access around Melbourne and we visited Heyington just to see if it was at all accessible. We took a wheel chair and tested all aspect of the station. It was fascinating because even the ramped paths from the street are nightmare in a wheelchair (on top of all the stairs). We did find it funny that they had a little tiny ramp to allow wheelchair into the shelter so that is a start :D
I used to volunteer as a station assistant here on platform 1 around 1980-1 as a teenager whilst attending Swinburne Technical School. The reason was I was crazy about trains and planned on becoming a driver upon leaving secondary school.
I had a special key for opening the gates on Melbournes platforms including Platform 2 at Jolimont and West Richmond.
I used to check the passengers tickets also only on saturdays and sundays when these stations were unstaffed.
That's a lovely story, thank you for sharing!
@@philipmallis No problem.
My dad taught plumbing and sheetmetal at swinburne tech in the 1980s.dan murray
@@edmurray611 Hi, Dan Murray? Doesn't ring a bell.
My ladt year was 1983 after finishing year 10. My sheet metal teacher was Mr Carvill and another guy I can't remember.
Mr Cleaver?
40 years ago.
The sheet metal & plumbing buildings were at the back of the complex along the narrow road.
Oh Mr Ian Penhaullrick was also Sheetmetal/Engineering.
@@edmurray611 Mr Gary Chivers & Mr Ron Wooster.
I'm assuming your father Dan may have started there around 1984?
I'm pretty sure Heyington exists mainly to service St Kevin's College these days. I never saw very much other traffic at this station in my time using the GW line.
I thought I recognised this place! Irritated me to see Toorak kids skipping fares.
i go to st kevin’s and it’s only now that i realised how strange heyington station is but it’s pretty cool
Something most train travellers won't know is that the bridge over the Yarra was a wooden trestle bridge until around 1970. We saw the concrete bridge being built as we lived in Loyola Grove Burnley.
Great video Philip. I am always interested in Melbourne Public Transport issues, and these type of stories make me want to get out and explore our city more than I have in the past.
Keep up the great work!
I pass this station everyday on my commute and love it! Loving these videos so we can all learn more about our city. Subbed!
I’m going to travel from Bulgaria to visit this station as my main focus of the trip
Another great episode, Thank you Philip, enjoyed coming along once again. Fancy the school having direct access to the train station and the bike path, that was planned well. 🙏🏼♥👍🏼🤗
My god, this is the greatest CZcams channel discovery of my CZcams viewing career!
I once fell asleep when trying to go to the station before. I freaked out, because I thought I was near the end of the train line when I'd just missed 1 stop 🤣
I feel Wattle Glen, Macaulay, & South Kensington are also good shouts for "oddest station", I'd also chuck in Flagstaff for it's recent history of being a CBD station that didn't have weekend service but also just from a design point of you (I know it was built at the same time as the rest of the city loop but it feels different). I do agree though that Heyington is definitely up there
Flagstaff Stn IS now open, over weekends, 'cos The Courts are so busy.
@@MMM-dq9jj14up Yeah I know, it's been open for several years now on weekends, I still reckon it's a pretty interesting station
South Kensington also wins the
"most unpleasant station" award
@@maddyg3208 Kananook can be pretty unpleasant.
The 'ramps' on so many stations now are utterly RIDICULOUS oversized monstrosities!
Another interesting fact about Heyington is it's the only train station in Toorak. Toorak station is in Armadale and Hawksburn station is in South Yarra.
But there's also an Armadale station lol
@@skazka3789 Yeah, South Yarra and Armadale both have two stations. Lol
I love your channel. It’s a real gem to watch.
There's some really odd features in the overall layout of the station. In research, I've found the station was rebuilt in 1975. The line itself is of 1890's era, and electrified in the 1920s. If I were to guess, I'd say the extra reservation between the two tracks and platforms was for a watering tower for steam locomotives given it's proximity to the river. Wild guess, though.
Not a bad guess though!
