A piece of Byron Bay history, the old Green Frog jetty engine, has been restored and is now on permanent display at the Byron Bay Railway Station.
The Green Frog is housed in a large, custom-built case at the southern end of the Byron Bay rail platform.
Many of Byron Bay’s more recent residents have never heard of the Green Frog, but for old locals, the jetty engine was a familiar sight, chugging around the coastal town from the 1920s to the 1980s.
Byron Bay Historical Society (BBHS) president, Donald Maughan, told The Echo that for 63 years – from 1923 to 1983 – the Green Frog jetty engine ferried passengers and freight from the old jetty to the coast steamer that travelled to Sydney, and then shunted freight for the meat works, the whaling company, the Norco Cooperative and Zircon Rutile.
He said, ‘When the meat works closed in 1983, the old engine was presented to the Byron Bay Historical Society and the last two drivers, Brian Parks and his father, kept it in their shed, ensuring this important piece of the town’s history was preserved’.
‘This engine was a fixture of life in Byron Bay for decades, and is a symbol of the town’s industrial history,’ Mr Maughan said.
‘Many people don’t know that Byron Bay was a traditional blue-collar, working-class town where people were employed at the meatworks, the butter factory, the whaling station and in the sand-mining industry,’ he said.
Industrial heritage
‘Much of the town’s industrial heritage has disappeared over the years and to be able to return the Green Frog to the track where it will be on display is wonderful, because it reminds everyone that Byron Bay has a proud industrial history,’ Mr Maughan said.
‘The BBHS was successful in securing a grant from Sydney Trains and the State Rail Authority, which has resulted in the long-term preservation of the engine and the construction of its new home at the Byron Bay rail platform,’ Mr Maughan said.
‘On behalf of the historical society, and all the residents of Byron Bay, I extend our gratitude and thanks to Brian Parks and his father, who have looked after the Green Frog, in their shed, for almost 40 years’.
‘It’s been a labour of love and what a gift they have given to our community,’ Mr Maughan said. The addition of the Green Frog completes the rail precinct area, says Mr Maughan. ‘Late last year, Council unveiled the rail corridor upgrade which transformed an old section of the disused rail line into a beautiful park that celebrates and highlights the rail heritage of the town’.
‘Add to this, the restoration of the old water tank that was recently done by Transport for NSW and this historical precinct is now complete’.
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