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{{Short description|Railway station in South Australia}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2021}}
{{Use Australian English|date=January 2012}}
{{Infobox Australian place
| type = other
| name = Cook
| state = sa
| city = [[Nullarbor, South Australia|Nullarbor Plain]]
| image = Cook Station South Aust 2012.JPG
| caption = Cook railway station is now unattended but remains a principal scheduled stop for trains to take on diesel fuel and water, about half-way along their {{convert|1687|km|mi|abbr=off|comma=off}} journey on the [[Trans-Australian Railway]]
| image_alt = Photo along the ground-level station platform of Cook, with trees and a nameboard on the right and a train in the medium distance in the crossing loop
| relief =
| coordinates = {{coord|30.617615|S|130.411044|E|format=dms|display=inline,title}}
| coord_ref = <ref name="LMV">{{cite web|title=Search results for 'Cook, LOCU' with the following datasets selected - 'Suburbs and Localities', 'Local Government Areas', 'Gazetteer' and 'Railways'|url=http://___location.sa.gov.au/viewer/|website=Location SA Map Viewer|publisher=South Australian government|accessdate=17 February 2018}}</ref>
| pushpin_map_caption =
| pushpin_label_position = top
| map_alt =
| pop = Not available
| pop_year =
| pop_footnotes = . Population data are only available for Nullarbor, an area of about {{convert|50,000|sqkm|sqmi|abbr=off|comma=5}} within which Cook lies, which in the {{censusAU|2021}} had a population of 71.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.abs.gov.au/census/find-census-data/quickstats/2021/SAL41056 |title=Nullarbor |date=2022 |website=ABS Quickstats |publisher=[[Australian Bureau of Statistics]] |access-date=18 December 2023 }}</ref>
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| established = {{start date and age|1917}}
| established_footnotes =
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| elevation = 120
| elevation_footnotes = <ref name=climate/>
| area =
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| timezone = [[UTC9:30|ACST]]
| utc = +9:30
| timezone-dst = [[UTC10:30|ACDT]]
| utc-dst = +10:30
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| lga = [[Pastoral Unincorporated Area]]<ref name="LMV"/>
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}}
'''Cook''' is a [[railway station]] and crossing loop located in the Australian state of [[South Australia]] on the [[Trans-Australian Railway]]. It is {{convert|824|km|abbr=off|comma=off}} by rail from [[Port Augusta, South Australia|Port Augusta]], {{convert|863|km|abbr=off|comma=off}} by rail from [[Kalgoorlie]], and about {{convert|100|km}} north of the [[Eyre Highway]] via an unsealed road.<ref name="LMV"/><ref>(1927)''Travel in comfort across Australia on the Trans-Australian Railway''. Melbourne : Commonwealth Railways. Internal map titled ''Map shewing Connections between Capital Cities via Trans- Australian Railway''</ref> It is on the longest stretch of straight railway in the world, at {{convert|478|km}}, which extends from [[Ooldea]], South Australia to beyond [[Loongana]], [[Western Australia]].
Cook is the only scheduled stop on the [[Nullarbor Plain]] for the [[Indian Pacific]] transcontinental passenger train and has little other than curiosity value for passengers strolling around while their train is replenished. Passengers are not able to start or end their journeys there.
==History==
Cook was established in 1917 on the [[Nullarbor, South Australia|Nullarbor Plain]] when the Trans-Australian Railway was built. It is named after the sixth Prime Minister of Australia, [[Joseph Cook]].<ref name="manning-C">{{cite web|last1=Manning|first1=Geoffrey H.|title=Search result for 'Cook'|url=https://published.collections.slsa.sa.gov.au/placenamesofsouthaustralia/C.pdf|website=A Compendium of the Place Names of South Australia|publisher=Geoffrey H. Manning|via=State Library of South Australia|accessdate=17 February 2018|date=2012}}</ref> When the town was a major [[Commonwealth Railways]] centre for track maintenance and locomotive and rolling stock repairs, it supported a school and hospital. At that time, railway employees and their families depended on two weekly [[Tea and Sugar Train|provisions trains]] for the delivery of supplies. When the town was populated, water was pumped from an underground [[artesian aquifer]] but later, all water was carried in by train.
The short 1955 film ''Nullarbor Hideout'' was set in and around Cook; the first scenes give a good impression of the railway line and infrastructure, and a sense of the townspeople's isolation and their dependence on the railway.<ref>{{cite web|title=Nullarbor Hideout|url=https://www.nfsa.gov.au/collection/curated/nullarbor-hideout|publisher=[[National Film and Sound Archive]]|accessdate=1 March 2023}}</ref>
==After privatisation==
In 2009, Cook was said to have a resident population of four.<ref name=ton>{{cite book|title=Time Out Great Train Journeys of the World|year=2009|publisher=[[Time Out (company)|Time Out]]|page=50|isbn=9781846701511|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vmfynLtIoSIC&pg=PA50}}</ref> The town was effectively closed in 1997 when the [[Australian National Railways Commission|Australian National Railways]]' assets were sold to railway operating company [[Australian Southern Railroad]]. Ownership was later transferred to [[National Rail Corporation]], later becoming Pacific National after a trade for the Intermodal yard facilities at [[Alice Springs]] in 2004 in preparation for the opening of the railway to Darwin.
