Rail Geelong

COR Siding

Industry
Line: Geelong
Distance from Melbourne: 15.365km
Track Diagram: View
Google Map: View
Opened: Saturday, 13 May 1922
Closed: (Saturday, 1 January 2000)

Location Events
Diagrams
Photos
Sources

In 1922 Commonwealth Oil Refineries was established jointly by the Commonwealth Government and the Anglo-Persian Oil Company. It was Australia's first oil refinery, and located on Kororoit Creek, north of Kororoit Creek Road. The refinery was connected by pipeline to a wharf at Spotswood where oil tankers unloaded crude oil into storage tanks, from which it was piped to the refinery.

The Commonwealth sold its shares in COR in 1952 and three years later the refinery closed when the owners, now BP Australia Ltd, opened a new refinery in Western Australia. The site remained in use as the BP Altona Terminal, where some of the original tanks and buildings remained. By 1977/78 the refinery was despatching 91,982 tonnes of fuel a year by rail, or 8.8 tank cars a working day, with 78,247 tonnes being sent by block train to Wodonga.

When the Western standard gauge line was put though in 1995, it appears that no provision was made for the broad gauge siding to cross into the terminal. The terminal itself closed at an unknown date, the land now subdivided into a number of warehouses and distribution facilities. The switchlock and points in the broad gauge line remain today, but with the frog removed and the blades spiked shut.

Events

Line Opened

Thursday, 25 June 1857	Line officially opened between Geelong and at temporary terminus at Greenwich. A ferry was used the complete the journey to Melbourne
Saturday, 3 October 1857	Temporary Greenwich terminal and stub line closed. Geelong line now connected to the partially completed Williamstown line. A ferry complete the journey from Williamstown to Melbourne
Monday, 17 January 1859	Williamstown line finally completed to Melbourne. Geelong trains can now operate direct to Spencer Street Station