Dugandan railway line

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Dugandan railway line
Dugandan railway line
	Dugandan Railway Station, near Boonah, circa 1930
Overview
Other name(s)	Fassifern railway line; Churchill branch railway
Locale	Queensland, Australia
History
Opened	1882
Closed	1964
Technical
Line length	35 mi 28 chains (56.9 km)
route diagram
	Legend
	Main Line/Rosewood Line
	← to Rosewood│to Ipswich →

	Map all coordinates using: OpenStreetMap
	Download coordinates as: KML ; GPX (all coordinates) ; GPX (primary coordinates) ; GPX (secondary coordinates) ;

Last updated November 30, 2023

The Dugandan railway line was a branch railway in the Scenic Rim region of South East Queensland, Australia. It was also known as the Fassifern railway line. It operated from 1882 to 1964.^[1]

Geography

The line began west of Ipswich station on the Main Line 39 km west of Brisbane and proceeded generally southward for approximately 50 km to the locality of Dugandan now part of the urban settlement of Boonah.

History

Residents in the Fassifern Valley petitioned the Queensland Government to build a railway line to their district, and the first section was opened on 10 July 1882 as far as Harrisville. This is considered to be Queensland's first branch railway. The branch was extended to Dugandan on 12 September 1887.^[1]^[2]

The Mount Edwards branch line branched off the Dugandan line at Munbilla. The Mount Edwards line opened to Kalbar on 17 April 1916 and to Mount Edwards on 7 October 1922. The Mount Edwards line closed in 1960.^[3]^[4]

During its life, the Dugandan branch carried mixed traffic, including goods trains, mixed trains and rail motors.^[2]

The Dugandan branch was closed beyond the Churchill railway station on 30 June 1964 due to increasing competition from road transport.^[2]^[5] The small remaining section was known as the Churchill branch railway.^[6]

