The Ourimbah Railway Station has some of the last timber construction buildings on the rail network in the Central Coast.
The future of the buildings has been under review. It had been proposed to demolish the station master’s cottage, and after receiving representations, I visited the cottage last month. The building has been modified over the years, has security fencing to prevent further vandalism and doesn’t have great accessibility. It has become clear to me that there are many in the community who value this structure.
I had a couple of meetings with NSW Transport who agreed to put the plans for demolishing the cottage on hold for six months. The Department suggests that they will consider any approach from organisations with plans to ‘adopt’ and manage the cottage. This could include a group who will use the cottage and undertake to maintain its condition and heritage values. I strongly urge interested individuals and organisations to think about this offer quickly and begin discussions with the Department. Six months will pass quickly.
Letter, May 3 Scot MacDonald, Parliamentary Secretary for the Central Coast