The Woongarra Railway (so called as the majority of it was built by the Woongarra Shire Council) was a railway line from

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 ...

to Pemberton in

Central Central is an adjective usually referring to being in the center of some place or (mathematical) object. Central may also refer to: Directions and generalised locations * Central Africa, a region in the centre of Africa continent, also known as ...

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. The initial three kilometre section was privately built to link the Millaquin Sugar Refinery on the eastern outskirts of Bundaberg to the North Coast line, opening on 9 July 1894. It carried coal and sugar products and serviced the Millaquin sugar mill. A crossing of Saltwater Creek a short distance east of Bundaberg station was necessary, and sidings were located at Barolin Street, Tantitha Street and (later) Woongarra Junction. Woongarra Shire Council funded a 20 km extension of the line further east via

East Bundaberg Bundaberg East is a suburb of Bundaberg in the Bundaberg Region, Queensland, Australia. In the Bundaberg East had a population of 2,784 people. History A Government land sale of eighty allotments was advertised for auction by W. E. Curtis ...

, Bunda Street, Rubyanna, The Grange and Mon Repos to service a

sugar mill A sugar cane mill is a factory that processes sugar cane to produce raw or white sugar. The term is also used to refer to the equipment that crushes the sticks of sugar cane to extract the juice. Processing There are a number of steps in pro ...

at Qunaba (derived from

Queensland National Bank The Queensland National Bank is a former bank in Queensland, Australia. History In 1872, the bank was established in Brisbane. In December 1914, the bank had its head office in Brisbane with branches throughout Queensland at Allora, Aramac, A ...

), then south via Neilson Park, Bargara and Hollands to service mills at Windermere and Pemberton. The extension opened on 3 December 1912 at which point the

Queensland Railways Queensland Rail (QR) is a railway operator in Queensland, Australia. Owned by the Queensland Government, it operates local and long-distance passenger services, as well as owning and maintaining approximately 6,600 kilometres of track and relate ...

Department purchased the line as far as Woongarra Junction (located near the Millaquin mill). Queensland State Archives 339 The arrival of the Excursion Train Railway Picnic Nielson Park Burnett Shire c 1931

Queensland State Archives 339 The arrival of the Excursion Train Railway Picnic Nielson Park Burnett Shire c 1931

Neilson Park had a beach and with a railway connection soon became a popular seaside destination and "excursion" trains operated on the route. Windermere and Pemberton mills were later closed and cane was railed to Qunaba for processing. Despite running at a loss, the

Queensland Railways Department Queensland Rail (QR) is a railway operator in Queensland, Australia. Owned by the Queensland Government, it operates local and long-distance passenger services, as well as owning and maintaining approximately 6,600 kilometres of track and relate ...

purchased the remainder of the line (from Woongarra Junction to Pemberton) on 1 January 1918. In 1913, a stop en route at Sandhills was renamed Bargara derived by amalgamating the words Barolin and Woongarra. A daily rail motor operated between Bundaberg and Pemberton from 1919 to 1921 but thereafter only seaside trains ran during the summer months. As occurred elsewhere, road transport took over carriage of

sugar cane Sugarcane or sugar cane is a species of (often hybrid) tall, perennial grass (in the genus ''Saccharum'', tribe Andropogoneae) that is used for sugar production. The plants are 2–6 m (6–20 ft) tall with stout, jointed, fibrous stalks t ...

. A short spur from Qunaba would have brought the line to the new

Bundaberg Port Port of Bundaberg is located at Burnett Heads, northeast of the city of Bundaberg, 5.6 nautical miles from the mouth of the Burnett River in Queensland, Australia. The port is a destination for ships from Australia and overseas. It is predomin ...

at the mouth of the

Burnett River The Burnett River is a river located in the Wide Bay–Burnett and Central Queensland regions of Queensland, Australia. Course and features The Burnett River rises in the Burnett Range, part of the Great Dividing Range, close to Mount Gaeta a ...

. However, sugar interests feared that rail strikes might interfere with production and road haulage to the port was preferred. The line from Qunaba to Pemberton closed on 30 May 1948 and from Bunda Street (a short distance east of Woongarra Junction) to Qunaba closed on 1 August 1959. The line between Bundaberg and Bunda Street is closed but has since been lifted.

References

External links

1925 map of the Queensland railway system
{{Railway lines in Queensland , state=expanded Closed railway lines in Queensland Railway lines opened in 1894 Central Queensland

See also

References

External links