SARail & telegraph
Peterborough
Railways made a crossroads out of an inland town.
1880Rail links establish the junction’s role
WHAT STARTED IT
Peterborough’s growth depended on being a railway junction. Connections towards the port, Adelaide, the northern country and the eastern mining districts made it a useful place to maintain locomotives and handle traffic.
WHAT SUSTAINED IT
Originally called Petersburg, it gained important rail links in 1880 and further connections followed. Broken Hill ore traffic greatly increased its workload. Railway employment, workshops and housing shaped a town whose prosperity depended on routes extending far beyond it.
TURNING POINTS
1880Railway connections reinforce the town’s junction role.
1911–14Heavy traffic marks the railway’s busy pre-war years.
WHAT IT DOES NOW
A smaller regional town with a strong railway visitor identity. Steamtown and local collections preserve the workshops, locomotives and working life behind its former importance.