Victoria's Forgotten Railways EP12 Avoca Line

[@OddBallThe4th8382]

Excellent video, I live in the town In Question and I train spot regularly on this line. And you you’ve made an excellent video about my ‘home railway’. And a quick tip, it’s more pronounced ‘Ahh-Vo-Ka- rather than Av-okk-a.

[@bushranger51]

Yeah mate, his pronunciation makes me cringe too, as to the need for extra stations on the line, there should be only Avoca, Amphitheatre and Elmhurst, with all three having the passing loops as needed, but the major upgrade should be to the line speed, 40kph is a joke, when the rest of the network enjoys a considerable higher speed.

[@darylcheshire1618]

The Avoca station has been repurposed as an art gallary.

[@Victorian_steam]

I love your video format man! Got your catchphrase and all!! Keep it up man! Good stuff

[@VictorianTransportHistory]

Since when did I have a catch phrase?

[@Victorian_steam]

@@VictorianTransportHistory like your intro bit!

[@gregthompson3274]

You mentioned contested traffic running to the ports in Melbourne and Geelong,we have a natural deep water port at Portland,closet port to the grain and food producing regions,due to the state of the track and infrastructure,trains crawl at 40kph,a rare recent grain train took 5hrs to reach the port,a deplorable situation,40kph speed limits,really constrain rail freight being economically viable,we let the line deteriorate and then close it as to costly to bring up to standard,this has been governments and bureaucrats mindset for decade's

[@rsinclair6560]

The Brambles Tug master told me that unlike Port Phillip Bay, a ship waiting for grain can swing off it's anchor in the Anchorage which is deep mud and sand however they don't like anchoring off Portland because the anchor drag on a hard limestone bottom.

[@GabeTrains]

Mate, you really have some potential in becoming a big channel, I must say the detail in your videos is amazing! Keep up the awesome work mate

[@rsinclair6560]

Great work. Get over to Tasmania and do the North East line between Launceston and Herrick.

[@zanevoges3360]

You should do the timboon branch line

[@ThePaulv12]

Care to elaborate on why you think the Navarre line is, "One of the most forgettable lines on the Victorian network?" Could it be that, as you think it's forgettable then no one else could/should possibly find it interesting therefore we should all just forget about it?

[@VictorianTransportHistory]

The Navarre line didn't serve any big towns, it closed a little early in 1954, rather then other lines in the 1960s-70s, do you wouldn't find it in the Bland report list. It comes off a semi know branch line, it also barely has any history behind it. I also don't thing we should forget about it, one of the reasons I make this series is because I don't want people to forget about the branch lines of Victoria. But the line would probably not be in the top 15 when you ask people and even Gunzels "what's the top 15 Closed Victorian rail lines"

[@ThePaulv12]

@@VictorianTransportHistory Well I think the Navarre line is fascinating. Why would you relegate such a long line to the ignominious status of 'forgettable?' The country it traverses is in some ways almost as spectacular to that of the Mansfield line (of course subjectively speaking). Interestingly, from the location of the former mighty Ben Nevis station, as the former Navarre line crosses the Pyrenees Hwy (Ararat - Av-okk-a Rd), the tracks and sleepers are still buried under the asphalt. You can clearly see the rail outline in the road surface as they've just bitumened over the top of the crossing. Past the level crossing reasonably substantial earthworks remain - including an embankment, the remains of a bridge and a cutting. The Navarre line would've once been up there as one of beautiful routes in Victoria (again subjectively). Next you'll be advocating we forget about the Moolort, the Shellbourne, the Maribyrnong, the Timboon, the Colac - Ballarat, the Webb dock lines (and so very many others). What about Beech Forest line? Is that in or out? How about the Toongabbie line? The Welshpool Jetty railway line?? Forgettable or unforgettable? Rather than avant-garde, I feel your more of a veritable Australian version of the Beeching cuts type Victorian Transport Historical revisionist. Forgettable indeed. History is history. No need to pass off belief as fact.

[@kanyewest9-11]

@@ThePaulv12true but like it’s as shrimple as that

[@bushranger51]

@@ThePaulv12 I totally agree with you, firstly all those lines served a purpose in that they connected people from all parts of the state long before cars and trucks became the norm, they were a way of getting your goods to market, a way of travelling from location to location, and they were a social focal point in many towns and villages. Economics didn't come into it. Which is something politicians always seemed to forget. Also there's another few lines you missed, The Waubra branch off the Maryborough - Ballarat line, the Skipton Branch from Wendouree, the Ballarat to Hamilton line, and on to Portland, or even the Coleraine branch, or what about the Horsham to Hamilton line behind the Grampians, yeah there's a lot of so called "forgotten lines" in this state, all too numerous to mention, you only have to look at an old pre-Lonie report VR map to see how many there really were. They might be "forgotten" by us who live in Melbourne, but they are not forgotten in the country, as there is still plenty of evidence of their existence if you only care to look.

[@PixelBugYT]

*avocado line*

[@alistairparr5804]

Bro, it's pronounced "Av-O-ca, not "Avocca" as you're saying it and Navarre is pronounced "Navair" even though it's spelled "Navarre". Apart from that, good. 👍🍻