As all a bike thief needs is a shifter to unbolt it from the ground.

And ride away with the bike that was locked to it.

It’s the reason why they say put your bike lock through the rear wheel *and* the frame.

A U-lock can go around the rear rim and tire, somewhere inside the rear triangle of the frame without looping it around the seat tube: the wheel cannot be pulled through the rear triangle. A lock which passes around a rim makes the bicycle unrideable even if the object it is locked to can be broken or disassembled.

Because cutting up a bike defeats the point of trying to steal it.

Some people will object that felons might cut the rear rim and tire to remove a lock. This just doesn’t happen in the real world. It is possible to cut the rim with a hacksaw, working from the outside to the inside, but first, the tire must be removed or cut through. It would be a lot of work to steal a frame without a usable rear wheel, the most expensive part of a bike after the frame.

What makes these particular bike hoops egregious was that they installed as part of the Regional Rail Link project a decade ago along with the concrete path, so it isn’t even “boring holes was too hard” – they could’ve embedded the bike hoops into the concrete when pouring it.

And retrofitting concreted in bike hoops isn’t that hard – you just need a core drill.

There is your hole.

Pop out the paving.

And you’re all done.

And it’s not the first time

Did you notice anything odd about the row of bike hoops in my lead photo?

Yes, they’re all brushed metal except for one with a galvanised finish – presumably a replacement after another bike thief unbolted the previous hoop.

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The closure affected the Williamstown, Werribee and Sunbury lines were closed from June 23 to July 9, so that the Dynon Road bridge over the railway at North Melbourne could be widened to provide more traffic lanes aimed at the heart of the Melbourne CBD.

West Gate Tunnel Project photo

Media attention

Unusually this two week shutdown got a lot of media attention.

A bus driver shortage could exacerbate transport mayhem for the next two weeks as work on the West Gate Tunnel Project shuts down the train network and blocks off a major road connection, effectively cutting off Melbourne’s west from the city.

The state government is warning of significant delays and urging residents in the western suburbs to consider working from home from June 23 to July 9, which coincides with the school holidays.

Across the city, nine of the 16 lines in the Metro network and four of the V/Line corridors will be out of operation this weekend, placing bus replacement services under strain.

Transport Workers’ Union Victoria branch assistant secretary Mem Suleyman said bus operators were experiencing a driver shortage, one which left them struggling to deliver enough replacement services earlier this year.

He said drivers had a good track record supporting rail replacement work, but the size of the upcoming shutdown would be challenging.

“This is a big demand, and it won’t be perfect.”

Eastern suburbs commuters experienced long delays to board buses when part of the Lilydale/Belgrave line was shut for level-crossing removal work between February and May this year. Lines of passengers stretched almost 150 metres along Spring Street from the corner of Collins Street to the steps of parliament.

Public Transport Users Association spokesman Daniel Bowen said the failure to provide enough replacement buses was a recurring issue. With so many train stations cut off, resourcing would be particularly stretched in the upcoming work, he said.

“There’s often insufficient information for passengers, not enough staff at stops to help people, a lack of shelter at the temporary stops, and a lack of [road] priority to help these buses get past other traffic,” Bowen said.

“They will have to look at resourcing very carefully, particularly during peak hour, and they need to make sure they get enough buses and drivers.”

Bus Association Victoria executive director Chris Lowe said replacement providers were “as best prepared as we can be at this stage and don’t anticipate any major shortfalls”.

The combination of road and rail disruption had been specifically scheduled to take place during the school holidays, while fewer people were driving or using public transport, a Department of Transport and Planning spokesperson said.

But the impact will still be felt: almost 32,400 passengers catch trains along the affected Sunbury, Williamstown and Werribee lines every weekday during school holidays, according to state government data.

The Herald Sun testing five modes of transport between Yarraville and Southbank to see which was quicker.

The challenge found cycling was the quickest way to make the 9km trip, our rider Ethan Kusch clocking in at 24 minutes, making use of the dedicated bike paths to record an average speed of 23km/h.

The motorcyclist was next to arrive at 27 minutes, negotiating trucks, cars and roadworks along Footscray Rd and through Docklands.

But car driver Jackson Haddad, who took the West Gate Bridge route, was delayed exiting Williamstown Rd and crawled into Southbank in 40 minutes.

“It was a bit of a nightmare getting on to the West Gate. Think we waited about 15 minutes just to get on the bridge,’’ he said.

That time was a mere three minutes faster than runner Fergus Ellis whose size 12s carried him along Footscray Rd and Southbank Promenade.

“It was just under 44 minutes. Nice view of Melbourne on the way in but (I’m) pretty sweaty.

“But I’d rather run in both directions than catch a bus any day,’’ Fergus said.

On the bus and the slowest, by a long way, was not surprisingly Helena Powell whose disjointed trip – bus to North Melbourne and then packed City Loop train to Flinders St station – took one hour and four minutes.

All for a journey that would normally take about 18 minutes.

And Channel 9 News interviewing passengers stuck waiting for buses.

There's been commuter chaos in Melbourne this morning, as major construction projects force nine train lines to close. @_Stephanderson #9News pic.twitter.com/aSN1Y0rmSJ

— 9News Melbourne (@9NewsMelb) June 26, 2023

And on the ground

On the morning of Friday 23 June the car park at Sunshine station was turned into a interchange for rail replacement buses.

Marquees to shelter waiting passengers.

Along with some giant puddles.

But after trains stopped running at 8.30pm, the bus interchange was empty.

For some reason the buses were sent to the other side of Sunshine station.

But by Saturday morning the buses had moved location.

But nowhere near enough buses for the number of intending passengers – long queues forming.

At the city end, rail replacement bus operated from a temporary interchange on William Street, next to Flagstaff Gardens.

