All aboard as Bridgetown-Greenbushes Visitor Centre relocates to old railway station

The new Bridgetown-Greenbushes visitor centre is set to open on Wednesday at the old railway station with the team working passionately on the project bringing history to the present. Relocating from Hampton Street to Railway Parade, the newly renovated building pays homage to the old railway station and a well-loved station master from 1924. Shire of Bridgetown Greenbushes community and economic development manager Karen Hill said the new centre had been renovated with the ladies waiting room, fireplace and original ticket window still in place. Half of the building is designated to the visitor centre while the other half has two art gallery rooms with an immersive and engaging experience and space for exhibitions to be held. “We have a lot of opportunity to really give tourists a sense of who we are and invite them out into our region,” Ms Hill said. The art galleries were named by the community to honour the history of the building and will host pieces from the shire’s art collection which have never been on display in public. “The works chosen tell the story of Bridgetown,” Ms Hill said. “As people are walking through its visual and sensory.” Outside the old railway station, history is on display with old scales for baggage, signage and a big photo of former station master Alexander Errington. “We figured out he was here in 1924, and reading through old newspapers, he was one of the most loved. They used to really celebrate their station masters,” Ms Hill said. “After the Depression, they weren’t handing out as much money to railway stations. They left it up to the station masters to pretty up the area themselves. That’s why we’ve done all the planter boxes out the front,” she said. Opening in 1898 after years of development, the Bridgetown railway was also one of the biggest passenger areas, which is why it has more architectural features. It was designed by WA Engineer in Chief C.Y. O’Connor — the railway engineer master at the time. Shire president Jenny Mountford said the council was thrilled to see the centre in the final stages. “The building has been such an iconic building for the town and everyone has been sad about it for a very long time,” she said. “People got worried it would ultimately have to disappear altogether. Council never wanted that to happen. “This was our first choice (to relocate the visitor centre) because we thought it’s appropriate. “It’s an embedded part of the town’s history — it’s the logical place. “It’s a win-win for visitors and for the community.”