On a recent phototrip that included exploring the Mt Lofty Ranges in South Australia I came across an old railway line across the Murraylands to Mannum. It hadn’t been used for a long time and to my surprise it hadn’t been pulled up like the other branch lines in the South Australia mallee.
![](https://malleeroutes.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/SAMurraylandsrailwayline-1024x683.jpg)
Forgotten history. The absent history of the South Australia Mallee, which highlights how history provides a context for a photo–a reference to a historical reality beyond the photo.
There is limited information on the web about the Mannum branch line. It was constructed in 1873 as a branch line from the Monarto-Apamurra-Sedan line. The Sedan railway line branched off from the South Australian Railways‘ Adelaide to Wolseley line at Monarto South.