Nyngan Railway Station was a major junction and housed an impressive Refreshment Room. It had a bar and restaurant and was the main source of refreshment for weary travellers and town folk alike. Alex Mitchell tells a story about when Chips Rafferty, the film star, stopped off for a break from his rail journey from Bourke, in December 1958. The story was told to Alex by Jack Burley, who was at that time a railway guard at Nyngan. It was a scorcher of a day, with temperatures of well over 100 degrees (and that was in the water bag!) The Railway Refreshment Room supplied cold drinks, pies, sandwiches, coffee and tea and was also licenced to sell cold beer and spirits. To cut a long story short, Chips walked into the R. R. R. bar room and place £20 on the bar. This was apparently equivalent to three week's pay in today's money. A good time was had by one and all that afternoon. There are a few relics remaining from the Nyngan Railway Refreshment Rooms on display at the Museum. We have a few broken pieces of cups, a saucer and a small plate with the burgundy inscription 'NSWR Nyngan'. The back of the plates has 'Dunn Bennett's safety shape (registered) Reg.1850 Bursem England mage for J. Leigh Jones Sydney. Apparently Dunn Bennett's safety shape was their advertising range. The crockery has obviously been through a fire, but there is no record of how they came to be in the museum, or the journey they took in getting there. There is also a pair of drinking glasses with RRR Nyngan engraved on them, and some silver salt shakers with the same inscription. The Refreshment Room was taken over by Mr Archie O'Young, who conducted a very good Chinese Restaurant there for many years. Competition, however, eventually spelled the end of this venture. The beautiful cedar counter and fittings were disposed of and the dining room, which had seen so many gatherings of a social nature, became the ticket and parcels office for the State Rail Authority. Now, of course, the dining room comprises the main exhibition area of the museum. Visit us today: Monday- Friday from 9am to 4pm. Saturday and Sunday 9am to 4.30pm.
Nyngan Railway Station was a major junction and housed an impressive Refreshment Room. It had a bar and restaurant and was the main source of refreshment for weary travellers and town folk alike. Alex Mitchell tells a story about when Chips Rafferty, the film star, stopped off for a break from his rail journey from Bourke, in December 1958. The story was told to Alex by Jack Burley, who was at that time a railway guard at Nyngan. It was a scorcher of a day, with temperatures of well over 100 degrees (and that was in the water bag!) The Railway Refreshment Room supplied cold drinks, pies, sandwiches, coffee and tea and was also licenced to sell cold beer and spirits.
To cut a long story short, Chips walked into the R. R. R. bar room and place £20 on the bar. This was apparently equivalent to three week's pay in today's money. A good time was had by one and all that afternoon.
There are a few relics remaining from the Nyngan Railway Refreshment Rooms on display at theRead More – Source
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Nyngan Observer
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