The Isis Branch Railway Line was a

narrow gauge railway A narrow-gauge railway (narrow-gauge railroad in the US) is a railway with a track gauge narrower than standard . Most narrow-gauge railways are between and . Since narrow-gauge railways are usually built with tighter curves, smaller structur ...

line in

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 ...

. It was approved for construction by the

Parliament of Queensland The Parliament of Queensland is the legislature of Queensland, Australia. As provided under the Constitution of Queensland, the Parliament consists of the Monarch of Australia and the Legislative Assembly. It has been the only unicameral s ...

in September 1885. The North Coast line north from

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 ...

, reached Maryborough in August 1881,

Howard Howard is an English-language given name originating from Old French Huard (or Houard) from a Germanic source similar to Old High German ''*Hugihard'' "heart-brave", or ''*Hoh-ward'', literally "high defender; chief guardian". It is also probabl ...

in March 1883 and Goodwood, to the south of

Bundaberg Bundaberg is a city in the Bundaberg Region, Queensland, Australia, and is the tenth largest city in the state. Bundaberg's regional area has a population of 70,921, and is a major centre of the Wide Bay–Burnett geographical region. The Bun ...

, in August 1887. The first section branched in a westerly direction from the North Coast line south of Goodwood at Isis Junction. Opened on 31 October 1887, Childers formed at the terminus and stops were established en route at Bootharh,

Horton Horton may refer to: Places Antarctica * Horton Glacier, Adelaide Island, Antarctica * Horton Ledge, Queen Elizabeth Land, Antarctica Australia * Horton, Queensland, a town and locality in the Bundaberg Region * Horton River (Australia), ...

and Doolbi. The Childers station site is now part of the

Isis District State High School Isis District State High School, established in 1961, is located in the town of Childers, Queensland, set across two campuses on approximately . It is at a midpoint between the major centres of Bundaberg and Maryborough. As well as providing a ...

grounds. The line enabled development of

sugarcane Sugarcane or sugar cane is a species of (often hybrid) tall, Perennial plant, perennial grass (in the genus ''Saccharum'', tribe Andropogoneae) that is used for sugar Sugar industry, production. The plants are 2–6 m (6–20 ft) tall with ...

production in the

region In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as zones, lands or territories, are areas that are broadly divided by physical characteristics (physical geography), human impact characteristics (human geography), and the interaction of humanity and t ...

and a short extension northwest via Huxley, Lynwood and Kowbi to

Cordalba Cordalba is a rural town and locality in the Bundaberg Region, Queensland, Australia. In the , Cordalba had a population of 445 people. The town was founded in 1896 and played an important role in the sugar workers strike of 1911.John Oxley Libr ...

opened on 1 June 1896. Kowbi was originally named Hapsburg, but following a large upswell of

Anti-German sentiment Anti-German sentiment (also known as Anti-Germanism, Germanophobia or Teutophobia) is opposition to or fear of Germany, its inhabitants, its culture, or its language. Its opposite is Germanophilia. Anti-German sentiment largely began with t ...

after

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

it was changed to the local Aboriginal name for "sugar" . The line serviced early sugar mills at Knockroe (near Kowbi), Huxley and Doolbi until they were taken over by the Isis Central Mill. Another fifty kilometre extension southwest to

Dallarnil Dallarnil is a rural town and locality in the North Burnett Region, Queensland, Australia. In the , Dallarnil had a population of 230 people. The neighbourhood of Stanton is within the locality (). History The town takes its name from the ra ...

was approved in December 1909 and opened on 6 May 1913. En route stops were built at

Thynne Thynne is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: *Lord Alexander Thynne DSO (1873–1918), British soldier and Conservative politician *Andrew Joseph Thynne (1847–1927), Australian politician * Lord Edward Thynne (1807–1884), Britis ...

, Marule, Junien, Booyal, Munderbong, Tawah, Stanton and Kukar. The Dallarnil extension should never have been built. Much of the country was infertile and the prospect of agricultural development was overestimated. Small quantities of sugarcane, railway sleepers,

cream Cream is a dairy product composed of the higher-fat layer skimmed from the top of milk before homogenization. In un-homogenized milk, the fat, which is less dense, eventually rises to the top. In the industrial production of cream, this process ...

lime Lime commonly refers to: * Lime (fruit), a green citrus fruit * Lime (material), inorganic materials containing calcium, usually calcium oxide or calcium hydroxide * Lime (color), a color between yellow and green Lime may also refer to: Botany ...

and

cattle Cattle (''Bos taurus'') are large, domesticated, cloven-hooved, herbivores. They are a prominent modern member of the subfamily Bovinae and the most widespread species of the genus ''Bos''. Adult females are referred to as cows and adult mal ...

were carried but only in spasmodic fashion. Two trains a week were enough to meet the low volume of traffic and the service beyond

ceased on 1 July 1955. The Isis Central Mill purchased the Cordalba Dallarnil section for intended conversion to 2 feet tramway but road transport was preferred. The rest of the line closed on 1 July 1964 in response to transport of bulk sugar by road and sugarcane by mill owned tramways.

References

G H Verhoeven "The Isis Branch Line" ARHS Bulletin May 1963 Rod Milne "West of Cordalba" ARHS Bulletin June 1993

External links

Queensland Places , Isis Shire

1925 map of the Queensland railway system
{{Railway lines in Queensland , state=expanded Closed railway lines in Queensland 3 ft 6 in gauge railways in Australia Railway lines in Queensland Railway lines opened in 1887 Railway lines closed in 1964 Wide Bay–Burnett 1887 establishments in Australia 1964 disestablishments in Australia

See also

References

External links