New Beginnings
During the Second World War, Evans Head had been a hive of activity with the RAAF base on the northern edge of town.
After the war, in March 1946, Councillor Clarrie Kirkland put forward a proposal to revitalise the camping reserve on the river with a new kiosk, picnic tables and a miniature train. The reserve consisted of sand hills and rough heath and there was no easy access to the main beach.
From the outset, the community spirit was in evidence with the activity being a joint enterprise between the Evans Head Ratepayers and Citizens’ Association and Evans Head-Casino Surf Lifesaving Club sharing responsibility for the financing of the structure of the railway. A six member works committee was appointed and plans were discussed with tenders submitted for the laying of the line and cartage of railway sleepers.
The council donated 900 yards of tram tracks from the local quarry to be laid from the picnic grounds near the hotel on Oak Street to the Surf Life Saving Club – a distance of approximately 500 yards (450m).
Clarrie Kirkland, who ran the local bus service, offered his shed and staff for the construction of the train. One of Kirkland’s bus drivers, Mr W Johnson, was instrumental in the design and building. The loco was based on a 32 Class and was powered by a 20hp Ford Mercury petrol-driven engine. Three carriages were built to accommodate 20 adults or 30 children.
By November of that year the train was complete and the 2ft 5in line gauge track was laid. There was a 9ft turntable at each end so that the train would pull the carriages going north and push the carriages going south.
Opening Ceremony November, 17th 1946
About 3,000 people attended the opening ceremony conducted by the President of the Woodburn Shire, Mr Leslie Williams. The Assoc President, Mr George Wybrow said Evans Head was the first beach in Australia to have such a facility.
It was reported in the local paper that some 4,000 people rode the train on the opening day.
Mr Cecil Middleton, Chairman of the opening ceremony, said the train would be known as The Spirit of Progress although it was always known locally as the Scenic Railway or the Evans Head Express.
That Christmas holiday season broke all previous tourism records with more than 18,000 visitors coming to Evans Head. More than 50 buses were needed on Boxing Day to cater for the influx.
The train ran daily through the summer holidays, then weekends and special picnic days until Easter. Busloads of visitors from inland towns would flock to the beach every weekend.
Clarrie Kirkland was one of the first train drivers alongside Eddie Hardy with Stan Payne as the conductor. There was a ticket booth at each end with Mrs Evelyn Kirkland in residence at the town end and Dorrie McAlpine at the Surf Club end. Tickets were 3d for children and 6d for adults for a ride lasting about 5 minutes.
Funds raised from ticket sales, raffle tickets, cake sales and the cloak room were reinvested into further improvement of the Evans Head Reserve and beach.
The income from the camping fees and community concerts allowed the Reserve to be self-supporting without any burden on the ratepayers for improvements of the grounds and facilities. During the winter downtime, train and track maintenance was undertaken and the picnic grounds and guard rails got a fresh coat of white paint courtesy of Mrs Kirkland and her helpers.
The “ground rent” for the track was paid to the Council at £150 per annum – quite a considerable sum in the 1950s and equivalent to 6000 adult train rides. After three very successful years, Clarrie Kirkland suggested to council that a Trust should be established as the administration was too much for one person.
Volunteers continued to maintain and repair all the facilities around the Reserve. The new brick kiosk was opened in December 1947; hot showers installed for campers (luxury!) and new swings erected in 1949. Clearing the tracks of sand and vegetation became a regular task. New lines were ordered costing £160 as the sea air was causing them to rust.
The Heydays
From the outset, the indefatigable local spirit was much in evidence with local citizens of all backgrounds contributing time and effort. There was rarely a shortage of willing train enthusiasts and Mr. Stan Payne took on the task of recruiting and interviewing prospective train operators.
The railway continued to be a roaring success throughout the 1950s and 60s. Camping on the Reserve was often at capacity and new cabins were built along the foreshore.
Barely a week passed where there wasn’t a concert, festival, band or parade organised for the holiday visitors.
Every Christmas, the village was decorated with bunting and coloured lights. A large carousel, a giant slippery-dip and a mini-golf course were erected to add to the carnival atmosphere.
Various charity groups were regularly given free train rides on their picnic days with school and church groups also enjoying discounts.
In 1954 the Evans Head Ratepayers and Citizens’ Association changed its name to the Progress Association and the proficient management of the Trust enabled the Reserve and the village to flourish.
Benefits also flowed to other organisations like the Ambulance Station, who organised the Housie-Housie (Bingo) and the Surf Club who were able to afford full-time life guards for the summer season.
Train to the rescue – 1969
Orchids, taken from the Salty Lake area, were replanted in the Bundjalung Reserve. The orchids were in danger of being lost due to mining in the area.
Evans Head Progress Association train came to the rescue and transported the helpers over the track from Evans Head bridge to the Bundjalung reserve – the train having been converted with tractor tyres earlier in the year.
Progress association president, Mr. Phil Harris, was the hero of the day. As the driver of the train, he transported the party over the very bad access track where the water was a foot deep in places. The train had to make several trips across the treacherous track.
Bundjalung Trust secretary, Mrs. Marj Henderson, said the success of the day was due to Mr. Harris and the generosity of the Progress Association in making the train available.
Later in the year, Evans Head Bundjalung Reserve Trust added more than 200 orchids to the swamp land and rain forest of the Reserve. Rain during the week had made the track into the reserve impassable for cars. “The outing would have been impossible without the co-operation of the Evans Head Progress Association’s train and its stout-hearted driver” as more than 60 helpers attended the reserve in drenching rain.
Even the tractor-pulled train became bogged and it was all hands pushing before one bad patch could be negotiated. Three trips had to be made by the train to transport the enthusiastic conservationists and the trays of rescued orchids.
Off the rails …
Clarrie Kirkland died in 1966 and as he was the driving force behind the scenic railway, impetus began to wane.
By the 1968 holiday season the tracks had deteriorated considerably and so it was decided to convert the locomotive with tractor wheels and cab and continue to run it around the Evans Head streets.
In February 1969 the train was completely renovated and converted by York Bros. The charge for converting the train from rail to road use was greater than anticipated, so the association was compelled to raise the price of the return journey to 20c.
Showing community spirit, York Bros. were willing to wait for the payment until the train was paying its way.
By the early 70s, the tractor train was permanently retired and the remains are currently located on a property at Yorklea.
Clarrie and Evelyn Kirkland showed enormous community spirit and great generosity of time and energy to the whole district. There was not a worthy cause they did not support.
VOLUNTEER RAIL STAFF included
| Clarrie & Evelyn Kirkland | George & Rosie Miller |
| Hilton & Wink McDonald | Dorrie McAlpine |
| Jack & Emma Williams | Mr Nasser |
| W Johnson | Jack Sullivan |
| Billy Cooper | Mick & Jean Rosolen |
| Arthur Collyer | N. Morrison |
| Stan & Tommy Payne | Eddie Hardy |
| Ray Pembroke | Harry Watt |
| S Vincent |
On leaving the town end, the train passed through the 20-metre carriage shed located about 50 metres from the track end. About 170 metres along the route, where the track passed through a sandy floored scrub, there was a road crossing. The last 50 metres were covered with a light sand drift. The turn table at that location was situated 67 metres from the end, 17 metres beyond the drift, sheltered by a sand and scrub ridge.
