Cunninghams Gap

Last updated

Cunninghams Gap
Cappoong [1]
Cunninghams Gap from Kents Lagoon.jpg
View from Kents Lagoon, 2015
Elevation 787 metres
Traversed by Allan Cunningham
LocationTarome, South East Queensland, Queensland
Range Main Range
Cunningham Highway, Cunninghams Gap, 2009 Cunninghams Gap.JPG
Cunningham Highway, Cunninghams Gap, 2009

Cunninghams Gap is a pass over the Great Dividing Range between the Darling Downs and the Fassifern Valley in Queensland, Australia. The Gap is the major route over the Main Range along the Great Dividing Range, between Warwick and Brisbane. The Cunningham Highway was built to provide road transport between the two regions.

Contents

It is situated in Main Range National Park, between the peaks of Mount Cordeaux and Mount Mitchell. On a clear day the pass forms a distinct break in Main Range's profile as seen from Brisbane. It is located in Tregony in the Southern Downs Region immediately beside the boundary to Tarome in the Scenic Rim Region local government area.

The highway itself is a scenic drive although steep with an 8-degree grade on the descent.

History

The Indigenous name for the location is Cappoong, though the meaning is unknown. [1] The local Indigenous people have a legend about the creation of the gap. In the dreamtime, the Yuggera people rounded up all the kangaroos in the area and fenced them into the valley west of Minto Crags (Whinpullin) to prevent other tribes from catching them. However, an old woman set them free. As they stampeded across the Great Dividing Range they tore a gap between Mount Mitchell (Coonyin-nirra) and Mount Cordeaux (Niamboyoo). [2]

In 1827, Allan Cunningham set out from the upper Hunter River, to explore west of the Dividing Range, exploring the Darling Downs; returning in 1828 from Brisbane to explore Cunninghams Gap. [3] He was aware of the economic benefits that a link between the coast and pastoral lands to the west would provide. [4] Cunningham travelled on the right hand side of the Gap whereas the highway today runs on the lefthand side from Aratula.

On 3 July 1909, Cunninghams Gap was declared a national park. [5] This new park, which originally consisted of 3,100 acres, was located on the western side of the range and included Gap Creek. [6] Walking tracks were constructed in the 1930s and 1950s. [5]

On 11 June 1927, the 100-year anniversary of Allan Cunningham's exploration of the Darling Downs, the new road through Cunningham's Gap was officially opened by the local Member of Parliament, Sir Littleton Groom. [7] Although the road, which was built entirely by volunteers, was officially open, travelling along this new route was inadvisable, especially on the portion west of Aratula. [7] The road was plagued by problems during this early embryonic stage with the Royal Automobile Club of Queensland announcing that the road was closed, less than one month after it was officially opened. [8] The new sealed road through the gap was eventually opened in November 1949. [9]

Recent

Cunninghams Gap is part of the Cunningham Highway, a federally funded highway managed by the Queensland Department of Transport and Main Roads. [10] Between December 2010 and March 2011, the Gap experienced over two metres of rainfall and it sustained an enormous amount of damage. [10] The cost of repairing this seven kilometre stretch of road is projected to be $40 million. [10] [11] Work is being undertaken by the Department of Transport and Main Roads in partnership with engineering firm Coffey. [11]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Great Dividing Range</span> Mountain range in Australia

The Great Dividing Range, also known as the East Australian Cordillera or the Eastern Highlands, is a cordillera system in eastern Australia consisting of an expansive collection of mountain ranges, plateaus and rolling hills, that runs roughly parallel to the east coast of Australia and forms the fifth-longest land-based mountain chain in the world, and the longest entirely within a single country. It is mainland Australia's most substantial topographic feature and serves as the definitive watershed for the river systems in eastern Australia, hence the name.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Main Range National Park</span> Protected area in Queensland, Australia

The Main Range is a mountain range and national park in Queensland, Australia, located predominantly in Tregony, Southern Downs Region, 85 kilometres (53 mi) southwest of Brisbane. It is part of the World Heritage Site Gondwana Rainforests of Australia. It protects the western part of a semicircle of mountains in South East Queensland known as the Scenic Rim. This includes the largest area of rainforest in South East Queensland. The park is part of the Scenic Rim Important Bird Area, identified as such by BirdLife International because of its importance in the conservation of several species of threatened birds.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mount Lindesay Highway</span>

