StateLibQld 1 293395 Opening of the railway in Yarraman, 1913

The Brisbane Valley railway line was a railway connection 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 connecting

Ipswich Ipswich () is a port town and borough in Suffolk, England, of which it is the county town. The town is located in East Anglia about away from the mouth of the River Orwell and the North Sea. Ipswich is both on the Great Eastern Main Line r ...

, west of

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 ...

, to the upper

Brisbane River The Brisbane River is the longest river in South East Queensland, Australia, and flows through the city of Brisbane, before emptying into Moreton Bay on the Coral Sea. John Oxley, the first European to explore the river, named it after the Go ...

valley. Progressively opened between 1884 and 1913, the railway provided a vital transport link between Ipswich and Yarraman and forged development and prosperity along its path. The line acquired its serpentine reputation because it did not take a straight course when faced with a hill or gully."Triumph of Narrow Gauge: A History of Queensland Railways" by John Kerr 1990 Boolarong Press, Brisbane The line branched from the main western line to

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 ...

Wulkuraka Wulkuraka is a western suburb of Ipswich in the City of Ipswich, Queensland, Australia. In the , Wulkuraka had a population of 1,234 people. Geography The Main Line railway enters the suburb from the east ( Sadliers Crossing) and exits to the ...

a short distance west of Ipswich and struck a north-westerly route towards Fernvale and

Lowood Lowood is a rural town and Suburbs and localities (Australia), locality in the Somerset Region, Queensland, Australia. In the , the locality of Lowood had a population of 4,159 people. Geography The town is on the Brisbane River, west of the ...

before continuing on via Toogoolawah and Blackbutt to Yarraman. It became one of the few branch lines to accommodate passenger and

mixed train A mixed train or mixed consist is a train that contains both passenger and freight cars or wagons. Although common in the early days of railways, by the 20th century they were largely confined to branch lines with little traffic. Typically, servic ...

s and the introduction in 1928 of

rail motor Railmotor is a term used in the United Kingdom and elsewhere for a railway lightweight railcar, usually consisting of a railway carriage with a steam traction unit, or a diesel or petrol engine, integrated into it. Steam railcars Overview In th ...

services ensured that it retained an important passenger traffic role. Passenger services beyond Toogoolawah ceased in 1967, with the Toogoolawah railmotor being withdrawn in 1989 and the entire line closed in 1993. A recreational rail trail, the Brisbane Valley Rail Trail, has been built on the route. The completed trail was opened in August 2018 and covers 161km (100 miles). The trail is open to walkers, cyclists and horseriders.

Route

Stage 1

The first section from Wulkuraka to Lowood was opened on 16 June 1884 and stops were established at

Muirlea Muirlea is a rural locality in the City of Ipswich, Queensland, Australia. In the , Muirlea had a population of 190 people. Geography Part of the north west boundary of the suburb is marked by the Brisbane River. The southern boundary aligns wi ...

, Pine Mountain, Borallon, Wanora, Fairney View, Fernvale, Vernor and Lowood. Originally known as "Stinking Gully", Fernvale acquired that name in 1875. The spot became a regular camping place on the road from Ipswich to Esk. Previously known as "The Scrub" or "Cairnhill", Lowood developed as a railhead town after it became the terminus for the first section of the line. A station building was constructed about this time. A

telegraph Telegraphy is the long-distance transmission of messages where the sender uses symbolic codes, known to the recipient, rather than a physical exchange of an object bearing the message. Thus flag semaphore is a method of telegraphy, whereas p ...

office operated from the station building from 1885 to 1886 and a

post office A post office is a public facility and a retailer that provides mail services, such as accepting letters and parcels, providing post office boxes, and selling postage stamps, packaging, and stationery. Post offices may offer additional serv ...

operated there from 1888 to about 1938. By 1926 the station boasted a refreshment room, goods shed, freight shed, pig shed and

station master The station master (or stationmaster) is the person in charge of a railway station, particularly in the United Kingdom and many other countries outside North America. In the United Kingdom, where the term originated, it is now largely historical ...

's quarters. The station building was recently restored and a railway history museum is proposed.

Stage 2

Opened on 9 August 1886, the line's second stage passed through Clarendon,

Coominya Coominya is a rural town and locality in the Somerset Region in South East Queensland, Australia. The town is located west of the state capital, Brisbane and approximately from Wivenhoe Dam. In the , Coominya had a population of 1,200 people. ...

, and Mount Hallen and terminated at Esk. A station building was built at

(originally called Bellevue) in 1886 as part of the extension. A goods shed was added and in about 1891 the platform and station building were relocated to the opposite side of the line. A station master was appointed in 1914 allowing opposing trains to pass. The station became a centre for

livestock Livestock are the domesticated animals raised in an agricultural setting to provide labor and produce diversified products for consumption such as meat, eggs, milk, fur, leather, and wool. The term is sometimes used to refer solely to animals ...

transport. The station building has been restored and is now used for community purposes. The town of "Gallanani" (perhaps an aboriginal name for the eastern swamp hen) was established at present day Esk in 1872. When the railway arrived the town continued under the name of Gallanani and the station was called Esk. Gallanani became the railway town of Esk in 1913. Esk grew to become the principal township in the Brisbane Valley and refreshment rooms were added in 1912 and relocated as house in 1978.

Pig The pig (''Sus domesticus''), often called swine, hog, or domestic pig when distinguishing from other members of the genus '' Sus'', is an omnivorous, domesticated, even-toed, hoofed mammal. It is variously considered a subspecies of ''Sus ...