With a second set of bus stops a block away on King Street.

Intending passengers sent on a long walk through Flagstaff Gardens to reach the bus stop for express buses.

To find their bus hiding in the dark.

On Sunday night an inadequate number of buses was again provided.

Buses filling quickly, and leaving passengers behind.

And the first weekday

Come Monday morning, the crowds of commuters arrived by train at Sunshine.

Sent over the ‘Bridge of Sighs’ to their rail replacement buses.

Only to be greeted by long lines at the bus stop.

And dozens of parked buses.

The Channel 9 News helicopter filming the scene from the air.

A bus would eventually show up but fill quickly, leaving a long line of intending passengers.

More buses arriving, but never able to keep up.

Queues might disappear for a minute or two.

Until the next train full of intending passengers arrived.

So where did the buses come from anyway?

Dysons was the lead contractor supplying buses for the rail replacement contract – as well as operating route bus services in Melbourne’s north, they have a fleet of older low floor buses dedicated for school and rail replacement work.

They also went scratching around the depot for spare buses, like this ‘301 Shuttle’ liveried bus not needed during the La Trobe University holidays.

Transit Systems is another large bus operator with a pool of older buses for rail replacement work, and sent out some buses they recently acquired second hand from Darwin.

And buses they bought second hand from Brisbane.

CDC Melbourne operates route buses in Melbourne’s west, and supplied a number of older low floor buses from their depot at Tullamarine.

Some newer PTV liveried buses not needed for normal route services.

And a bus or two normally used on charter work.

Kinetic also got tapped on the shoulder to supply buses, sending out a few PTV liveried buses not needed on their usual route service.

Plus a few older buses used for rail replacement work.

But still more buses were needed – so more operators were called up.

Sunbury Coaches supplied coaches normally used for school runs.

As did Firefly Charter.

And Crown Coaches.

There are also a number of second tier charter bus operators who in recent years have acquired secondhand low floor buses for rail replacement work.

Mee’s.

Nuline Charter.

Driver Bus Lines.

And Sunshine Coaches.

The call also went out to country Victoria for even more buses.

Gull Geelong normally uses their coach on runs to Melbourne Airport.

McHarry’s runs PTV services in Geelong.

And Millars Bus Lines sent a coach on a three hour drive all the way from Kerang to help.

But still that wasn’t enough – the call went out to third tier bus operators you’ve never heard of, using unbranded buses bought cheaply at auction, driven by drivers without uniforms.

ABC Tours with an ex-Brisbane bus.

Melbourne Premier Buslines with an ex-Perth bus.

Transporter with another ex-Brisbane bus.

And MelMax with a surplus coach from a mining contract in Western Australia.

So what work were they actually doing?

Interestingly, the media release from the State Government actually undersold the works on the Sunbury line – works for the West Gate Tunnel project being the headline item.

West Gate Tunnel Project photo

But on the ground, the bulk of the work was happening on the signalling the turnback platform at West Footscray .

Connecting up tracks installed back in 2020.

Welding rails.

Installing point motors.

And fitting out the signals.

The end result – High Capacity Signalling equipment for terminating trains at Footscray.

And West Footscray.

Platform 2 at West Footscray was also finally renumbered.

Now marked as platform 3.

So how soon until the new signalling is taken advantage of? Hopefully soon!

A note on the signalling at West Footscray

The new platform at West Footscray opened way back in July 2020, but as a direct swap for the previous platform 1.

In the years since, there have been multiple shutdowns of the Sunbury line to complete further work on the turnback.

Installing signal gantries.

And signal heads.

So why didn’t they bother commissioning it until three years later in July 2023?

The story I heard is that they didn’t want to commission a new conventional signalling arrangement at West Footscray to handle the new turnback platform, only to rip it all out a few years later when they were ready to install the final High Capacity Signalling system from the Metro Tunnel portal through to West Footscray.

However there is one flaw in that argument – in recent years just that has happened at Caulfield, which was resignalled in 2020, 2022 and then again in 2023!

I hope you enjoy another year or two of bus replacements!

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A trip to Sydney

I spent a few days up in Sydney, and went for a ride on their double deck trains.

Stumbled upon the wooden tread escalators at Wynyard station.

And went for a last ride on the Sydney Monorail.

The Sydney Monorail closed in June 2013, while the wooden escalators were finally retired in 2017.

Southern Cross Station is a joke

I’ve written before about the joke that is Southern Cross Station – Grand Prix merchandise stalls blocking the main entrance.

The hopeless tram stop at the corner of Bourke and Spencer Streets, where cars have priority.

And V/Line trains not arriving on the platform until a minute before departure time.

A decade later – nothing has changed.

Regional Rail Link

Something far more positive was work ramping up on the Regional Rail Link project.

The rail yards beside North Melbourne station were a busy worksite, as the dedicated V/Line tracks towards Southern Cross Station took shape.

Work also underway beside the Heavenly Queen Temple for a third bridge over the Maribyrnong River at Footscray.

Outside Footscray another two tracks were being threaded through what was then an industrial wasteland.

And the Hopkins Street bridge was down to just two lanes, so that the bridge could be extended over the new tracks.

Footscray station was also getting dug up.

To make way for the new suburban platforms next to Irving Street.

The old West Footscray station was still in place for now.

But work on the new station had just started.

Tottenham station still had two tracks for now.

But at Sunshine work on the new station concourse had started.

Meanwhile on the greenfields section between Deer Park and Werribee, new bridges were taking shape to carry roads over the future railway.

The station building at Wyndham Vale was emerging.

Soon to take over from the token bus service.

The railway cutting through the Manor Lakes estate had also been started.

Tonnes upon tonnes of solid basalt rock needing to be removed.

