The Mount Pleasant railway line was a railway line on the

South Australian Railways South Australian Railways (SAR) was the organisation through which the Government of South Australia built and operated railways in South Australia from 1854 until March 1978, when its non-urban railways were incorporated into Australian Natio ...

network. It was opened between

Balhannah Balhannah is a town in the Adelaide Hills about 30 km southeast of Adelaide, the capital of South Australia. It was established in 1839 as a farming community by James Turnbull Thomson, who built the first hotel. The town soon grew to inco ...

and Mount Pleasant in September 1918 and ran until March 1963 as a freight and passenger service.Adelaide Hills Rail Trail - History
Part of its trackbed is now the

Amy Gillett Bikeway The Amy Gillett Bikeway or Amy Gillett Rail Trail or Amy Gillett Pathway is a shared path in the Adelaide Hills on part of the alignment of the former Mount Pleasant railway line. It is a sealed path suitable for recreational cycling, walking an ...

rail trail near to Adelaide.Rail Trails news article

History

The line opened on 16 September 1918 between Balhannah, 10 kilometres east of

Mount Lofty Mount Lofty (, elevation AHD) is the highest point in the southern Mount Lofty Ranges. It is located about east of the Adelaide city centre, within the Cleland National Park in the Adelaide Hills area of South Australia. The mountain's su ...

, and Mount Pleasant.W.H. Callaghan, "The Mount Pleasant Line", ''

Australian Railway Historical Society Bulletin ''Australian Railway History'' is a monthly magazine covering railway history in Australia, published by the New South Wales Division of the Australian Railway Historical Society on behalf of its state and territory Divisions. History and pro ...

'', October 1994, pp.274-281. It had six stations and a number of halts; typically, the halts were located near level crossings. The six stations were Oakbank, Woodside, Charleston, Mount Torrens, Birdwood, and Mount Pleasant. The seven halts were Mappinga, Riverview, Kayannie, Muralappie, Milkappa Road, Crane Road, and Narcoonah. The line was closed on 4 March 1963, and the way between Balhannah and Oakbank has mostly returned to private landowners.

Rail trail

This former railway is in the jurisdiction of the

Adelaide Hills Council Adelaide Hills Council is a local government area in the Adelaide Hills of South Australia. It is in the hills east of Adelaide, the capital of South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a States and territories of Aust ...

, which in 2003 commissioned a feasibility study into the best use of the land. The report recommended it be converted to a rail trail, with which the council agreed but considered beyond their means to implement. However, since that time, the development of a rail trail led to the opening of the

in 2010, named in honour of the late

Amy Gillett Amy Elizabeth Gillett (; 9 January 1976 – 18 July 2005) was an Australian track cyclist and Rowing (sport), rower who represented Australia in both sports. She was killed when a driver crashed into the Australian squad of cyclists with whom ...

, a South Australian-born Olympic cyclist who had died in 2005. As of 2015, the conversion had reached from Balhannah to Mount Torrens.

Line guide

References

{{Closed Railway lines of Adelaide Closed railway lines in South Australia Railway lines opened in 1918 Railway lines closed in 1953