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A crowd gathers to celebratethe turning of the first piece of earth as part of the East-West railway line at Port Augusta. The railway line took five years to build and was completed in October of 1917. The first train left the station at Port Augusta and took over 42 hours to arrive in Kalgoorlie. The line connected the Eastern states and Western Australia, helping travellers avoid the treacherous sea journey around the Great Australian Bight. This rail corridor still maintains its importance, as 85% of goods delivered to Western Australia come via this line. The Indian Pacific now travels along this line.</div>
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State Government Photographer</div>
The History Trust of South Australian,  South Australian Government <br> Photo <a rel="nofollow" class="external autonumber" href="http://data.history.sa.gov.au/sagpc/media/preview/15122?maxsize=1000">[1]</a> <br> Object record <a rel="nofollow" class="external autonumber" href="http://data.history.sa.gov.au/sagpc/getitem/15122">[2]</a>