While down the line at Manor Junction, heavy duty dump trucks were helping to building the grade separated junction with the existing route towards Geelong.

The first sections of Regional Rail Link opened from October 2013, with the complete route via Tarneit and Wyndham Vale stations opened in June 2015.

And some other bits

I went on a trip to the Murray River at Tocumwal with Steamrail Victoria.

Special trains still make the journey up to the Murray from time to time, despite V/Line services only running as far north as Shepparton.

Remember Melbourne Bike Share? I found staff taking bikes back to the top of the Swanston Street hill. The service closed down in November 2019.

As for cycling to the inner north-west, Flemington Road was a joke then, and still is today.

And remember Safeway?

Rebranding as Woolworths commenced in 2008, with the final store changed over in 2017.

Footnote

Here you can find the rest of my ‘photos from ten years ago‘ series.

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At the station

We start in 1960, with Weston Langford standing on platform 2 and 3. Cars still had to use a level crossing, but a timber footbridge allowed pedestrians to avoid waiting for passing trains.

Weston Langford photo

The Hampshire Road overpass was completed in 1961, but the scene at Sunshine staying much the same for decades – this was the scene in 2012 when my heritage train passed through on the way around the suburbs.

But the Regional Rail Link project changed it up again, replacing the pedestrian underpass with a massive new overhead concourse, and adding an additional platform for the use of V/Line trains.

And the HV McKay Footbridge

In this 1977 Weston Langford photo the view south from the footbridge was sparse – railway sidings for the Sunshine Harvester Works dominating the foreground.

Weston Langford photo

But following the closure of the factory in the 1990s central Sunshine was redeveloped, and in my 2010 view gum trees had taken over the George Cross reserve on the other side of the tracks.

But Regional Rail Link also changed this scene – a new footbridge, and two new tracks beneath it for the use of V/Line trains.

And the next chapter?

Work is about to start on the Melbourne Airport Rail Link, with some changes coming for Sunshine – a tangle of new track between Sunshine and Albion, and a new station concourse at the city end.

A shadow of the ‘super hub’ once promoted by the State Government, but change none the less.

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The scope

The Melbourne Airport Rail Link project has been divided up into three regions.

With the work to be tendered out as six ‘work packages’.

Which include:

Airport Station Package

The Airport Station package will be responsible for the following scope:

• construction of the new Airport Station including operational control systems (OCS);
• construction of a new 1.5km track pair from the new Airport Station to Mercer Drive;
• overhead wiring system and structures;
• land clearing and minor civil works for traction power substations and Digital Train Radio System (DTRS) Towers;
• Combined Services Route (CSR);
• utility services relocations;
• civil structures; and
• roadworks.

Viaduct Package

The Viaduct package will be responsible for the following scope:

• construction of approximately 5km of twin track viaduct commencing at Mercer Drive and continuing above the median strip of Airport Drive towards Steele Creek North and across the Western Ring Road;
• overhead wiring system, wiring and structures;
• land clearing and minor civil works for traction power substations and DTRS Towers;
• CSR;
• utility services relocations;
• civil structures and grade separations; and
• roadworks.

Corridor Package

The Corridor package will be responsible for the following scope:

• construction of approximately 6km of new track and associated civil works;
• overhead wiring system, wiring and structures;
• land clearing and minor civil works for traction power substations and DTRS Towers;
• CSR;
• utility services relocation;
• modifications to Australian Rail Track Corporation (ARTC) tracks and supporting infrastructure including ARTC signalling works;
• shared user path works; and
• modifications to existing road bridges spanning the rail corridor.

Maribyrnong River Bridge Package

The Maribyrnong River Bridge package will be responsible for the following scope:
• construction of a new elevated twin track rail crossing to the West of the existing Albion Viaduct; and
• associated earthworks, drainage, lineside fencing and maintenance access.

RPV note that the Maribyrnong River Bridge package may ultimately be delivered as part of the Corridor package rather than as a standalone works package.

Rail Systems Package

The Rail Systems package will be responsible for the following scope:

• High Capacity Signalling (HCS);
• Automatic Train Supervision (ATS) system;
• Traction Power System (TPS) including:
– intake substation;
– new traction power substations and 22kV AC reticulation systems;
– 3.3kV Essential Services Distribution System (ESDS) Cable pulling, jointing and any required field equipment;
• Rail Control Systems;
• Communications Systems;
– Fibre optic network;
– Digital Train Radio System; and
• Systems integration and assurance.

And the controversial part

And the most complicated and controversial one – the Sunshine/Albion Package. The state government released the details of this work package back in March 2021 – an ‘exclusive’ media drop made to the Herald Sun by the State Government in return for not asking any difficult questions.

The headline feature – a rail-over-road-over-rail bridge at Albion station.

The rest of the work including.

Sunshine/Albion Package
The SAP Works primarily comprise of works in and around Sunshine Station, extending to the southern end of Albion-Jacana corridor. Key scope will include:

• modifications to the Anderson Road rail underbridge to accommodate the new Melbourne Airport Rail lines and the adjusted positions of the existing lines;
• construction of a new elevated viaduct for the Melbourne Airport Rail lines to span over Ballarat Road bridge, St Albans Road bridge and the Stony Creek;
• Overhead Line Equipment (OHLE) works between Sunshine Station and the Albion-Jacana corridor, crossing Ballarat Road, the Sunbury rail corridor, St Albans Road and Stony Creek;
• upgrades to Sunshine Station, including platform and car park modifications and the construction of a new concourse;
• upgrades to Albion Station car parks and forecourts;
• Shared User Path (SUP) works to connect the Principal Bicycle Network and the Strategic Cycling Corridor;
• relocation and implementation of rail systems;
• modifications to existing substations;
• diversion, relocation and protection of existing utilities and underground services;
• signalling, including relocatable equipment buildings (REB), signalling HT locations, axle counters in the Sunshine/Albion area; and
• CSR works in the Sunshine / Albion area and on the new Melbourne Airport Rail lines to the Corridor package interface.