It is covered by vegetation now but just south of the station in the cutting on the southern side you used to be able to nicely see the geologic folds in the earth. They even used in as an example in some school textbook we used back in the 70s. I think this station only exists because of the school. Can't imagine any of the millionaires, or odd billionaire, living just a stones throw from the station would even be seen dead on train!
St Kevins did not open until 1960, 70 years after Heyington station was built.
Big complaint geologists always have almost everywhere in the world is that rock outcrops get "haired up" by governments who insist on covering them with vegetation. Not many people appreciate that rocks can be beautiful as well in their own right.
You have you remember when built it was largely a rural station likely serving smalls farms and houses - not the millionaries that it developed as.
@@glurgbarble7268 yes, but they plant the vegetation because it holds the ground together and prevents rock and landslides.
IIRC Ross, those geologic folds in that text book were on the then being constructed and unfinished Eastern Freeway. Now I could be wrong about this, however I still have that text book here somewhere and I'm sure it says something like Silurian Mudstone deposits near Studley Park Victoria under the photograph.
Anyway the wavy deposits are still prominent on the left side of the westbound lane of the Eastern Freeway, though in recent years they have erected sound attenuation in the exact area where the dramatic folds are.
You'd expect they'd still be there since the effing things have been around since 443.8 - 419.2 million years ago - I'm not thinking they're going anywhere.
I am interested that there are more of those folds about this station. I didn't know they were there and yes I may be wrong and you right. I'm only going on memory.
Not gonna lie, part of me thought this video would be about East Richmond. It's still weird to get trains to/from the city and have them actually stop there, since most of the time we just go right down the middle track rather than through one of the two platforms.
you should take us on a train journey , maybe up that line. Some of us, turned bush hicks miss the train lines.
Laburnum Station near Blackburn used to be curved at both ends before the station got demolished and rebuilt when the nearby Middleborough Road Level Crossing was removed in January 2007. I've never come across any other railway stations that are like that.
All new stations have straight platforms as a design criteria.
Nice you tube clip. It certainly is an unusual station. Some other unusual Station have been mentioned, but Jacana is also an unusual one. While many stations have wheelchair ramps, many of them - without lifts , are too steep and long to be used easily by wheelchairs that need to be pushed or controlled by someone else. South Yarra, Richmond and Victoria Park are three examples.
In terms of railway stations with direct access entry to a school, I'd say that Holmesglen station would obviously seem to qualify. Admittedly it's a TAFE, not a secondary school college.
Philip, you have a good voice for journalism.
Rushall station (on the Mernda line) is another odd one. The ticket offices on either platform don't line up. I believe that's got something to do with the inner-city loop that the station was once part of. Having said that, another really odd station is North Carlton. The station still exists (I think it's an early learning centre now) but the inner-city loop closed down in 1981.
Philip,
I enjoy your videos, keep them coming.
J
It's worth a journey on the Craigiburn line in Melbourne's north-west. Definitely has at least 3 strangely laid out stations and was labelled the worst line functioining in Melbourne, although it is one of the busiest. Great video, I studied urban planning and analysis like this from a pedestrian level is always valuable and super interesting! Thanks Philip - would love to see more
When you board the train at Essendon and Jacana using the opposite doors to every other station on the line.
Fawker station is basically in the middle of the Fawker mamorial park, you can even access the cemetery off platform 2!
Nice videos Philip. Interesting and well researched. Stuff I didn’t know about Melbourne’s history. Cheers. Owen Wells
Love your train videos!
Fell asleep on the train once and ended up there. Thought I was in the country lmao. Great video!
Also Heyington is one of the stations that are curved in Melbourne. Most of the platforms in Metro Trains Melbourne are straight. The Glen Waverley line was the 2nd train line I took back in 2006. Miss the old pull handle door Comeng trains on the Glen Waverley line. Have you been on one through Heyington before?