Mount Lindesay Highway is an Australian national highway located in Queensland. The highway runs southwest from Brisbane, where it leaves Ipswich Road in the suburb of Moorooka, to the Queensland – New South Wales border and is 116 kilometres (72 mi) in length. For most of its length it is roughly aligned with the Sydney–Brisbane rail corridor. At its southern end these transport routes take different passes over the Scenic Rim into the Northern Rivers region. It is designated National Route 13.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">McPherson Range</span> Mountain range in New South Wales, Australia

The McPherson Range is an extensive mountain range, a spur of the Great Dividing Range, heading in an easterly direction from near Wallangarra to the Pacific Ocean coastline. It forms part of the Scenic Rim on the border between the states of New South Wales and Queensland. Further west of the McPherson Range is the Main Range. Towards the coast the range continues into the Border Ranges and other mountainous terrain formed by the Tweed Volcano.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Darling Downs</span> Region in Queensland, Australia

The Darling Downs is a farming region on the western slopes of the Great Dividing Range in southern Queensland, Australia. The Downs are to the west of South East Queensland and are one of the major regions of Queensland. The name was generally applied to an area approximating to that of the Condamine River catchment upstream of Condamine township but is now applied to a wider region comprising the Southern Downs, Western Downs, Toowoomba and Goondiwindi local authority areas. The name Darling Downs was given in 1827 by Allan Cunningham, the first European explorer to reach the area and recognises the then Governor of New South Wales, Ralph Darling.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Spicers Peak</span>

Spicers Peak is a mountain in Australia. It lies roughly 120 km west of Brisbane in the middle of the Main Range National Park. It is just south of Cunninghams Gap and Mount Mitchell. Its summit height is approximately 1,205 metres (3953 ft).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mount Cordeaux</span> Mountain in Queensland, Australia

Mount Cordeaux is a mountain near Brisbane, Australia and rises 1,135 m. It lies to the immediate north of Cunninghams Gap in the Main Range National Park. It is known to the Aboriginal People as Niamboyoo, however, the meaning is unknown. It appears that early usage on names for the mountain varied, as a 29 September 1897 report in the Warwick Examiner and Times, refers to "the well-known Cunningham's Gap, with its twin sentinel peaks, Coonyinirra and Niamboyoo".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mount Mitchell (Queensland)</span>

Mount Mitchell, is a twin-peaked volcanic mountain with an elevation above sea level of 1,168 metres (3,832 ft), located in the Main Range, is about 100 kilometres (62 mi) west of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia and immediately south of Cunninghams Gap.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Spicers Gap</span>

Spicers Gap is a mountain pass that is located 100 kilometres (62 mi) west of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, and was the original route over the Great Dividing Range in the area around Brisbane. Today it is included in Main Range National Park and is a popular destination for campers and bushwalkers. To the south of the gap is Spicers Peak. To the west of the mountain pass is Spicers Gap State Forest. Both the state forest and national park are part of the Gondwana Rainforests of Australia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Spicers Gap Road Conservation Park</span> Protected area in Queensland, Australia

The Spicers Gap Road Conservation Park is a protected conservation park located within the Main Range National Park in south east Queensland, Australia. The park is part of the Main Range group World Heritage Site Gondwana Rainforests of Australia inscribed in 1986 and added to the Australian National Heritage List in 2007.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cunningham Highway</span>

The Cunningham Highway is a 327-kilometre (203 mi) national highway located in south-eastern Queensland, Australia. The highway links the Darling Downs region with the urbanised outskirts of Ipswich via Cunninghams Gap.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gore Highway</span>

The Gore Highway is a highway running between Toowoomba and Goondiwindi in Queensland, Australia. Together with Goulburn Valley Highway and Newell Highway, it is a part of the National Highway's Melbourne-Brisbane link. It is signed as National Highway A39.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">South East Queensland</span> Region in southern Queensland, Australia

