Ben Lomond Township is 6 km off the
New England Highway between
Guyra and Glen Innes. The village is at the bottom of the
Ben Lomond Mountain which is 1520m above sea level. The Township has an elevation of 1370m making it the highest village in Northern NSW, and as such receives occasional snow falls in winter despite being only a few hours drive to the NSW QLD border.
The Name
Ben Lomond draws its origins from
Ben Lomond in Scotland. The
Ben Lomond Station was first known by the name of Llangothlin and was settled by Thomas Perry in 1839. Llangothlin was originally over 240,000 acres in size taking in land from Glencoe to
Guyra; the run was passed on to Mr Rawson in 1844. In 1854 Charles Codrington who had travelled northward from the Hunter Valley over the
Moonbi Ranges claimed the Llangothlin Run which had recently been abandoned by Rawson. In 1861 the Begot Brothers took over and renamed the Run
Ben Lomond.
176 (formerly 1243) and 3214 head the Vintage Train at Ben Lomond
The silent Ben Lomond Station
Ben Lomond Station & the remains of the goods loading platform
In 1848, the Manooan run of 17,000 acres had the
Ben Lomond Range as its southern boundary. In the 1860s there was a station named
Ben Lomond which had been robbed by the notorious bushrabger, Captain Thunderbolt, who frequented the region. The slow climb and timber on the
Ben Lomond Range proved an ideal place for the robbery of coaches and travellers.
The Dumaresq to Glen Innes section of the Main North Line, which included
Ben Lomond, opened on 19 August 1884. The railway station closed on 10 December 1985, followed by the Dumaresq-Glen Innes section on 3 October 1993. At 1,363 metres,
Ben Lomond railway station was the highest railway station in New South Wales until the Skitube opened in 1987.
Ben Lomond Post Office opened on 4 November 1879 and closed in 1979.
Sign at the now disused Ben Lomond railway station. Was the highest railway station in Australia
Ben Lomond track alongside the road
the level crossing at the north end of the railway yard,
The
Ben Lomond railway station is located in the Dumaresq to Glen Innes section of the Main North Line which opened on the 19 August 1884.
Ben Lomond station closed in December 1985 whilst the Dumaresq to Glen Innes section remained operational until 1993.
Today
Ben Lomond is a vibrant village, with a number of community groups involved in initiatives to maintain and promote the village and the district.
The last SHP for 2014 No 342, Happy New Year to all , see you next year.
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