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The Mungar Junction to Monto railway line is a
railway Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport using wheeled vehicles running in railway track, tracks, which usually consist of two parallel steel railway track, rails. Rail transport is one of the two primary means of ...
in
Queensland Queensland ( , commonly abbreviated as Qld) is a States and territories of Australia, state in northeastern Australia, and is the second-largest and third-most populous state in Australia. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Austr ...
, Australia. Progressively opened in eleven stages between 1889 and 1928 the line branched from the North Coast line at Mungar Junction a short distance west of Maryborough and followed a westerly route towards
Biggenden Biggenden is a rural town and Suburbs and localities (Australia), locality in the North Burnett Region, Queensland, Australia. In the , the locality of Biggenden had a population of 788 people. Geography Biggenden is on the Isis Highway north ...
and
Gayndah Gayndah () is a town and Suburbs and localities (Australia), locality in the North Burnett Region, Queensland, Australia. It is the administrative centre for the North Burnett Region. In the , the locality of Gayndah had a population of 1,949 p ...
before turning north via
Mundubbera Mundubbera ( ) is a rural town and a locality in the North Burnett Region, Queensland, Australia. In the , the locality of Mundubbera had a population of 1,120 people. Mundubbera is the self-proclaimed "Citrus Capital of Queensland", although ...
and Eidsvold to
Monto Monto was the nickname for the one-time red light district in the northeast of Dublin, Ireland. The Monto was roughly the area bounded by Talbot Street, Amiens Street, Gardiner Street and Seán McDermott Street (formerly Gloucester Street) in ...
. It is also known as the Gayndah Monto Branch Railway. In 2012, the line was officially closed.


History

Whilst
Bundaberg Bundaberg () is the major regional city in the Wide Bay-Burnett region of the state of Queensland, Australia. It is the List of cities in Australia by population, ninth largest city in the state. The Bundaberg central business district is situa ...
was chosen as the port for a rail line to Mount Perry, Maryborough was selected as the port for a line to the Central and Upper Burnett districts of Queensland, where
mineral In geology and mineralogy, a mineral or mineral species is, broadly speaking, a solid substance with a fairly well-defined chemical composition and a specific crystal structure that occurs naturally in pure form.John P. Rafferty, ed. (2011): Mi ...
s had been found.


Opening


To Brooweena

The first section from Mungar Junction to
Brooweena Brooweena is a rural town and locality in the Fraser Coast Region, Queensland, Australia. In the , the locality of Brooweena had a population of 91 people. Geography The town is located in the Wide Bay–Burnett area and is north of the state ...
was opened on 29 July 1889, with sidings established at Pilerwa,
Yerra Yerra is a rural locality in the Fraser Coast Region, Queensland Queensland ( , commonly abbreviated as Qld) is a States and territories of Australia, state in northeastern Australia, and is the second-largest and third-most populous state ...
,
Thinoomba Thinoomba is a rural locality in the Fraser Coast Region, Queensland Queensland ( , commonly abbreviated as Qld) is a States and territories of Australia, state in northeastern Australia, and is the second-largest and third-most populous s ...
, Hunter's Hut and
Aramara Aramara is a rural town and Suburbs and localities (Australia), locality in the Fraser Coast Region, Queensland, Australia. In the , the locality of Aramara had a population of 71 people. Geography The Maryborough–Biggenden Road (State Route ...
. Originally called Teebar and later known as Clifton and then Woocoo,
Brooweena Brooweena is a rural town and locality in the Fraser Coast Region, Queensland, Australia. In the , the locality of Brooweena had a population of 91 people. Geography The town is located in the Wide Bay–Burnett area and is north of the state ...
(perhaps an Aboriginal word for "
crab Crabs are decapod crustaceans of the infraorder Brachyura (meaning "short tailed" in Greek language, Greek), which typically have a very short projecting tail-like abdomen#Arthropoda, abdomen, usually hidden entirely under the Thorax (arthropo ...
" or "
crayfish Crayfish are freshwater crustaceans belonging to the infraorder Astacidea, which also contains lobsters. Taxonomically, they are members of the superfamilies Astacoidea and Parastacoidea. They breathe through feather-like gills. Some spe ...
") acquired that name in 1890. Brooweena has always relied heavily on the local
sawmill A sawmill (saw mill, saw-mill) or lumber mill is a facility where logging, 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 ...
and the railway provided ready transport of timber.