The reliability of modern diesel locomotives and the introduction of concrete sleepers and continuously welded rail rendered resident employees redundant. Track and facilities maintenance is undertaken by [[Australian Rail Track Corporation]] (ARTC) and diesel refuelling facilities remain for Intermodal train services and the [[Indian Pacific]]; there is overnight accommodation for resting [[Pacific National]] train crews.
The [[crossing loop]] can cross trains up to {{convert|1.8|km|mi|abbr=off}} long. The former [[airstrip]] is known as a place to spot [[inland dotterel]].<ref name=bird>{{cite book|title=The Complete Guide to Finding the Birds of Australia|year=2012|publisher=Csiro|pages=176|isbn=9780643102262|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6SLS2bZdwO0C&pg=PA176}}</ref>
As of 2016, Cook was officially described as an "unbounded locality" which is not used as an address. Since 2013, it has been administratively classified as being in the locality of [[Nullarbor, South Australia|Nullarbor]].<ref name = "LMV"/>
<gallery>
Image:Indian Pacific train hauled by NR class locomotive stopped at Cook, South Australia (cropped).jpg|The [[Indian Pacific]] train at Cook
Image:Wrecked Toyota Land Cruiser vehicles at Cook, South Australia, in 2011.jpg|Disused vehicles at Cook in 2011
File:Signs on a building at Cook, South Australia.jpg|Signs on a deserted building at Cook in 2005
</gallery>
==Climate==
{{Weather box
|___location = Cook, South Australia
|collapsed = yes
|metric first = Yes
|single line = Yes
|Jan record high C = 48.7
|Feb record high C = 46.7
|Mar record high C = 46.5
|Apr record high C = 41.1
|May record high C = 36.0
|Jun record high C = 30.0
|Jul record high C = 34.2
|Aug record high C = 33.6
|Sep record high C = 39.0
|Oct record high C = 43.5
|Nov record high C = 46.5
|Dec record high C = 46.3
|Jan high C = 33.0
|Feb high C = 32.2
|Mar high C = 30.0
|Apr high C = 25.9
|May high C = 21.8
|Jun high C = 18.8
|Jul high C = 18.2
|Aug high C = 20.1
|Sep high C = 23.5
|Oct high C = 26.6
|Nov high C = 29.7
|Dec high C = 31.5
|Jan low C = 15.0
|Feb low C = 15.3
|Mar low C = 13.7
|Apr low C = 10.9
|May low C = 7.8
|Jun low C = 5.4
|Jul low C = 4.3
|Aug low C = 5.1
|Sep low C = 7.2
|Oct low C = 9.5
|Nov low C = 11.9
|Dec low C = 13.9
|Jan record low C = 4.5
|Feb record low C = 4.4
|Mar record low C = 4.5
|Apr record low C = 2.0
|May record low C = -1.8
|Jun record low C = -3.8
|Jul record low C = -4.5
|Aug record low C = -3.3
|Sep record low C = -0.7
|Oct record low C = 0.0
|Nov record low C = 3.7
|Dec record low C = 5.6
|rain colour = green
|Jan rain mm = 12.1
|Feb rain mm = 14.6
|Mar rain mm = 16.9
|Apr rain mm = 16.2
|May rain mm = 15.1
|Jun rain mm = 16.8
|Jul rain mm = 13.2
|Aug rain mm = 15.1
|Sep rain mm = 13.2
|Oct rain mm = 17.3
|Nov rain mm = 14.9
|Dec rain mm = 18.2
| source 1 = [[Australian Government]], [[Bureau of Meteorology]]<ref name=climate>{{cite web|title=Climate statistics for Australian locations: Cook |url=http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/averages/tables/cw_018110_All.shtml|publisher=[[Commonwealth of Australia]], [[Bureau of Meteorology]]|accessdate=26 October 2018}}</ref>
|date=October 2018}}
== See also ==
* [[Localities on the Trans-Australian Railway]]
==References==
{{reflist}}
{{Adjacent stations|system=Journey Beyond|line1=Indian Pacific|left1=Rawlinna|right1=Adelaide
|left2=Kalgoorlie|right2=Adelaide|oneway-left2=yes}}
{{Journey Beyond railway stations|Indian Pacific=y|state=collapsed}}
[[Category:Railway stations in South Australia]]
[[Category:Railway stations in Australia opened in 1917]]
[[Category:Ghost towns in South Australia]]
[[Category:Populated places established in 1917]]
[[Category:Places in the unincorporated areas of South Australia]]
[[Category:Nullarbor Plain]]
[[Category:Trans-Australian Railway]]
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