South East Queensland (SEQ) is a bio-geographical, metropolitan, political and administrative region of the state of Queensland in Australia, with a population of approximately 3.8 million people out of the state's population of 5.1 million. The area covered by South East Queensland varies, depending on the definition of the region, though it tends to include Queensland's three largest cities: the capital city Brisbane; the Gold Coast; and the Sunshine Coast. Its most common use is for political purposes, and covers 35,248 square kilometres (13,609 sq mi) and incorporates 11 local government areas, extending 240 kilometres (150 mi) from Noosa in the north to the Gold Coast and New South Wales border in the south, and 140 kilometres (87 mi) west to Toowoomba.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aratula</span> Town in Queensland, Australia

Aratula is a rural town and locality in the Scenic Rim Region, Queensland, Australia. In the 2016 census, the locality of Aratula had a population of 532 people.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fassifern Valley</span>

Fassifern Valley is a valley of the Scenic Rim in South East Queensland. Towns found in the valley include Harrisville, Kalbar, Roadvale, Warril View and Aratula. Fassifern Valley is known as a carrot-producing area, as well as for growing potatoes, onions, pumpkins and melons. It is one of four vegetable-producing regions in southern Queensland, the others being the Lockyer Valley, the eastern Darling Downs and the Granite Belt.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maryvale, Queensland (Southern Downs Region)</span> Town in Queensland, Australia

Maryvale is a rural town and locality in the Southern Downs Region, Queensland, Australia. In the 2016 census, the locality of Maryvale had a population of 303 people.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">William Allan (Queensland politician)</span> Australian politician

William Allan (1840—1901) was a pastoralist and politician in Queensland, Australia. He was a Member of the Queensland Legislative Assembly and a Member of the Queensland Legislative Council.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Spicers Gap Road</span> Historic road in Queensland, Australia

Spicers Gap Road is a heritage-listed road at Spicers Gap Road Conservation Park, Tregony, Southern Downs Region, Queensland, Australia. It was built from 1859 to 1865. It is also known as Spicers Gap Road Conservation Park and Spicers Peak Road. It was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 23 July 1999.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tregony, Queensland</span> Suburb of Southern Downs Region, Queensland, Australia

Tregony is a locality in the Southern Downs Region, Queensland, Australia. It is one of the major gateways to the Darling Downs from the Queensland coast.

Morwincha is a rural locality in the Scenic Rim Region, Queensland, Australia. In the 2016 census, Morwincha had a population of 30 people.

References

  1. 1 2 "Some Native Names", The Brisbane Courier, 3 June 1930, p.12
  2. Steele, John (1984). Aboriginal Pathways in Southeast Queensland and the Richmon,d River. University of Queensland Press. p. 146. ISBN   0-7022-1943-6.
  3. Perry, T.M. (1966). "Allan Cunningham". National Centre of Biography, Australian National University. Retrieved 15 September 2011.
  4. Queensland Environmental Protection Agency (2000). Heritage Trails of the Great South East. State of Queensland. p. 35. ISBN   0-7345-1008-X.
  5. 1 2 "Main Range National Park: Nature, culture and history". Department of Environment and Resource Management. 1 April 2011. Archived from the original on 13 September 2011. Retrieved 15 September 2011.
  6. "National Park". The Brisbane Courier . Qld.: National Library of Australia. 2 July 1909. p. 6. Retrieved 16 September 2011.
  7. 1 2 "Cunningham's Gap". The Brisbane Courier . Qld.: National Library of Australia. 13 June 1927. p. 13. Retrieved 12 August 2011.
  8. "Week-end Trips – State of Roads – Royal Automobile Club's Reports". The Brisbane Courier . Qld.: National Library of Australia. 2 July 1927. p. 18. Retrieved 14 August 2011.
  9. "Minister opens new highway". The Courier-Mail . Qld.: National Library of Australia. 7 November 1949. p. 3. Retrieved 13 September 2011.
  10. 1 2 3 "Cunningham's Gap reconstruction, Cunningham Highway". Department of Transport and Main Roads. 29 July 2011. Archived from the original on 3 November 2011. Retrieved 16 September 2011.
  11. 1 2 Dietrich, Georg (Managing Editor) (2011). "Flood-stricken highway on the road to recovery". Engineers Australia: Civil Edition. 84 (10): 39–40.{{cite journal}}: |first1= has generic name (help)

Commons-logo.svg Media related to Cunninghams Gap at Wikimedia Commons

Coordinates: 28°03′00″S152°23′06″E / 28.050°S 152.385°E / -28.050; 152.385