Route

Stations and other points of interest on the route
Distance	Name	Coordinates	Altitude	Notes
24 miles 07 chains (38.8 km) from Brisbane, 0 miles 0 chains (0 km) from Ipswich	Ipswich railway station	27°36′47″S152°45′38″E / 27.6131°S 152.7606°E / -27.6131; 152.7606 (Ipswich railway station)	62 feet (19 m)	^[7]^[8]
	Fassifern Junction where the Dugandan line splits from the Main Line railway	27°36′56″S152°44′58″E / 27.61551°S 152.74947°E / -27.61551; 152.74947 (Fassifern Junction)		^[7]
1 km from Ipswich	Shillito & Sons siding
1 km from Ipswich	Spanns siding
25 miles 31 chains (40.9 km) from Brisbane	Little Ipswich railway station	27°37′18″S152°45′01″E / 27.6216°S 152.7504°E / -27.6216; 152.7504 (Little Ipswich railway station)	97 feet (30 m)	^[7]^[9]^[10]
2 km from Ipswich	Noble Vale No 6. Colliery siding
3 km from Ipswich	Cattle siding
26 miles 21 chains (42.3 km) from Brisbane	Churchill railway station	27°38′08″S152°44′55″E / 27.6356°S 152.7486°E / -27.6356; 152.7486 (Churchill railway station)	77 feet (23 m)	^[7]^[11]
29 miles 28 chains (47.2 km) from Brisbane	Loamside railway station	27°40′16″S152°44′11″E / 27.6711°S 152.7364°E / -27.6711; 152.7364 (Loamside railway station)	155 feet (47 m)	^[7]
13 miles 78 chains (22.5 km) from Brisbane	Hampstead railway station	27°41′37″S152°44′18″E / 27.69364°S 152.73846°E / -27.69364; 152.73846 (Hampstead railway station)	118 feet (36 m)	^[7]
32 miles 14 chains (51.8 km) from Brisbane	Purga railway station	27°42′36″S152°44′19″E / 27.71008°S 152.73864°E / -27.71008; 152.73864 (Purga railway station)	162 feet (49 m)	^[7]
34 miles 0 chains (54.7 km) from Brisbane	Goolman railway station	27°44′11″S152°44′30″E / 27.7365°S 152.7416°E / -27.7365; 152.7416 (Goolman railway station)	137 feet (42 m)	^[7]
34 miles 74 chains (56.2 km) from Brisbane, 10 miles 57 chains (17.2 km) from Ipswich	Hillside railway station	27°44′59″S152°44′12″E / 27.7497°S 152.7367°E / -27.7497; 152.7367 (Hillside railway station)	154 feet (47 m)	^[12]^[13]^[7]
11 miles 687 chains (31.5 km) from Ipswich	Rockton railway station	27°45′50″S152°44′17″E / 27.7639°S 152.7380°E / -27.7639; 152.7380 (Rockton railway station)	155 feet (47 m)	^[12]^[13]
12 miles 73 chains (20.8 km) from Ipswich	Peak Crossing railway station	27°46′37″S152°44′01″E / 27.7770°S 152.7336°E / -27.7770; 152.7336 (Peak Crossing railway station)	165 feet (50 m)	^[12]^[13]
13 miles 72 chains (22.4 km) from Ipswich	Flinders railway station	27°47′19″S152°43′18″E / 27.7886°S 152.7217°E / -27.7886; 152.7217 (Flinders railway station)	247 feet (75 m)	^[12]^[13]
15 miles 77 chains (25.7 km) from Ipswich	Churchbank railway station	27°47′21″S152°41′30″E / 27.7891°S 152.6916°E / -27.7891; 152.6916 (Churchbank railway station)	155 feet (47 m)	^[12]^[13]
18 miles 50 chains (30.0 km) from Ipswich	Harrisville railway station	27°48′40″S152°40′00″E / 27.8110°S 152.6666°E / -27.8110; 152.6666 (Harrisville railway station)	179 feet (55 m)	^[12]^[13]
20 miles 54 chains (33.3 km) from Ipswich	Wilsons Plains railway station	27°50′10″S152°39′20″E / 27.8362°S 152.6556°E / -27.8362; 152.6556 (Wilsons Plains railway station)	188 feet (57 m)	^[12]^[13]
22 miles 09 chains (35.6 km) from Ipswich	Radford railway station	27°51′15″S152°38′37″E / 27.8541°S 152.6437°E / -27.8541; 152.6437 (Radford railway station)	194 feet (59 m)	^[12]^[13]
23 miles 64 chains (38.3 km) from Ipswich	Munbilla railway station	27°52′16″S152°39′22″E / 27.8711°S 152.6561°E / -27.8711; 152.6561 (Munbilla railway station)	278 feet (85 m)	^[12]^[13]
	Junction with Mount Edwards railway line	27°52′17″S152°39′23″E / 27.8714°S 152.6563°E / -27.8714; 152.6563 (Junction with Mount Edwards line)		^[12]
25 miles 12 chains (40.5 km) from Ipswich	Anthony railway station	27°53′01″S152°40′23″E / 27.8836°S 152.6731°E / -27.8836; 152.6731 (Anthony railway station)	398 feet (121 m)	^[12]^[13]
27 miles 14 chains (43.7 km) from Ipswich	Blantyre railway station	27°54′20″S152°41′00″E / 27.9056°S 152.6832°E / -27.9056; 152.6832 (Blantyre railway station)	543 feet (166 m)	^[12]^[13]
28 miles 05 chains (45.2 km) from Ipswich	Roadvale railway station	27°54′59″S152°41′02″E / 27.9164°S 152.6839°E / -27.9164; 152.6839 (Roadvale railway station)	554 feet (169 m)	^[12]^[13]
29 miles 07 chains (46.8 km) from Ipswich	Kulgun railway station	27°55′53″S152°40′59″E / 27.9314°S 152.6831°E / -27.9314; 152.6831 (Kulgun railway station)	570 feet (170 m)	^[12]^[13]
30 miles 41 chains (49.1 km) from Ipswich	Teviotville railway station	27°56′50″S152°41′12″E / 27.9472°S 152.6867°E / -27.9472; 152.6867 (Teviotville railway station)	600 feet (180 m)	^[12]^[13]
32 miles 45 chains (52.4 km) from Ipswich	Hoya railway station	27°58′14″S152°41′21″E / 27.9706°S 152.6891°E / -27.9706; 152.6891 (Hoya railway station)	427 feet (130 m)	^[12]^[13]
34 miles 65 chains (56.0 km) from Ipswich	Boonah railway station	27°59′49″S152°40′54″E / 27.9969°S 152.6816°E / -27.9969; 152.6816 (Boonah railway station)	332 feet (101 m)	^[12]^[13]
35 miles 28 chains (56.9 km) from Ipswich	Dugandan railway station	28°00′14″S152°40′40″E / 28.0039°S 152.6777°E / -28.0039; 152.6777 (Dugandan railway station)	299 feet (91 m)	^[14]^[15]^[13]