To Boompa, Biggenden and Degilbo

Opened on 1 March 1891 the second stage brought the line a short distance to Boompa and, on 13 April 1891, via Lakeside () to the larger settlement of
Biggenden Biggenden is a rural town and Suburbs and localities (Australia), locality in the North Burnett Region, Queensland, Australia. In the , the locality of Biggenden had a population of 788 people. Geography Biggenden is on the Isis Highway north ...
. The fourth stage saw the line opened a short distance west of Biggenden to Degilbo (then known as Woowoonga) on 1 April 1893. A very busy railhead thrived and goods were reconsigned by wagon to the likes of Gayndah, Mundubbera and Eidsvold.


To Wetheron and Gayndah

The next two stages were opened to Wetheron on 21 December 1905 and to
Gayndah Gayndah () is a town and Suburbs and localities (Australia), locality in the North Burnett Region, Queensland, Australia. It is the administrative centre for the North Burnett Region. In the , the locality of Gayndah had a population of 1,949 p ...
on 16 December 1907. The line passed through small sidings at Muan, Chowey,
Didcot Didcot ( ) is a railway town and Civil parishes in England, civil parish in South Oxfordshire, England, located south of Oxford, east of Wantage and north west of Reading, Berkshire, Reading. Historically part of Berkshire, the town is noted ...
, Gooroolba and Byrnestown en route to Wetheron and at Mount Lawless, Dappil and
Ideraway Ideraway is a rural town and locality in the North Burnett Region, Queensland, Australia. In the , the locality of Ideraway had a population of 31 people. Geography The Burnett River forms the south-eastern boundary, while Reid Creek forms t ...
en route to Gayndah. Gayndah apparently takes its name from the local Aboriginal word for "
thunder Thunder is the sound caused by lightning. Depending upon the distance from and nature of the lightning, it can range from a long, low rumble to a sudden, loud crack. The sudden increase in temperature and hence pressure caused by the lightning pr ...
" and is at the heart of a large
citrus ''Citrus'' is a genus of flowering trees and shrubs in the family Rutaceae. Plants in the genus produce citrus fruits, including important crops such as oranges, mandarins, lemons, grapefruits, pomelos, and limes. ''Citrus'' is nativ ...
growing area. It is Queensland's oldest provincial town and was once favoured to be the state capital. The heritage-listed Deep Creek Railway Bridge is between the Muan and Chowey sidings, designed while William Pagan was Chief Engineer.


To Boomerang and Mundubbera

Some six years passed before the seventh stage to
Boomerang A boomerang () is a thrown tool typically constructed with airfoil sections and designed to spin about an axis perpendicular to the direction of its flight, designed to return to the thrower. The origin of the word is from Australian Aborigin ...
was opened on 1 November 1913 passing through Banapan,
Dirnbir Dirnbir is a rural Suburbs and localities (Australia), locality in the North Burnett Region, Queensland, Australia. In the , Dirnbir had a population of 59 people. Geography The Burnett River forms the southern boundary of the locality at an e ...
, Mount Debateable and
Humphery Humphery is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Bobby Humphery (born 1961), American football player * Frederick Humphery (1841–1908), Australian politician * William Humphery (1827–1909), British politician See also * Humfr ...
. The next stage saw the opening of the line to Philpott Creek and
Mundubbera Mundubbera ( ) is a rural town and a locality in the North Burnett Region, Queensland, Australia. In the , the locality of Mundubbera had a population of 1,120 people. Mundubbera is the self-proclaimed "Citrus Capital of Queensland", although ...
on 3 February 1914. Freight transport increased as two sawmills consigned timber east and frequent shipments of
cattle Cattle (''Bos taurus'') are large, domesticated, bovid ungulates widely kept as livestock. They are prominent modern members of the subfamily Bovinae and the most widespread species of the genus '' Bos''. Mature female cattle are calle ...
and
pig The pig (''Sus domesticus''), also called swine (: swine) or hog, is an omnivorous, domesticated, even-toed, hoofed mammal. It is named the domestic pig when distinguishing it from other members of the genus '' Sus''. Some authorities cons ...
s occurred. The Mount Debateable railway station was original known as Buckingah railway station until it was renamed in August 1913.


