The Goods Line - Trail Description

Features

• A short (500 metre) elevated former railway in central Sydney, now essentially a linear park and greenspace.
• It passes the University of Technology (UTS) campus, ABC studios, Ian Thorpe Aquatic Centre, Darling Harbour and the Powerhouse Museum.
• The Goods Line features public seating, performance areas, shady lawns, table tennis tables and items of railway heritage, and has won numerous design awards.

Description

A good place to escape the hustle and bustle of Sydney city.

The existing ‘Stage 1’ of The Goods Line can be accessed from Central Railway Station’s Devonshire Street pedestrian tunnel in the south, and at various points along its route to the Powerhouse Museum in the north.

There are displays and relics along the route which show railway heritage, including Ultimo Road’s heritage railway bridge. The Line is rideable but for such a short length with numerous features, a slow stroll is probably better.

Background Information

The Goods Line is a short section of a former industrial railway which connected Sydney Yard and the Sydney – Parramatta railway line to the shipping port of Darling Harbour. The railway line opened in 1855 and was extended to Dulwich Hill in 1922, providing a way for freight trains to access Darling Harbour without interfering with passenger trains (Source: Wikipedia). Cargo included wheat and wool.

The port facilities at Darling Harbour gradually closed and the precinct was extensively redeveloped in the 1980s. The disused industrial line between Hay Street Ultimo and Lilyfield was incorporated into a light rail line which extended through Haymarket to connect to Central Railway Station. The light rail has now been extended to Dulwich Hill and is officially known as the Sydney Light Rail L1 Dulwich Hill Line. A trip on the light rail and even an explore from above, especially around John Street Square Pyrmont where some deep stone cuttings can be found, is worthwhile for those interested in railway heritage.

Future developments may include an extension towards the disused Regent Street railway station to the south using the rail tunnel under Railway Square.

Links

For more information, access these links:

1. The Goods Line - NSW Government, Planning, Industry & Environment

2. Darling Harbour - See and Do - The Goods Line

3. The Goods Line - Wikipedia

4. The Goods Line - Aspect Studio

5. The Goods Line - Broadsheet

January 2021

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Contact Us About This Trail

Email or click here: nsw@railtrails.org.au.