Letters from a Diary

27 October 1939

In the year 1887 a Mr. Kearn came from Geraldton to build the Bunbury to Boyanup railway. They brought the plant in a boat called the "Iris," of about 200 ton's burden, and started work from the wharf up Wittenoom-street where Milliar's Mill now is. They put in a cutting 46 ft. deep and had about 15 one-horse carts and filled-in in front of Hayward's old store and all the low lying ground between Pier hotel and the silo; also several other low-lying places. I worked first at unloading plant and then with two horses on a bank near Wilke's crossing, mawing banks, etc., to put the rails and sleepers on. Later on I was carting bridge timber from Ferguson's mill and from the bush at Crooked Brook to different parts of the line as required. We were camped at a Mr Riche's farm at Boreup, eight and a half miles from Bunbury on the Dardanup road. As Mr. Kearn had brought all Riche's hay the oats were supplied by Mr. Hay and Son of Bunbury.

Mr. Kearn's teams did the carting as back-loading to Riche's where the teams were. The roads were very bad at the time so it was not too pleasant. When the line was finished the people had a great day and a free ride in the ballast train to Boyanup. For a long time after the line was finished they worked it with horses. A Mr. Charles Little Hastie had the running of it, also the wharf. Later the Government sent a Mr. Guilfoyle down to act as foreman and they opened the line with steam and have run it ever since. The line has now been laid down for years to Busselton and Bridgetown and a good many miles further. Also there is a line from Brunswick to Narrogin on the Great Southern. In part, the country is joined by railway to all parts of the colony and people wonder however they managed to get about before the railway came. A great many places also have motor cars and trucks doing a lot of work that the railways used to do. The railways still take a long time to get to Perth, about twice as long as by car.