Resulting in a tangle of new track between Sunshine and Albion.

To be delivered in three parts.

• Final Sunbury and Bendigo Commissioning Works – all track works, signalling works, substations and OHLE in relation to the Sunbury and Bendigo lines and all station works at Sunshine Station;
• MAR Spur Works – all works relating to the new Melbourne Airport Rail lines contained within the SAP scope; and
• Balance of SAP Works – the balance of works contained within the SAP scope.

Locals up in arms

Brimbank City Council had big plans for a ‘super hub’ at Sunshine and a rebuilt Albion railway station.

Their plans made public back in February 2021.

The Sunshine Super Hub and Albion Station precinct is a landmark project that is set to reinvent Brimbank as a thriving economic centre.

The council is hoping the hub will help unlock Brimbank’s investment, development and employment potential.

In preliminary designs for the hub, included in a document presented to last week’s council meeting, the council highlighted two possible scenarios for the future of Sunshine and Albion stations.

– The first scenario will result in both Sunshine and Albion stations being upgraded as dual ‘existing’ stations, with Albion station to move to the north.

– The second scenario involves moving Sunshine station to the north and into the new super hub.

Mayor Ranka Rasic confirmed the council had undertaken preliminary design work on the project.

“These options are indicative and exploratory only and further work is needed on the state-led project to determine the best outcome for our community and the western region.

“The Sunshine Super Hub and Albion Station upgrades could create Sunshine and Brimbank as the economic powerhouse of Melbourne’s west.”

The council has also commissioned art impressions to highlight the enormous transformation potential that could be delivered as part of this major infrastructure project.

Cr Rasic said the council will be discussing these preliminary options with the government.

So the announcement of the rail-over-road-over-rail bridge didn’t go down well.

The locals disappointed with the reduced scope of the project.

The proposed concept plans for the Melbourne Airport Rail Link will drive a “lethal stake through the heart of Sunshine,” according to a local advocacy group

The Greater Sunshine Community Alliance’s convener Stephen Torsi said the group was concerned by the plans which were released last month by the state and federal governments.

The plans include a new bridge over the Maribyrnong River and elevated twin tracks between Sunshine and the Albion Junction.

There was no mention in of the Sunshine Super Transport Hub in the plans.

Mr Torsi said community members were concerned by the information that had been released so far.

He said the alliance was concerned about two issues in particular: the omission of the Sunshine Super Transport Hub and the skyrail between Sunshine and Albion Junction.

As reported by Star Weekly, Brimbank council has raised also concerns that the hub has been overlooked.

“The fact that it looks like the superb hub has been downgraded is a massive blow as a community,” he said.

“We’re keen to work with developers and all the stakeholders and push back on something that looks like it will be second rate.

“We want to make sure we get the best for Sunshine, we don’t want just another track that divides the city.”

Mr Torsi said the proposed elevated tracks from Sunshine to Albion Junction would split Sunshine.

“They split Sunshine in two in the 60s due to bad planning and this goes further in splitting the city,” he said.

“It drives a lethal stake through the heart of Sunshine. We will fight hard on this, Imagine the uproar if this was Toorak.

So what is Albion station like anyway?

The disused railway substation and John Darling & Son Flour Mill form a distinctive industrial backdrop to the area.

But the pebblecrete station building has all the charm of a public toilet block.

Seedy at dusk.

And more so at night time.

Sections of the platform are made of timber.

Which is rotten away.

And the concrete Ballarat Road bridge is crumbling.

And the wider area

A non-DDA compliant ramp is the only access to Albion station.

Connecting to a dank pedestrian subway.

Car parking dominates the entire area.

The Ballarat Road bridge overshadows the Albion side of the station.

Making the car park feel even seedier than they usually are.

Go for a walk down the west side of the tracks, and you’ll find a cyclone fence with rusty barbed wire at neck height.

Or head towards Sunshine North via St Albans Road, where you’ll find a narrow foothpath squeezed beside cars.

Keep going, and you’ll find a second bridge over the Albion-Jacana railway.

Squeeze between the road and the fence.

Hopefully you don’t need to pass someone coming in the other directions.

Or get crushed into the steel guard rail by a wayward motorist.

So I’m not exactly surprised that a rail-over-road-over-rail solution was chosen for Albion – a penny pinching State Government doesn’t want to spend money on fixing the problems of the west, so they’re just throwing a new bridge over it all, so the rest of Melbourne doesn’t have to look at it.

Update – Albion isn’t completely forgotten

Turns out an upgrade to the shared use path between Albion and Sunshine North is in scope.

Designing and undertaking all works for the SUP between the Albion eastern car park and Gilmore Road including:

• SUP along the east side of the eastern Albion Station carpark; and
• SUP connection along St Albans Road under the Ballarat Road underpass and a new stand-alone bridge over the Albion-Jacana corridor.

As is ‘public realm’ improvements to the area:

• the architectural gateway feature including public artwork or creative design treatments associated with the viaduct near Ballarat Road;
• boulevard landscaping treatment to Ballarat Road between Anderson Road and Adelaide Street;
• public realm, shared use zone, public artwork and creative design treatments between rail corridor and John Darling Flour Mill site;
• landscape treatments to Talmage Street;
• establishment of forecourt area, including street furniture, from Albion Station eastern entry to pedestrian underpass;
• landscape upgrade works to existing Albion Station car park on eastern side of rail corridor; and
• temporary creative works to ameliorate construction-phase impacts including creative hoarding treatments, pop-up parklets, street furniture or other pedestrian infrastructure, lighting, programmable spaces, and creative wayfinding.

