SYDNEY, NSW. — Up until the mid-1800s, the horse and carriage remained the major means of transporting goods and people across Australia’s long distances overland.
Both New South Wales and Victoria were keen to develop a railway network, and Victoria was the first colony to complete a railway line, which opened in September 1854. However, New South Wales was the first to begin work on a railway line.
The Sydney Railway Company, established for the purpose of constructing the first railway line, was incorporated in October 1849.
On July 3, 1850, work began on the first railway line from Sydney to Parramatta, a distance of 22km.
The first sod was turned at Cleveland Paddocks by the Governor’s daughter, Mrs Stewart, at the southern end of modern-day Central Station and Cleveland Street.
The construction suffered some setbacks, in particular financial difficulty, and was put on hold until taken over by the New South Wales colonial government. The line finally opened five years later, on September 26, 1855.
