Southern Cross Railway Station's Cross
Since Southern Cross Railway Station is not a place of Christian worship, why does 'Cross' feature in the name? Can a cross be found there?
Southern Cross Station
Most station names reflect the names of the towns or areas they are in. The newly named Southern Cross Station in Melbourne is an exception to this. The station is notable for its bizarre roof, designed to expel diesel fumes from the trains and to irk people who have a different definition of 'style'. The rebuilding of this 150 year-old station in 2005 cost a cool $700 million.
The Southern Cross Station in Melbourne is about 2,400 miles from the little town of Southern Cross in Western Australia, which itself is about 320 light years away from the Southern Cross star constellation. (This is the constellation represented on the Australian National Flag.) Southern Cross WA is a 19th century gold mining town and has a population of 708. (See http://www.yilgarn.wa.gov.au/). The town was named after the star constellation by the gold prospectors who were guided to the area by the stars. Streets in the town have star names. There is a small hotel called 'Railway Tavern' and a rail track with a small station. But no cross.
Way over in Queensland, another gold mining area has a tiny Southern Cross Station near Charters Towers on the A6 Flinders Highway; the highway that crosses Queensland from east to west. This station also, has no cross.
With Darwin's Southern Cross Station (a TV broadcasting station) in the north (map), Melbourne's Southern Cross Station in the south (map), Queensland's Southern Cross Station in the east (map), and WA's Southern Cross Station in the west (map), we have four stations.
And before you waste time checking, no, they don't match the positions of the stars in the Southern Cross constellation.