So at least Albion station is getting something other than a new row of concrete pylons.

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The background

The story starts at Sunshine station, upgraded in 2014.

But for pedestrians crossing Hampshire Road they still needed to dodge four lanes of traffic at a roundabout.

Google Street View October 2018

So in 2015 Brimbank City Council proposed improvements to the area.

Sunshine Town Centre – Sunshine Station entry upgrades/integration

Improvements to Hampshire Road bridge and roundabouts to reflect new station entry arrangements at upgraded Station. Initiatives to prioritise safe pedestrian access to the station and safe cycle access over Hampshire Road. Design in first year with construction in following year.

A consultant was engaged to do a traffic study.

In 2016 SALT is conducting a study of proposed bicycle and pedestrian improvements in the Hampshire Road precinct in Sunshine, Victoria.

This involves preparing concept and functional designs for cycle paths over the Hampshire Road overpass and pedestrian crossings between Sunshine railway station and surrounding residential areas.

It was decided to add a set of pedestrian operated traffic signals , and remove one of the southbound lanes on Hampshire Road to make room for an on-road bicycle lane.

Brimbank City Council

With the design put to tender in late 2018.

Hampshire Road Overpass – Southern Pedestrian Crossing

Contract Number
19/2612

Released Date
1/12/2018

Closed Date
23/01/2019

Awarded to Harte Civil VIC Pty Ltd
$392,407.09 (ex. GST)

Construction time

Work started in July 2019.

With Hampshire Road dug up.

So that a raised hump could be created for the pedestrian crossing.

But traffic management left a lot to be designed – route 903 buses were detoured around the worksite, with zero information given by Public Transport Victoria.

By August 2019 things were starting to look real.

The traffic lights put into place at the pedestrian crossing.

Confusion reigns

Despite the traffic lights being switched off, the crossing was opened to pedestrians.

Signed as a zebra crossing, but no zebra stripes on the road.

There things stayed until January 2020, when fences appeared overnight at the crossing.

Blocking pedestrian access.

Featuring a ‘pedestrian crossing under maintenance’ sign from Brimbank City Council.

And a pedestrian detour to the next set of traffic lights – 150 metres away.

The next day the crossing had reopened.

But with traffic controllers stopping traffic every time a pedestrian wanted to cross.

And just as soon as they arrived, they were replaced by zebra stripes painted on the road surface.

Making it a ‘real’ zebra crossing.

And finally done

March 2020, and the traffic lights were finally switched on.

Allowing the zebra stripes to be painted out.

Only six months from ‘completion’ to actually functioning!

Footnote – zebra crossings

Road Safety Road Rules 2017 states:

(1) A driver approaching a pedestrian crossing must drive at a speed at which the driver can, if necessary, stop safely before the crossing.

(2) A driver must give way to any pedestrian on or entering a pedestrian crossing.

(3) A pedestrian crossing is an area of a road—

(a) at a place with white stripes on the road surface that—

(i) run lengthwise along the road; and
(ii) are of approximately the same length; and
(iii) are approximately parallel to each other; and
(iv) are in a row that extends completely, or partly, across the road; and

(b) with or without either or both of the following—

(i) a pedestrian crossing sign ;
(ii) alternating flashing twin yellow lights.

So technically a zebra crossing sign but no stripes on the road isn’t a pedestrian crossing, but a set of zebra stripes without a sign is.

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V/Line to Deer Park

Welcome to Deer Park station, located 17 kilometres west from Southern Cross Station.

With nothing of note other than car parks and suburban houses.

In peak many trains run express through the station.

And the trains that do stop are already full of passengers from Geelong and Ballarat.

And Ardeer

Even more forgettable is Ardeer station.

Only 15 kilometres from Southern Cross.

Yet still had a gravel platform as late as 2014.

In 2015 Regional Rail Link transformed the level of service to both stations – going from a train every two hours to a train around every 20 minutes, split between the Ballarat and Geelong lines.

But from 31 January 2021 the service levels have doubled again – off peak, Deer Park now sees six trains per hour, with every second train stopping at Ardeer as well.

Meanwhile riding Metro Trains Melbourne to Sunshine

Sunshine station was rebuilt as part of the Regional Rail Link project in 2014, and is located 12 kilometres from Southern Cross.

With four platforms, served by V/Line and Metro trains.

It is also a major transport hub for connecting buses.

With the area around the station a service and shopping hub for the surrounding suburbs.

But how many trains stop there off peak? Half that of Deer Park – just three trains an hour!

So how to fix it?

Off peak trains run every 10 minutes between the City and Ringwood, Dandenong and Frankston despite little promotion, with plans for a wider rollout promised in 2014 but never went anywhere.

But what about the Metro Tunnel, which will allow ‘More Trains More Often’ between Sunbury and the city once it is completed in 2025?

Hahaha!

The original Metro Tunnel business plan from 2016 delivered nothing to the Sunbury line, with millions spent on an extra platform at West Footscray so that trains from the city would not have to continue west to Sunshine and Sunbury!

The only bright spot on the horizon – the upcoming Melbourne Airport Rail Link will run via Sunshine, which will hopefully double the number of trains serving this growing suburban hub.

Footnote: V/Line trains and suburban passengers

For many years V/Line trains stopping at suburban stations have been advertised as ‘Not taking suburban passengers’.

And for a while enforcing it was pretty simple – V/Line had their own system of paper tickets, so conductors could check to see where someone boarded.

But the 2014 introduction of Myki to V/Line removed this distinction, so a new rule was added to the Victorian Fares and Ticketing Manual.