To Ceratodus, Mulgildie and Monto

The balance of the line to Monto was opened in three stages – to
Ceratodus ''Ceratodus'' (from , 'horn' and 'tooth') is an extinct genus of freshwater lungfish that was found worldwide during the Mesozoic Era. It has been described as a "catch all", and a " form genus" used to refer to the remains (typically tooth ...
on 26 April 1924, to Mulgildie on 20 June 1927 and finally to
Monto Monto was the nickname for the one-time red light district in the northeast of Dublin, Ireland. The Monto was roughly the area bounded by Talbot Street, Amiens Street, Gardiner Street and Seán McDermott Street (formerly Gloucester Street) in ...
on 15 September 1928. Stops were established at Lacon,
Riverleigh Riverleigh is a rural locality in the North Burnett Region, Queensland, Australia. In the , Riverleigh had a population of 95 people. Geography The locality is bounded to the north, west and south by the Burnett River. The land is used for fa ...
, O’Bil Bil, Malmoe,
Grosvenor Grosvenor may refer to: People * Grosvenor (surname), including a list of people with the surname Grosvenor * Grosvenor Francis (1873–1944), Australian politician * Grosvenor Hodgkinson (1818–1881), English lawyer and politician Places, ...
and Eidsvold en route to Ceratodus as part of stage nine. Ceratodus takes its name from the
lungfish Lungfish are freshwater vertebrates belonging to the class Dipnoi. Lungfish are best known for retaining ancestral characteristics within the Osteichthyes, including the ability to breathe air, and ancestral structures within Sarcopterygii, inc ...
(neoceratodus forsteri) an air-breathing fish which inhabits the nearby
Burnett River The Burnett River is a river 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 and east ...
. The
Archer brothers The Archer brothers were among the earliest European settlers in Queensland, Australia. They were explorers and pastoralists. Seven sons of William Archer, a Scottish timber merchant, they spent varying amounts of time in the colony of New Sout ...
settled the Eidsvold region in 1848. Although of
Scottish Scottish usually refers to something of, from, or related to Scotland, including: *Scottish Gaelic, a Celtic Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family native to Scotland *Scottish English *Scottish national identity, the Scottish ide ...
origin, they later moved to
Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the archipelago of Svalbard also form part of the Kingdom of ...
. Eidsvold is named after a small Norwegian town where that country's constitution was signed. Sidings were built at Jirette,
Cynthia Cynthia is a feminine given name of Greek language, Greek origin: , , "from Mount Cynthus" on the island of Delos. The name has been in use in the Anglosphere since the 17th century. There are various spellings for this name, and it can be abbrev ...
,
Abercorn Abercorn ( Gaelic: ''Obar Chùirnidh'', Old English: ''Æbbercurnig'') is a village and civil parish in West Lothian, Scotland. Close to the south coast of the Firth of Forth, the village is around west of South Queensferry. The parish had a ...
, Anyarro, Kapaldo and
Selene In ancient Greek mythology and Ancient Greek religion, religion, Selene (; , meaning "Moon")''A Greek–English Lexicon's.v. σελήνη is the goddess and personification of the Moon. Also known as Mene (), she is traditionally the daughter ...
when stage ten to Mulgildie (spelt "Mulgeldie" until 1945 ) was completed. The eleventh and final stage saw the line terminate via Three Moon at Monto. The journey from
Brisbane Brisbane ( ; ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and largest city of the States and territories of Australia, state of Queensland and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia, with a ...
to Monto by mixed train took some fourteen hours, and three times a week a sleeping car connected with the mail train at Mungar, taking twenty-one hours.


Other lines

In addition to the Mungar Junction to Monto line, the Queensland government decided to construct two other lines to Monto. The first is the branch line from Byellee (near
Gladstone William Ewart Gladstone ( ; 29 December 1809 – 19 May 1898) was a British politican, starting as Conservative MP for Newark and later becoming the leader of the Liberal Party (UK), Liberal Party. In a career lasting over 60 years, he ...
) that travels south-west to Monto, opened between 1910 and 1931. Completion of that line thus provided a semi-circular inland link between Maryborough and Gladstone. Because light track was laid between Mungar Junction and Mundubbera, the route was never an alternative when floods or derailments blocked the North Coast line. The other planned line to Monto from Rockhampton was commenced but never completed. A line from
Rannes Rannes is a rural town in the west of the locality of Goovigen in the Shire of Banana, Queensland, Australia. Geography Rannes is in Central Queensland between Wowan and Banana on the Leichhardt Highway and the Don River. History Rannes was ...
and
Thangool Thangool is a rural town and Suburbs and localities (Australia), locality in the Shire of Banana, Queensland, Australia. In the , the locality of Thangool had a population of 685 people. Geography Thangool is north west of the state capital, ...
(the Callide Valley Branch Railway) terminated at Lawgi when construction ceased as a result of the
Great Depression The Great Depression was a severe global economic downturn from 1929 to 1939. The period was characterized by high rates of unemployment and poverty, drastic reductions in industrial production and international trade, and widespread bank and ...
.


