Willison railway station, Melbourne

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Willison
Station information

Code	WSN
Distance from Flinders St	10.9 km (6.8 mi)
Lines	Alamein
# Platforms	2
# Tracks	2
Status	Unmanned station
Metlink profile	Link
Google map	Link
Metcard Zone	1

Willison is a railway station on the Alamein line in Melbourne, Australia. It is located adjacent to Stodart Street, in the suburb of Camberwell near its border with Canterbury. It services a predominantly residential area. The nearest tram runs along Riversdale Road, which is closer to Riversdale station. It is located 10.9 km (6.8 mi) from Flinders Street Station in the centre of Melbourne and is in Metcard Zone 1.

The station has two platforms located either side of the railway tracks. As it is not a "premium station", it is unmanned, and has no open toilets or other facilities. It has a Telstra payphone located near the entrance to the outbound platform.

While Willison was never part of the original Outer Circle line, it was built not long afterwards, on 8 June 1908, as part of the Deepdene Dasher service. This remnant of the Outer Circle went from Ashburton to Deepdene.

When it first opened, the station was known as Golf Links, and existed to serve the Riversdale Golf Club, which was originally adjacent to the site. It has been said that influential members of the club did not appreciate having to walk to either Riversdale or Hartwell stations, and pressed for a closer alternative. This may explain why Willison was built so close to Riversdale station - only 400 metres (1,300 ft) away.

The station was originally just a siding where members could embark after a game. The golf club moved from the site in 1927, and on 23 July 1936, the station was renamed Willison. By this time, the Deepdene Dasher service had ceased operations, and Willison was served only by the Ashburton line. Twelve years later, this was extended to Alamein - the service which still exists today.

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