The Goomburra railway line was a

branch railway A branch line is a phrase used in railway terminology to denote a secondary railway line which branches off a more important through route, usually a main line. A very short branch line may be called a spur line. Industrial spur An industr ...

in the

Southern Downs The Darling Downs is a farming region on the western slopes of the Great Dividing Range in southern Queensland, Australia. The Downs are to the west of South East Queensland and are one of the major regions of Queensland. The name was general ...

region of

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , established_ ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

History

Construction of the

Southern railway line The Southern railway line serves the Darling Downs region of Queensland, Australia. The long line branches from the Western line at Toowoomba, west of Brisbane, and proceeds south through Warwick and Stanthorpe to the New South Wales/Queensl ...

from

Toowoomba Toowoomba ( , nicknamed 'The Garden City' and 'T-Bar') is a city in the Toowoomba Region of the Darling Downs, Queensland, Australia. It is west of Queensland's capital city Brisbane by road. The urban population of Toowoomba as of the 2021 C ...

Warwick Warwick ( ) is a market town, civil parish and the county town of Warwickshire in the Warwick District in England, adjacent to the River Avon. It is south of Coventry, and south-east of Birmingham. It is adjoined with Leamington Spa and Whi ...

brought it as far as Dalrymple Creek near

Allora Allora is a rural town and locality in the Southern Downs Region, Queensland, Australia. In the , the locality of Allora had a population of 1,223 people. Geography Allora is on the Darling Downs in south-eastern Queensland, Australia, by ro ...

in 1869. At that time, Allora was the largest settlement in the region but the line ran about five kilometres to its west and the then terminus was renamed

Hendon Hendon is an urban area in the Borough of Barnet, North-West London northwest of Charing Cross. Hendon was an ancient manor and parish in the county of Middlesex and a former borough, the Municipal Borough of Hendon; it has been part of Great ...

in the 1870s. A line from Hendon to Allora was surveyed in 1884 but the local residents pushed for connection to a proposed direct link between

Brisbane Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the states and territories of Australia, Australian state of Queensland, and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a populati ...

and Warwick. The latter link did not materialise but a line running the short distance from Hendon to Allora was constructed and opened on 21 April 1897. Up to four trains daily connected via Kates with the main line services at Hendon. After development of land to the east of Allora, moves were afoot to extend the line about 20 kilometres to

Goomburra Goomburra is a rural town and locality in the Southern Downs Region, Queensland, Australia. In the , the locality of Goomburra had a population of 259 people. Inverramsay is a neighbourhood in Goomburra (). Geography Goomburra is on the Darli ...

. Approved in 1910, construction of the extension commenced in 1911 and opened on 8 July 1912. Stops were located at Kital,

Berat Berat (; sq-definite, Berati) is the ninth most populous city of Albania and the seat of Berat County and Berat Municipality. By air, it is north of Gjirokastër, west of Korçë, south of Tirana, and east of Fier. Berat is located in th ...

and Kunda. The Goomburra extension was constructed from a point a short distance down from Allora station, turning Allora station and yard into a short spur. Traffic from Allora to Goomburra or vice versa was required to perform a back shunt. In addition to passenger traffic, freight carried on the Goomburra line included dairy products, timber and seasonal grain but its justification did not last. The section of the line beyond Allora was closed on 30 June 1961 due to increasing competition from road transport. Service on the Hendon to Allora section was suspended in 1995. The Hendon to Allora section is now owned by the

Southern Downs Steam Railway Downs Explorer (originally known as Southern Downs Steam Railway) was founded in 1996, initially to restore the former Queensland Railways locomotive depot in Warwick.Rail transport in Queensland The rail network in Queensland, Australia, was the first in the world to adopt narrow gauge for a main line, and now the second largest narrow gauge network in the world, consists of: *the North Coast Line (NCL) extending from Brisbane to R ...

References

External links

1925 map of the Queensland railway system
{{DEFAULTSORT:Goomburra Railway Line Railway lines opened in 1897 Closed railway lines in Queensland Railway lines closed in 1995 1995 disestablishments in Australia 1897 establishments in Australia Darling Downs