Canterbury station is definitely an oddity, I think it's the thinnest platform on the network. Maybe 35cm between the yellow lines at the pointy end of platform 2. Pretty cool. ☘️
Platform 3 at Chatham station is pretty thin too
@@planetX15 Chatham was my local station growing up! Walking down platform 3 after school felt like balancing on a tightrope sometimes
Flemington Bridge station is extremely narrow.
Good video. The bridge under the freeway was built so that St. Kevins could be joined to their rowing shed after the river bed was changed when the SE freeway was being built. The gardeners Ck trail came a long time afterward. Terminating at Kooyong Rd. That is why there is access from SK.
This is a cool topic man👍 thanks for your effort. Better than most rubbish posted on CZcams. Liked and subscribed.
You deserve more subscribers. Thanks for this information and lot more in the channel
Great video mate. Thank you 👍🇦🇺
Similar to Jolimont in East Melbourne .which is only one stop from CBD yet feels very country.
At last someone is covering our transport corridors and history, have been watching the English historians doing their canals and rail, very interesting.
I went to that school and walked up and down those steps every school day for five years.
Great stuff. Keep up the good work.
I used to live in Burnley and until I saw this video, I didn’t even realise Heyington Station existed!..😁
Lived in Melbourne my whole life and never heard of this station! Eerie indeed
I've never got on or off there. It looks beautiful!
East Richmond is unique in a way. Only Glen Waverley trains stop there as Belgrave and Lilydale trains run express through there
Perhaps unique in that 4 tracks run through it, yet it only has 2 platforms.
South Kensington is very similar. There are no platforms on the Sunbury line tracks, therefore only the trains passing through it on the Werribee and Williamstown lines stop there.
Camberwell East only has platforms for Lilydale/Belgrave line trains, but has five tracks.
Lilydale/Belgrave separates at burnley, one station before heyington
@@Thalbergfan1983 The other line turns away at Camberwell east, before Heyington but after Burnley
I would have thought the curving of the station was somewhat unique to it, however I may not have had as much exploration of the city platforms as yourself. Still, cool little vid you’ve put together.
I can't help but feel the school has an influence in keeping the station inaccessible
Fairly sure they don't. The school as far as I know, is the only reason the station is still open is because of the school
I used to live near here. I love this station
I drink cask wine at this station on fridays
What! "Broadmeadows Briefcases"?
@@MMM-dq9jj14up yes, Merlot and la ice cola.
4 litres of wine with 2 litres of la ice.
A kebab and home I go.
Best time I have.
I live just up the road. I used to run the trails you were talking about.
Thanks for the video. Things we generally don’t know about our city are fascinating but seldom know, so you’re preserving information for future generations as well as for us now. Until recently Lilydale station had a licensed bar until the media publicised it. I reckon that’s probably the main competitor for Heyington. Further, most people didn’t know about it. In this day & age that has to have been one of the most unusual features of metropolitan transport system. How would yo rate the two?
The VRI, it's closed due to the still ongoing project!
one night i drunkenly walked to Heyington from Chapel St (i intended to go to Burnley but i took a wrong turn). It was 4am and I had just missed the train so i had to wait 55 minutes for the next one. I may or may not have spent the time picking up tennis balls off the tracks, that school kids had obviously hit across the fence.
Do stony point! We were talking about it in class as an example of a station further away from the cbd than geelong and yet still a part of metro
Cold in Victoria, still like 15 degrees, Cold in Canterbury 3 degrees hahaha, love the vid
Neat. There are quite a few places like that. The Domain. Botanic Gardens. Yarra bike tracks from the Tan out past Studly Pk, Studly Pk itself. The zoo and surrounds. Albert Park. The light rail corridor to Port Melb Merry Creek just near Collingwood athletics track. Probably just scratched the surface. 🙂
Willison station was built, in 1908, because rich golfers didn’t want to walk from Riversdale station to the golf course entrance. About 400 mts.
Another odd station is Fawkner with half its catchment area being the cemetery. I imagine some people's daily commute involves walking through there to reach the station.
After many train cancellations and late services, the passengers retreated to the cemetery and died. Lol!
