![StateLibQld 1 293395 Opening of the railway in Yarraman, 1913](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f7/StateLibQld_1_293395_Opening_of_the_railway_in_Yarraman%2C_1913.jpg)
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 ...
at
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
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. ...
(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 ...
s,
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.
See also
*
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
Further reading
* "Triumph of Narrow Gauge: A History of Queensland Railways" by John Kerr 1990 Boorarong Press, Brisbane
*Brisbane Valley Heritage Trail brochures on "Fernvale", "Coominya", "Esk", "Toogoolawah", "Blackbutt" and "Lowood" produced by Esk Visitor Information Centre.
*''Heritage Trails of the Great South East''. QEPA. September 2000.
*
External links
Brisbane Valley Rail Trail on openstreetmap1925 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