V/Line pick-up and set-down restrictions

For the purposes of the Conditions under this heading, in following three paragraphs, ‘metropolitan railway station’ means a railway station shown on the Melbourne Train Network Map in Figure A of Schedule 2 to these Conditions, other than Ardeer, Caroline Springs, Deer Park, Rockbank, Melton, Sunbury and Pakenham railway stations.

A customer may only board a V/Line train at a metropolitan railway station if the V/Line train service ends at a railway station that is not a metropolitan railway station.

A customer may only alight from a V/Line train at a metropolitan railway station if the V/Line train service ends at a railway station that is a metropolitan railway station or with the permission of an authorised person.

If a customer boards, or alights from, a V/Line train at a metropolitan railway station in contravention of either of the two immediately preceding paragraphs, any ticket held by the customer is not, or ceases to be, valid for the customer’s journey that consists of, or includes, the customer’s travel in that V/Line train or for any entry to a compulsory ticket area associated with that journey.

Basically the new rule renders your valid ticket invalid for travel if you use on a V/Line train at a station with set-down and pick-up restrictions – allowing them to fine you for fare evasion.

Footnote: level crossings at Deer Park

During the construction of Regional Rail Link, residents of Ardeer were worried that level crossings would spend more time closed than open.

And they were surprisingly accurate – the gates down for up to 40 minutes at a time!

At least that problem is about to be solved – the level crossings at Mt Derrimut Road and Robinsons Road in Deer Park, and Fitzgerald Road in Ardeer are about to be grade separated.

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The early years

The story starts in 1860 when the Melbourne to Bendigo railway opened.

County of Bourke 1866

However the trigger for the development of Sunshine was the opening of the direct Melbourne to Ballarat railway in 1889, which met the Bendigo line south of Braybrook.

VPRS 12800/P1, item H 5360

A township called ‘Braybrook Junction‘ was soon established at the railway junction, and in 1906 industrialist H.V. McKay moved his Sunshine Harvester Works to the new township, expanding it to become the largest manufacturing plant in Australia.

SLV photo H2016.33/103

And by 1914 increasing traffic saw a new 80 lever signal box erected to direct trains.

VPRS 12800/P1, item H 5562

As well as a footbridge at the Hampshire Road level crossing.

Charles Daniel Photograph, SLV H2016.33/102

The railway divided Sunshine in two.

1942 Morgan’s Official Street Directory, map 59 and 60

But steam trains still ruled the rails.

Weston Langford photo

Enter grade separation

In 1957 approval was given to construct a standard gauge railway between Melbourne and Wodonga, paralleling the existing broad gauge railway to remove the break of gauge between Victoria and New South Wales. A route via Sunshine was chosen, since adding a fourth track through the Hampshire Road wasn’t an option, the level crossing was grade separated.

VPRS 12903/P1, item Box 681/53

Ready for the running of the first ‘through’ standard gauge train.

VPRS 12800/P1, item H 4815

For rail passengers the only change was the pedestrian subway used to access the station platforms.

Through ’62: Victorian Railways

But motorists were given a new web of new roads allowing them to fly through the middle of the Sunshine.

Melway 1966, map 40

Leaving the shops surrounded by speeding cars.

Museum Victoria item MM 92947

Including the Sunshine post office.

Massey Ferguson collection, item MM 118013

Towards a place for people, not cars

By the 1990s it was realised that a shopping strip full of hooning cars isn’t the nicest place to visit, so moves were made to reclaim the tangle of roads for people.

Melway 1999, map 40

1994 seeing a new bus interchange created outside the station.

Located where the post office once was.

Google Street View 2009

It was expanded further in 2000, occupying the space between Dickson Street and the station.

Google Street View 2009

With the roads beneath Hampshire Road turned to buses only.

Google Street View 2009

But the station was the same as before.

A rickety timber shack.

Regional Rail Link

After years of proposals for extra tracks between Sunshine and the city, in 2009 the ‘Regional Rail Link’ project was given the go ahead.

Sunshine station was rebuilt from the platform up.

The bus interchange on the north-east side of the station upgraded.

And the bus only ramps beneath Hampshire Road turned over to pedestrians.

Google Earth 2020

Leaving us with the scene seen today.

Melway 2020, map 40

But the Hampshire Road bridge? It’s still there today.

Will the Melbourne Airport rail link and the ‘Sunshine Super Hub‘ change this – I wouldn’t hold my breath.

Footnote: the signal box

The 80 lever signal box was commissioned at Sunshine in 1914.

The mechanical interlocking remained in service until 1996, when it was replaced by an Solid State Interlocking. This interlocking was itself replaced in 2014, with the signal box being closed in 2016 when control was transferred to the Metrol train control centre.

Sources

• History of signalling at Sunshine by Andrew Waugh
• Vicsig: Sunshine signal box
• Vicsig: Sunshine interlocking (1996-2014)
• Vicsig: Sunshine interlocking (2014-)

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Let’s take a tour

The concrete houses on Leith Avenue are included on Heritage Overlay number HO020, and include twelve properties – eight houses at 1 to 15 Leith Avenue, and four houses at 51 – 57 Hampshire Road.

They are a short distance from the Sunshine grain silos.

A central reserve divides Leith Avenue.

The houses built to a common design.

Distinctive chimneys atop each one.

But each slightly different.

Four houses also front Hampshire Road.

Less notable than those on Leith Avenue.

But made of concrete all the same.

Six different house designs were used on the estate, with three of them surviving today.

Type 1 is block-fronted with a simple hipped roof. It has overhanging eaves at the centre of the facade, creating a window hood above the windows, resting on triangular timber brackets. Windows are paired six-over-one sashes in boxed (projecting) frames. These houses have decorative timber porches on the side elevation. Another distinctive feature of these houses is the narrow faceted cast-concrete chimneys.

