Clifton railway station was a regional railway station located on the South Coast line, serving the Illawarra town of Clifton.
History Clifton station opened on 3 October 1888 as North Clifton, and was renamed Clifton by 1 January 1889.Singleton, C. C. Railway History in Illawarra, New South Wales. Illawarra Historical Society, Wollongong. 1984, p.36 Although the station was located closer to the business centre of the adjoining towns of Clifton and Scarborough, the Railway Commissioners did not provide frequent services. This meant that deliveries for residents, such as newspapers, were thrown from mail and postal trains when passing the station resulting in damaged goods constantly littering the trackside.CLIFTON RAILWAY GREIVANCES The Sydney Morning Herald (NSW: 1842–1954). Trove, National Library of Australia. 7 August 1907. p.7, accessed 19 August 2025
On the morning of 2 August 1889, a fire completely destroyed the station building and damaged the railway station. Telegraph communication which ran through the building was cut, and had to be united from either side to restore unbroken communication along the railway line.CLIFTON RAILWAY STATION DESTROYED BY FIRE. Illawarra Mercury (Wollongong, NSW: 1856–1950). Trove, National Library of Australia. 3 August 1889. p.2, accessed 19 August 2025
Passenger services to Clifton station ceased on 15 August 1915, and the station was abandoned until it was reopened as an unadvertised miners only platform on 4 July 1934. It was closed again at a later date.
Description The original station consisted of a weatherboard station building holding a booking office, a general waiting room as well as a ladies' waiting room. These were all burnt down in the 1889 fire.FIRE AT NORTH CLIFTON: THE RAILWAY STATION DESTROYED The Daily Telegraph (Sydney, NSW: 1883–1930). Trove, National Library of Australia. 3 August 1889. p.6, accessed 19 August 2025
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