Pics from the past | The Centenary-Jubilee Train draws thousands in Shepparton

The following is an excerpt from the Shepparton Advertiser in 1950:

‘Shepparton is included in the itinerary of the Centenary-Jubilee train, announced the Premier (Mr McDonald) yesterday. The train, which will cover 5350 miles and visit 140 towns, will arrive in Shepparton at 10am on Saturday, April 28, returning Tuesday, April 30. Mr McDonald said the train will consist of 10 exhibition carriages — four relating to the State Departments, two to Federal Departments, and three others to Art and Historical exhibits.

‘Some of our best works of art, rare manuscripts and pictures will be displayed. The State and Federal sections will consist of models and pictures of the great projects that are being undertaken.

‘One carriage dealing with the centenary of gold discovery will contain exhibits relating to the centenary of gold discovery. The carriages will be fluorescently lit, and it will be possible to walk from end to end to view the exhibition. At night, the train will be floodlit.’

On May 1, 1951, the Shepparton Advertiser reported:

‘More than 11,000 people from Shepparton and the district queued up to see the train at the Shepparton railway station during the weekend. During sessions on Saturday morning and Saturday evening, official figures were 7481, and for Sunday afternoon, 3871.

‘At a concert on Saturday night, sides of the marquee were raised, and nearly 2000 people watched an excellent show. The number of Shepparton people who visited the train is second only to Ballarat in provincial Victoria.

‘Bright sunshine brought hundreds of people to the train on Sunday afternoon, and when the afternoon session opened at 2pm, there was a waiting queue three deep and about 150 yards long seeking entrance. About 1000 people go through the train each hour it is open. The average time spent in the vehicle was half an hour. More than 360,000 people in Victoria have already seen the show.

‘Many people spent up to two hours in the queues on Sunday afternoon, and passage through the length of the train was accelerated by the pushing people behind. Country people made up a good proportion of the crowd. Children had a day out crawling through the engine and pressing buttons on some of the exhibits to find various parts of a ship and watching the pattern of depth charges in the Navy exhibit.

‘Lucky youngsters cajoled the engineer of a shunting engine into giving them a short ride instead of waiting in an endless queue.

‘Exhibits on the train were well set up, thoughtfully arranged and had an interest for everybody. Possibly, the most attractive were exhibitions by the three forces and the mining department. Chairman of the South Australian Centenary Celebrations committee, Mr Baker, saw the train at Shepparton on Sunday morning, and it is possible South Australia may borrow the train. Some exhibits will be altered.’

The Riverine Herald mentioned the following about the train’s visit to Echuca a few days later.

‘The train’s exhibits had special significance for this district and included some outstanding displays that were prepared by the Departments of Agriculture and Lands and Survey, the State Rivers and Water Supply Commission and the Central Planning Authority. It depicted 100 years of rural development in the State, with particular reference to the progress of irrigation and closer settlement. Outstanding sections of the exhibit were an artist’s conception of the Goulburn Valley irrigation system covering an area of 1,250,000 acres and in which over 300,000 acres of land are irrigated annually. In the distant background could be seen the city of Melbourne, while in the middle foreground were depicted the Eildon Weir, Goulburn River and the Goulburn Weir, Waranga Basin and the closely settled irrigation areas around Shepparton, Kyabram, Tatura and Tongala.’

Geoff Allemand is an amateur photographer and Lost Shepparton Facebook page admin. Please share your Pics from the Past at pastpics@mmg.com.au