Prior to the Gardiners Creek Trail "gantry" link suspended beneath the freeway was constructed cyclists used to take a path alongside the railway line (south side) from Turnbull Ave to W M Dane Park at Hayington Station and then push the bikes, up through the parkland to Hayington Place then cross the Yarra using the rail bridge.
It was a real effort with a toddler in a bike seat. The gantry was the best thing since sliced bread because it was a very steep climb. The amount of land required to create DDA access ramps would be considerable, if at all possible. Perhaps it could be achieved with a ramp from the roadway with elevators from a central walkway, down to the station platforms, but this too
would be very expensive.
Yes, I used to ride on the track between Moonga ave I think it is where the St Kevins entrance is to Heyington station in the early 80s.
It was narrow and muddy in the colder months.
Us kids (I was from Burnley) built a mini BMX track along Turnbull Ave in 1982.
The cyclists using the track weren't impressed at all.
And then the steep climb on the concrete or bitumen part was murder.
The best way I could think to do it is by the use of elevators, as they have a small footprint. The problem is where to put em so that they work at street, station office and platform levels
The school entrance is so weird! I remember getting off here when I realised I was on the wrong train line.
I absolutely agree with that mate … I’d say weirdest station in Australia, I’ve lived in Sydney, Perth , Brisbane and as soon as I had seen your headline I immediately said to my wife Heyington station .. wouldn’t want to be a lady at night in that place.. spooky place even for a man .
Back in 1991, I caught trains to and from Heyington station because I lived near there.
Very interesting!
Weird Station...
Spooky ones start after Footscray Station...Western Suburbs...
Cheers,
Pradeep.
that was my station going to school in the mid 80's - had a Station Master back then and had awesome gardens - cant remember if it had a heated waiting room (melb bound)....thanks for the memories
All stations were staffed pre the 90s Kennett cuts. Now its really rare
Station Assistant. Station Masters haven't been assigned to Heyington since the early 1970s.
@@stopsallmelb I staffed platform 1 here in 1980 & 1981 on some saturdays and sundays. Operated the gates and checked tickets.
VR had no idea I was doing that here and at Jolimont & West Richmond.
I operated the destination boards at Jolimont and West Richmond too.
Heyington was a very sleepy quiet place on sundays back then.
So you attended St Kevins?
Did you know a student by the name of Mark who was from St Albans? I met him at Heyington stn in 1984 after becoming friends on the CB radio.
Maybe he was in your class?
@@garynewton1263 And, even if there is a StationMaster, if you have a bad fall, outside the Ticket Window, The Station "Master" says "They don't have to give you(the Victim) their name. V. Rude, Unprofessional, Lack of Courtesy, No Manners, Total Lack of Interest, etc.
it used to have a massive gap as well between platform and train
I still haven't ever stopped at East Richmond station
Very quaint. I might have to take a train trip there.
It's a lovely place, in many ways. I think I shot the opening scene of a short film at a nearby station which has some aspects in common with this one.
Flemington Bridge Station - easily wins for super weird and extremely dangerous
About fifteen years ago when I briefly lived in Ferntree Gully, I’d often drive my car to Heyington stn and travel to the city from there by train. This was then they had the free ticket before 7am thing going on. Not sure if that’s still a thing
Heyington is also a very quiet station sans school times...located in Melbourne's most expensive suburb, Toorak...likes to keep a low profile ?
Chair lifts and other small lifts have been around for many decades. Chairlifts are particularly made for stairs. They can instal some sort of a chair lift for disabled people like myself, but they will not
Technically the street entrance isn't the only entrance, just after you go down the first set of stairs, on your right is a path that leads to another street via a path alongside and above the railway (been a while since i've been there, but you can definetely get through it)
wow did not expect to find you here (it's jub jub from spcc)
@@juzzyboy429 why would you not expect to find me on a train video?
I discovered this the hard way one day when going on a bike ride on my big, heavy bike with a long wheelbase and toddler on board. On a whim I followed the trail that leads up to the station from Warra St, only I didn’t know it led to the station-I was just exploring. I found myself having to turn around in the very tight area at the top of the station and then backtrack to get back on the road.
