The Mount Pleasant railway line is an abandoned

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...

n line. 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 inc ...

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 rail trail near to Adelaide.Rail Trails news article

History

The line''The Mount Pleasant Line'' Callaghan, W.H.

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.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. The line had six stations and a number of halts, typically the halts were located near level crossings. The six stations were Oakbank, Woodside,

Charleston Charleston most commonly refers to: * Charleston, South Carolina * Charleston, West Virginia, the state capital * Charleston (dance) Charleston may also refer to: Places Australia * Charleston, South Australia Canada * Charleston, Newfoun ...

, 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, and extends from the South Para Reservoir in the north to the Mount Bold Reservoi ...

, which in 2003 commissioned a feasibility study into the best use of the land. The report recommended it be converted to a rail trail, which the council agreed with but considered it beyond their means to do so. However, since that time, the development of a rail trail lead to the opening of the '' Amy Gillett Rail Trail'' in 2010, named in honour of the late Amy Gillett, 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