Later years

In later years, the line no longer had a passenger service, with goods traffic being mainly timber and agricultural produce. The discovery of coal near Monto raised hopes of increased rail traffic. The Gladstone - Monto line went out of service in 2002, but was maintained to preserve it for mineral transportation in the future. The railway line from Maryborough to Monto was maintained and once a week a goods train went to Monto and back carrying timber and sometimes molasses but gradually loads were being refused and eventually the trains ceased and the railway line became completely unused after the last train, a celebratory journey on an old steam train, came through from Monto to Maryborough in 2005.


Closure

The last train on the railway line was in 2008 and in 2012 the line was officially closed. Following the massive flooding events of 2010 and 2013 in the North Burnett Region, the railway bridges and lines were damaged and in 2017 the Queensland Government decided to removie the entire railway and infrastructure. All the railway lines and fittings were torn up and sold off.


Rail trail

The Dawes Range Tunnel section of the
Boyne Burnett Inland Rail Trail The Boyne Burnett Inland Rail Trail is a recreational route for walkers, cyclists and horse riders from Taragoola (near Calliope, Queensland, Calliope) to Gayndah. It uses the closed Byellee to Monto railway line, Gladstone to Monto and Mungar J ...
was opened on 11 September 2021. The section starts at Barrimoon Siding,
Kalpowar Kalpowar is a town in the North Burnett Region and a locality split between the North Burnett Region and the Bundaberg Region, in Queensland, Australia. In the , the locality of Kalpowar had a population of 53 people. Geography The Gladstone ...
and finishes at Builyan,
Boyne Valley The River Boyne ( or ''Abhainn na Bóinne'') is a river in Leinster, Ireland, the course of which is about long. It rises at Trinity Well, Newberry Hall, near Carbury, County Kildare, and flows north-east through County Meath to reach the ...
. This section contains 6 tunnels between Barrimoon Siding and Golembil Siding. It also passes the historic township of Many Peaks with its Local Heritage listed attractions - the Many Peaks Railway Complex, Many Peaks Railway Dam and Many Peaks Road Bridge. The Burnett River Bridges section of the
Boyne Burnett Inland Rail Trail The Boyne Burnett Inland Rail Trail is a recreational route for walkers, cyclists and horse riders from Taragoola (near Calliope, Queensland, Calliope) to Gayndah. It uses the closed Byellee to Monto railway line, Gladstone to Monto and Mungar J ...
was opened on 10 September 2022 at Mt Debateable Railway Siding, Mt Debateable Road,
Gayndah Gayndah () is a town and Suburbs and localities (Australia), locality in the North Burnett Region, Queensland, Australia. It is the administrative centre for the North Burnett Region. In the , the locality of Gayndah had a population of 1,949 p ...
. Sixteen kilometers of it lies beside the
Burnett River The Burnett River is a river 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 and east ...
. Travelling west from the Trail head Red Gulley Bridge, Slab Creek Bridge, Spring Creek Bridge, Boomerang Bridge, Humphery Bridges Numbers 1, 2 ("Faith" Bridge or "bridge of faith"), and 3 and Roth's Bridge are passed on the way to the other end at Mundubbera Railway Precinct. The Official Register of Engineering Heritage Markers listed '' Degilbo-Mundubbera Railway Bridges'' in October 2016. A total of 12 bridges on this section of Rail Trail are recognized with one Engineering Heritage Marker representing the "best example of a collection of historic railway bridges in Australia".


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. In 2013, it claimed to be the second largest narrow gauge network in the world. The network consists of the following lines: *the N ...


References


Further reading

* "Sweat Steam & Soot" by Neville Rackemann 1988 Bundaberg Railway Enthusiasts Society * "Triumph of Narrow Gauge: A History of Queensland Railways" by John Kerr 1990 Boolarong Press, Brisbane


External links


Queensland Rail, Mungar, photo
{{Railway lines in Queensland , state=expanded 1889 establishments in Australia Railway lines opened in 1889 Wide Bay–Burnett Closed railway lines in Queensland