Arncliffe railway station, circa 1907

This photo, looking south along the Illawarra rail line was probably taken from the platform of a railway signal. The suburb of Arncliffe, 11 kilometres south-west of the city, was originally the township of Wincanton and at this time was an area of market gardens that supplied much of Sydney (a tiny area of which remain). The level crossing was removed decades ago, probably following quadruplication of the line.

The Illawarra line had reached the town of Nowra, on the South Coast, where it still terminates, fourteen years before this photo was taken. Starting in 1923, the line was quadruplicated as far as Hurstville. The sturdy station buildings seen here are still in existence with the exception of the weatherboard cottage in the right foreground (which probably accommodated the stationmaster and his family) and the signal box just beyond the level crossing. Nowadays, Arncliffe has a large population of migrants from Macedonia and the south of Lebanon.