Woolooga Rail Bridge is a heritage-listed railway bridge at Wide Bay Creek on the Theebine - Kilikivan railway line,

Woolooga Woolooga is a rural town and locality in the Gympie Region, Queensland, Australia. In the the locality of Woolooga had a population of 247 people. The town is located in the Gympie Region local government area, north of the state capital, Bri ...

, Gympie Region,

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. It was built in 1884 by Owen McDermott & Co. It was added to the

Queensland Heritage Register The Queensland Heritage Register is a heritage register, a statutory list of places in Queensland, Australia that are protected by Queensland legislation, the Queensland Heritage Act 1992. It is maintained by the Queensland Heritage Council. As a ...

on 21 October 1992.

History

The

Rail Bridge was built in 1884 and crosses Wide Bay Creek on the Maryborough to Kilkivan branch line. The Kilkivan branch was built while the Maryborough Railway was not connected to any other system. A short section to Dickabram on the bank of the Mary River was opened on 1 January 1886. The section to Kilkivan opened on 6 December 1886 after the completion of the major combined Dickabram rail-road bridge over the Mary River. The Kilkivan branch, built in the hope of stimulating gold and copper mining, was ultimately extended to serve the

South Burnett The South Burnett is a peanut growing and wine-producing area on the Great Dividing Range, north of the Darling Downs, in Queensland. It is with the basin of the Burnett River. The area is within two local government areas, South Burnett Region ...

. Besides a major bridge over the Mary River, the Kilkivan branch crossed Wide Bay Creek three times. Tenders were called for just , and had to be called twice as the short length made the project unattractive to contractors. The work for the whole section to Kilkivan was let to MCDermott, Owen & Co in August 1884. In order to strengthen the bridge to permit C17 locomotives to operate, instead of just PB15 and B15 classes, the spans were divided in the 1933-35 period by inserting timber piers at the centre of each span.

Description

The Woolooga Rail Bridge, Wide Bay No. 2 Crossing Bridge, at comprises two lattice girder spans with steel cross girders and timber longitudinals supported on concrete piers with timber piers on a concrete base at the centre of each span.

Heritage listing

Woolooga Rail Bridge was listed on the

on 21 October 1992 having satisfied the following criteria. The place is important in demonstrating the evolution or pattern of Queensland's history. The Woolooga Rail Bridge is important in demonstrating the pattern of Queensland's history in particular the development of the railway network from Maryborough and the development of gold and copper mining in the Kilkivan area. The place is important in demonstrating the principal characteristics of a particular class of cultural places. The Woolooga Rail Bridge is an example of a lattice girder bridge dating from the 1880s still in use, although the spans have been halved by extra piers.

References

Attribution

External links

{{Australian railway bridges, state=autocollapse Queensland Heritage Register Gympie Region Railway bridges in Queensland Articles incorporating text from the Queensland Heritage Register