Type 2 has a wide hipped-roof bay at the front with a recessed porch beneath it. The porch is lit by a windowlike opening on the facade. The windows of this type of house are set into moulded render surrounds.

There is one surviving house with a California Bungalow form (Type 3), on Hampshire Road. Its most distinctive feature is a half-timbered gable-roofed porch at the front. The porch is supported on three pairs of timber posts, which in turn rest on low rendered piers.

History of the estate

During the 1880s land boom, speculators carved up the land around the township then called ‘Braybrook Junction’.

From History of School 3113 Sunshine

But boom turned to bust, and the estate lay empty except for a handful of houses.

Enter industrialist H. V. McKay, and his Sunshine Harvester Works which moved to Braybrook Junction in 1906. Driven by either generosity or paternalism, McKay developed housing estates across Sunshine for his workers, the largest of which is now the suburb of Albion.

SLV photo H2016.33/103

But a smaller estate of twenty-six homes was built on Leith Avenue – nine either side of the central park, and two groups of four facing Hampshire Road.

Plan of subdivision vol 5042 fol 203

Set on a court constructed with concrete road, kerb and channel around an oblong central grassed median, construction commenced in 1924, financed by the State Savings Bank of Victoria, and designed by their chief architect Burridge Leith.

Concrete Cottages
Two Dozen for Sunshine

A scheme has recently been approved of by the State Savings Bank in regard to the building of concrete dwelling houses by a system of organisation, which will make the cost very little in excess of wood. The first of the cottages built in the State by this new system was erected in Brighton, and has proved a success, and arrangements have been made to erect about 26 such residences in Hampshire Road, Sunshine, for employees of the Harvester Works. The building of the houses is being financed by the State Savings Bank. The cost of the buildings will vary from about £650 to £800, and the bank accepts a 10 per cent deposit of the capital cost of land and building, the remainder, of course, being payable in weekly contributions over a term of years.

The use of concrete sped up the construction process.

House Built in a Day
Moulded Concrete Employed

Twenty-five houses are being built of “poured” concrete at Sunshine (Vic.) Some have been erected, the last establishing what is claimed as a world record for speedy construction; all the moulds were set and all the walls, interior and exterior “poured” and reinforced with steel in 28 hours.

This extremely rapid work, of course, means an immense saving in labour, costs, as the weekly bill for wages almost disappears. That a building produced in such an infinitesimal space of time can be practically everlasting seems to upset all previous notions of the value of slow and careful workmanship.

But in this case swift work means good work, as the rapid pouring of the concrete means that the whole of the walls will set together in one monolithic mass. This could not be achieved if the house were built up slowly in layers, causing joins in the walls and liability to cracking.

During the latter part of the winter a plant was constructed at Sunshine to conform to the new plans of the Monolyte houses designed by the chief architect of tho State Savings Bank and a start was made with the work, in connection with an extensive building contract on behalf of and under the supervision of the State Savings Bank. Houses are now being rapidly “poured” one after the other. The
usual time occupied by this system for the purpose of erecting the forms and work incidental thereto, including reinforcing, etc., is roughly five to six days, according to the size of the house to be built, while the pouring of the walls takes another six hours, thus making tho house ready for roofing within seven days.

On Monday of one week a start was made with a house of the series, and so well did tho team perform its work that tho whole of the forms were set up and the special steel reinforcing placed in position by Wednesday, thus occupying barely three days for this preliminary work. Pouring operations under the supervision of the inventor, Mr, S. B. Merchant, were commenced afterwards, and completed within four hours and ten minutes altogether, a most remarkably speedy and effective performance.

Thus with only 28 hours work (three and a half days) the whole walls, fireplaces and chimneys of a perfectly-constructed and reinforced house were completed, and the carpenters are soon busily proceeding with the erection of the roof. The moulds were again removed and re-erected ready for refilling with an other house, thus taking five days to strip from one job and rebuild another site requiring five hours or less to complete the second house within six days, and without any addition to the constant team employed on the works.

And was cheaper than timber.

Quick Concrete Houses

Sunshine is to be the scene of further pioneer work with poured concrete houses. A contract has been let by the Sunshine Harvester Company for the erection of a number of these structures in the harvester city.

Already one poured concrete house erected at Brighton has proved its stability as a liveable dwelling. The walls and roof were constructed in a week, and the Melbourne Savings Bank Commissioners, who viewed the work in progress were very favourably impressed by the achievement.

The houses now to be constructed at Sunshine will also he watched by the Savings Bank officials, who see in the system a possible means of rapid construction of artisans’ homes of a more durable quality than the timber houses now in favour. It is hoped that by rapid construction concrete houses can be turned out in large quantities at very little more than the present cost of wood construction and considerably cheaper than brick.

A concrete building completed within a fortnight is a distinctly advantageous asset over brick or timber dwelling that takes three to five months to construct. Every week gain means money in the owner’s pocket, as it saves interest and rent. The concrete dwelling also saves money every year in the matter of maintenance, as it does not require painting or structural repairs. This point appeals strongly to the Savings Bank Commissioners, who are mindful of the fact that they carry mortgages over many thousands of timber houses for periods of twenty-one years, and that those are all to some extent “wasting assets”.

At Sunshine cement and sand are available for concrete construction, but in the past the houses there were built of timber. Once the value of the concrete house is proved it is likely that Sunshine will gradually develop into a concrete city.

With the estate completed by 1926.

The Daily Mail Brisbane, 3 January 1926

A decade later in 1935, the estate was considered a stand out in the area.

Provision by the shire council of concrete footpaths in most of the streets of Sunshine should be an incentive for householders to keep in proper condition the narrow strip of space between the concrete and the kerb. Appeals have from time to time been made by council officers in the columns of the “Advocate,” but these have only been partially heeded.

