The Cockle Train

The Cockle Train travels along the oldest steel railed railway in Australia dating back to 1887 when it was constructed to provide a link between the River Murray and the ocean wharfs at Pt Elliot and later at Victor Harbor.
Why is this icon journey called the "Cockle Train"? In early days of settlement the local residents would take a horse drawn train to Goolwa to collect Cockles from the sandy beaches near the Murray mouth. It was a great day's outing and thus gained its name.

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Travel & Events

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• Goolwa
• Cockle Trtain
• SteamRanger
• Murray Mouth
• Horse Drawn
• Australia
• 1887
• Pt Elliot
• Victor Harbour
• sydney
• your
• melbourne
• hand
• horses
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• keep
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• brisbane
• won
• holding
• perth
• adelaide
• victoria
• clap
• your hands
• western

[alco961]

@brickpaverr No i never worked for the SAR. I worked for the railways in ever other state

[brickpaverr]

@alco961  Yep, I do agree there. A couple of sites actually made reference to the Railway Station as retaining the original spelling. Reading back on the history of the name, it would seem that a surveyor stuffed it up many decades ago and it's been about 80% or so have left at that spelling without the "u" ever since. Outer Harbor as well suffered the same fate. I'm wondering by your alco name if you were tied up with SAR at all. My late dad drove steam then diesels until 1968.

[alco961]

@brickpaverr I will have to do an up dated one, having visited there the other week end

[alco961]

@brickpaverr Really when it comes down to it they got it wrong in the early day by miss spelling it "Harbor" & the railways got it right on this occasion

[brickpaverr]

@alco961 I'm not going to dispute what is written on the railway station sign because I don't know but the undeniable fact remains that the correct spelling for Victor Harbor itself does NOT include the "u". If you do a Google search and/or Wickipedia search and just see what comes up, at least 80% or more of businesses and reference points containing the name "Victor Harbor", DO spell it without the "u" as has been the case since about 1920 something. The S.A.R. HAVE got it wrong.

[alco961]

@brickpaverr The spelling on the station & all timetables is with a "u"

[brickpaverr]

@alco961 Yep, I can maybe understand SOME name logic there, except the reality still remains fact, that Victor Harbor, the town IS spelt as Victor "Harbor", without a "U", in spite of the railways may or may not say. For as long as it's been in existance and on just about every signboard in the town itself, it has always been spelt as "Harbor".! I haven't looked lately so I can't remember, but what is the spelling on the station itself.?

[alco961]

@brickpaverr Yea Victor does have a turntable, it is on the right hand side as you approach the station. It is a bit of a walk from the atation & back. I had my youngest daughter with me, it was a bit much to run down there & back with her

[alco961]

@brickpaverr Sorry no it is spelt right. There are two ways Victor Harbor is spelt, (The Town's way) or the Railways with a "u", as I was doing a bit on the train I spelt it the railways. There are three ways of doing things; The right way, The wrong way & the railways

[brickpaverr]

@alco850 I can understand the Granite island connection but my main curiosity was the engine being turned around so as to connect up the carriages for the return trip. Like I said, I don't remember a turntable there but maybe there had to be one which is why I made the "No Through Station" comment. Is there a turntable there.?,there sort of has to be because if there isn't, how did the engine get to be faced the other way for the "return" trip