Great video.
In my opinion, with a bit of investment, it looks possible to create access by retrofitting the station with a new bridge with 3 lifts, one for entry and one each for the platforms. Yes, it might cost a bit, but I would think it'll be a requirement to eventually comply with DDA.
I think the station is mainly only used for the school, if you want to travel anywhere in the nearby region you would just use a different station. It also doesn't look that hard to just provide ramp access instead of lifts.
@@pwhnckexstflajizdryvombqug9042 It's pretty high up from the entrance and I'm not sure if there's enough space for ramps. Also there is a residential area on the western side.
All that money for the number of passengers. Jesus we must be rolling in it. How about admitting that in life like many things, it's just not worth the expense to make it accessible.
How about doing a video on the south eastern fwy extension from Burnley to toorak Rd back in the early to mid 70s? The Yarra river was moved and realigned, forcing the rail line over the yarra to be also permanently diverted with a new rail bridge built closer to heyington stn. I think the original alignment of the line was actually where the Burnley sidings are now situated?
I have been to Heyington station once. Took the wrong train and got off to go back to Burnley. It was dead quiet, not a soul on those platforms even on a weekday.
Also the old lilydale station has/had a bar in it.
It's still closed, "for refurbishment"!
Like being in a forest, but close to the city? Been to Royal Park station on the Upfield line? And walking distance to the CBD!
I'd think Willison the oddest since its so close to Riversdale and tucked away in the burbs with very little patronage. It was placed there to service the old golf course so people didn't have to walk from Riversdale.
This might be an unpopular opinion, but I firmly believe that Willison station should be removed entirely, since as you say, that it's very close to Riversdale, Hartwell should be the second station on the Alamein line not Willison
@@planetX15 100% agree
1:14 and there's the fourth: it is approached by no other form of public transport!
NGL , this station gives me south London vibes
This is a great video
Heyington is the only Station in Toorak. Toorak station is located in Armadale! Now that's odd.
Toorak always attracts oddness: Toorak College is nowhere near Toorak.
Toorak College used to be in Douglas Street, in Toorak-but that was over 100 years ago now!
I have always loved Heyington for it's oddity. Hopefully it will never be closed.
I think Moreland station is really weird and fancy.
Just got bored on my day off and took a ride to this station now
Yeah, it is a bit of an anomaly with some lovely foliage nonetheless
I think the worst aspect of this station is the death that occurred. Involved holding the doors opens for someone, train moving, and they ended up in the gap between the train and platform. I always connect that to this station. Think it was on the Glen Waverley side, but I could be wrong about that. I cannot think of anything worse then that.
Very Melbourne thing to have a train station be like a rainforest.
There's a few on the Lilydale and Belgrave lines which are literally rainforests and they look like they're in the country. Which is actually ironic because prior to the 1960s a lot of those outer suburbs still were considered country towns. But as the population has expanded and more people filled the gaps it became "greater Melbourne".
This is a very good video, you must be a real “Melbournian” They really should have more wheel chair friendly Disability Access and also there should be more transit officers on the other train stations as well but sadly that isn’t the case. Oh well thank you once again for the video.
Hartwell would have to be the oddest, seeing how it came from Wahalla, how many other stations came from a Narrow Guage line in the mountains to Melbourne?
I mean, Puffing Billy does exist, but I get your point. Maybe it's just Melbourne as a whole. Slightly quirky with the different gauge lines
I'm just glad you didn't get swooped at by a magpie. Nowhere near Collingwood, I guess...
Thank you for showing us lamington station the most unexcessable Station in Malvern.
There's a odd one on the pakenham line, disused but still there it was the general motors station. Basically served the staff who worked for GM before it all went off shore
I, and, many other folk, acknowledge all folk, our Elders, of the Past, Present, And, Emerging. We are ALL heading that way. "Aged-Care"(Contradiction Of Terms).