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 ...

timber Lumber is wood that has been processed into dimensional lumber, including beams and planks or boards, a stage in the process of wood production. Lumber is mainly used for construction framing, as well as finishing (floors, wall panels, wi ...

and

condensed milk Condensed milk is cow's milk from which water has been removed (roughly 60% of it). It is most often found with sugar added, in the form of ''sweetened condensed milk'' (SCM), to the extent that the terms "condensed milk" and "sweetened condens ...

made up the bulk of the freight. Fast and cheap transport of timber to Brisbane was also required to support housing for the burgeoning population in the state's capital. Esk handled a lot of traffic during the construction of

Somerset Dam The Somerset Dam is a mass concrete gravity dam with a gated spillway across the Stanley River in Queensland, Australia. It is within the locality of Somerset Dam in the Somerset Region in South East Queensland. The main purpose of the dam is ...

in the 1930s and 1940s. As a special event, the last

steam train A steam locomotive is a locomotive that provides the force to move itself and other vehicles by means of the expansion of steam. It is fuelled by burning combustible material (usually coal, oil or, rarely, wood) to heat water in the locomot ...

travelled through Esk in 1993.

Stages 3-4

15 February 1904 and 1 September 1904 saw the third and fourth stages of the line opened to Toogoolawah (via Ottaba) and Yimbun respectively. The already successful Cressbrook condensed milk factory operated in Toogoolawah and the advent of the railway boosted its development. When the first passenger arrived, there was confusion between Cressbrook station and Cressbrook railway station. The name Toogoolawah was chosen for the railway station after a local family's home in Brisbane called "Tugulawa" meaning a "bend in the river". At its height, the railway complex included a goods shed,

turntable A phonograph, in its later forms also called a gramophone (as a trademark since 1887, as a generic name in the UK since 1910) or since the 1940s called a record player, or more recently a turntable, is a device for the mechanical and analogu ...

camping Camping is an outdoor activity involving overnight stays away from home, either without shelter or using basic shelter such as a tent, or a recreational vehicle. Typically, participants leave developed areas to spend time outdoors in more nat ...

quarters, cattle yards, station master's residence and pig pens. Yimbun (previously called Moorabool and later Kannangur) is only some 4 miles beyond Toogoolawah and three trains a week plied the line from Ipswich.

Stages 5-7

More than six years later, on 22 November 1910, the line's fifth stage was opened to Linville and stops were established at Harlin, Nurinda and Moore. Cattle, sheep and pig yards were built at Harlin when the railway opened and a crossing loop was constructed in 1941 allowing trains to pass. The station mistress was withdrawn from service in October 1963. Named after the Moore family, a goods shed and platform were established at Moore in 1910. A shelter shed, cattle yards and loading bank were added later. Cattle and timber were major commodities railed through Linville which once boasted the largest rail head in south east Queensland and the second largest in the southern hemisphere. Cattle came from all parts of 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 ...

region to be railed south to markets. The line was opened to Benarkin on 8 May 1911 and via Blackbutt and

Nukku Nukku is a rural locality in the South Burnett Region, Queensland, Australia. In the Nukku had a population of 22 people. Geography The D'Aguilar Highway passes through the south of the locality from west ( Blackbutt) to east ( Gilla). The ...

to Gilla on 19 December 1912. From Benarkin and Blackbutt large quantities of timber were transported. Blackbutt was named in 1909 after a common tree of the area – the Blackbutt or ''

Eucalyptus pilularis ''Eucalyptus pilularis'', commonly known as blackbutt, is a species of medium-sized to tall tree that is endemic to eastern Australia. It has rough, finely fibrous greyish bark on the lower half of the trunk, smooth white, grey or cream-coloured ...

''. A station master was appointed to Blackbutt in 1913 and service at the station ceased in 1965. Gilla railway station was at .

Stage 8

Opened on 1 May 1913, the eighth and final stage terminated at Yarraman after passing through Pidna. A proposed extension to

Nanango Nanango is a rural town and locality in the South Burnett Region, Queensland, Australia. In the , the locality of Nanango had a population of 3,599 people. Geography Nanango is situated north-west of the state capital, Brisbane, at the junc ...

did not eventuate. Yarraman station serviced the Queensland Pine Company until the

sawmill A sawmill (saw mill, saw-mill) or lumber mill is a facility where logs are cut into lumber. Modern sawmills use a motorized saw to cut logs lengthwise to make long pieces, and crosswise to length depending on standard or custom sizes (dimensi ...

closed in 1972. A passenger train left Ipswich three days a week at 8.30 am for the six-hour journey to Yarraman. The return journey next morning was twenty five minutes quicker. The first

diesel locomotive A diesel locomotive is a type of railway locomotive in which the prime mover is a diesel engine. Several types of diesel locomotives have been developed, differing mainly in the means by which mechanical power is conveyed to the driving whee ...

operated between Ipswich and Yarraman in 1967. In the same year passenger services on the line ceased. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

the coastline was thought vulnerable to attack and an alternative defence road was built with the railway used to transport fuel. Large underground storage tanks were built near the railway station and were used up to the 1980s. Trucking yards were closed in 1991 and services were discontinued some two years later.

Closure

The once busy Brisbane Valley railway ceased operations in 1993. The line from Nurinda (near

Colinton Colinton ( gd, Baile Cholgain) is a suburb of Edinburgh, Scotland situated south-west of the city centre. Up until the late 18th century it appears on maps as Collington. It is bordered by Dreghorn to the south and Craiglockhart to the north ...

) to Yarraman was removed in 1995 leaving only the railway corridor in place.

References

External links

Brisbane Valley Rail Trail on openstreetmap

1925 map of the Queensland railway system
{{DEFAULTSORT:Brisbane Valley line Closed railway lines in Queensland Railway lines opened in 1884 Buildings and structures in Somerset Region Railway lines closed in 1993 1884 establishments in Australia 1993 disestablishments in Australia