A journey through the locality past the school fails to create much enthusiasm. One thoroughfare – Leith Avenue – presents a row of neat dwellings and footpaths well tended,:but further down Hampshire Road things are not so good except for one or two isolated places which show up to distinct advantage.

But a decade later it was looking a little worse for wear.

A sub-committee of the Braybrook Council is to consider if anything can be done to place the reserves in Leith Avenue, Sunshine, in order. Cr. Drayton, the mover of the motion, said that the condition of these reserves had been a bone of contention for years.

But where did the other half go?

As originally built, there were houses on both sides of Leith Avenue.

1945 Department of Lands and Survey photo map

Visible in the 1966 edition 1 Melway.

Map 40, Melway Edition 1

But today the entire north side is part of the neighbouring Sunshine Primary School and Sunshine Secondary College.

Google Earth 2020

Some of the blocks still exist on their own land title.

VicPlan data

And on the ground, the remains of driveways can be seen along Leith Avenue.

The reason? A Public Acquisition Overlay covers the land – PAO6 on the Brimbank Planning Scheme – favouring the Department of Education, for an ‘education centre’.

Brimbank Planning Scheme – map 12PAO

The adjoining Sunshine School 3113 was established in 1891, with the current brick building officially opened in 1931.

In 1913 the Sunshine Technical School opened next door, followed in 1938 by the Sunshine Girls Technical School, and expanded in 1941.

And the houses on the north side of Leith Avenue?

Charles Daniel Photograph, SLV H2016.33/102

They were progressively acquired by the State Government, including:

• 10 Leith Avenue in March 1975 for $9,750,
• 6 Leith Avenue in July 1976 for $28,000, and
• 59 Hampshire Road in August 1981 for $40,000.

And a Graham Street footnote

Remember Graham Street South? Turns out the block bounded by Graham Street and Derby Road was once covered by houses, but a Public Acquisition Overlay has seen it replaced by empty land.

Charles Daniel Photograph, SLV H2016.33/102

Properties acquired include:

• 137 Derby Road in July 1975 for $22,500,
• 139 Derby Road in February 1976 for $25,000,
• 141 Derby Road in March 1976 for $27,000,
• 143 Derby Road in September 1976 for $27,000,
• 63 Graham Street in August 1984 for $35,000, and
• 67 Graham Street in September 1976 for $29,000.

But this empty land will never see a school built on it – plans to build a new school were launched in 2006 but it was shelved in 2010. Finally in 2015 it was announced that Sunshine College would be upgraded at a cost of $10 million, but consolidated onto the West and North campuses, with the Ardeer and Senior campuses closed.

Sources

• Brimbank Heritage Design Guidelines: HO20 – Concrete Housing Estate, Sunshine
• Victorian Heritage Database: Concrete Housing Estate Precinct

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Tracking them through time

The Benjamin Street, south of Sunshine railway station, the row of single-fronted brick cottages appears on this 1934 Melbourne and Metropolitan Board of Works (MMBW) sewage plan.

MMBW plan 3955, Municipality of Braybrook

Six houses in the row.

MMBW plan 3955, Municipality of Braybrook

Move forward to 1945, and there are still a few empty blocks.

1945 Department of Lands and Survey photo map

And today – the streets are now full, but there are only four houses left in the row.

Google Maps 2020

How they came to be

The Brimbank Post-Contact Heritage Study gives the history of the streets south of Sunshine station.

The Railway Station Estate – Wright & Edwards Heritage Area is of regional historical and architectural significance as a subdivision first developed in the speculative boom of the 1880s. This related to the industrialisation of the area and the creation of a new suburb – the township of Braybrook Junction. The few remaining houses of the early 1890s are amongst the oldest in the district and are a remarkable survival from the era of the 1890s Depression, when many newly-built houses were moved.

The subdivision is significant for its unusual (for the City of Brimbank) late nineteenth century plan with a simple grid of streets, divided into narrow allotments and with rear service laneways. The pattern was unrelieved by any provision for recreation, community facilities or other services. The earliest sold allotments were either intended to be for narrow terrace-type houses, or were subdivided. All the original allotments in this rectangular grid subdivision were 40 foot frontages. Several of the original ‘lanes’, between the blocks, can still be seen.

And the row of houses in Benjamin Street.

Five single-fronted brick houses on the south side of Benjamin Street (Numbers 25, 29, 31, 33, 35) are a relic of the 1880s to early 1890s Melbourne boom. Such houses were unusual in the outer suburbs and there are no comparable sets of houses in the local area.

They were built about 1890-1891, as a set of six and are listed in the Braybrook Shire ratebook of 1891-2, where they are recorded as occupying lots 12, 13 and 14 of Section 11, Portion E, Parish of Cut Paw Paw. They appear under the names of various occupiers, but with one owner, W.C. Taylor. It is possible that he built the houses as a speculative venture. By building six houses (with 20 foot frontage) on three lots, the builder was no doubt attempting to maximise his profits.

These houses were part of the Braybrook Railway Station Estate subdivision, which was being promoted in 1890-1891. The vendors of the estate were Johnson, Johnson and Mills, merchants, who had purchased 133 acres of land from Joseph Solomon in the late 1880s. Solomon had leased the land to local farmers.

The facades have since had details altered, some with windows replaced, others having the cast iron ornament removed or altered, probably representing attempts to undo renovations of the mid twentieth century. One of the houses (the second from the east end of the group) has subsequently been demolished.

And the orphan

No wonder I didn’t notice 25 Benjamin Street – it might be heritage listed but blink and you’d miss it.

Sources

Brimbank Post-Contact Heritage Study: Volume 3: Place Reports – Heritage Areas and Individual Places.

Footnote

To be pedantic, terraced houses share a common wall – the houses in Sunshine are only row houses, since they have a narrow walkway between each property.

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