Legacy

There is a memorial to the railway line in Yeates Street, Boonah at the back of the Commercial Hotel ( 27°59′50″S152°40′54″E / 27.99714°S 152.68176°E / -27.99714; 152.68176 (Fassifern Branch Railway Memorial) ). The memorial is on the site of the former Boonah railway station.^[16]

Some evidence of the line's existence remains today. An embankment which carried the railway over a floodplain immediately north of Boonah is still readily visible from the Boonah-Fassifern Road. The station building at Harrisville is still intact, as is a small cutting immediately south of Harrisville station. Part of the alignment between Boonah and Dugandan along a cut-and-fill embankment is now a paved footpath through an urban park.

As of 2009, the Scenic Rim Region is developing a rail trail in partnership with the Queensland state government. The trail for the use of bushwalkers, cyclists and horse riders will follow some of the former alignment between Ipswich and Boonah.^[17]

Gallery

Harrisville railway station
Shallow railway cutting in Harrisville
Former track formation between Boonah and Dugandan with a cutting on the right, now a footpath through a park

Related Research Articles

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

Boonah is a rural town and locality in the Scenic Rim Region, Queensland, Australia. In the 2016 census, the locality of Boonah had a population of 2,484 people.

Roadvale is a rural locality in the Scenic Rim Region, Queensland, Australia. In the 2021 census, Roadvale had a population of 303 people.

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.

Churchill is a suburb of Ipswich in the City of Ipswich, Queensland, Australia. In the 2016 census, Churchill had a population of 1,860 people.

The Mount Edwards railway line was a branch railway in the Scenic Rim region of South East Queensland, Australia. The lines serves a number of small towns in the Fassifern Valley. The first stage of the Mount Edwards line opened from Munbilla to Engelsburg on 17 April 1916, but the next stage to Mount Edwards was not completed until 7 October 1922. The line closed on 1 November 1960.

Kalbar is a rural town and locality in the Scenic Rim Region, Queensland, Australia. In the 2016 census, the locality of Kalbar had a population of 1,093 people.

Dugandan is a rural town and locality in the Scenic Rim Region, Queensland, Australia. In the 2016 census, Dugandan had a population of 593 people.

Purga is a rural locality in the City of Ipswich, Queensland, Australia. In the 2016 census, Purga had a population of 576 people.

Harrisville, locally known as the town of churches, is a rural town and locality in the Scenic Rim Region, Queensland, Australia. In the 2016 census, the locality of Harrisville had a population of 613 people.

Peak Crossing is a rural locality split between the City of Ipswich and the Scenic Rim Region of Queensland, Australia. In the 2016 census, Peak Crossing had a population of 965 people.

Munbilla is a rural town and locality in the Scenic Rim Region, Queensland, Australia. In the 2016 census, the locality of Munbilla had a population of 100 people.

Goolman is a rural locality in the City of Ipswich, Queensland, Australia. In the 2016 census, Goolman had a population of 42 people.

Hoya is a rural locality in the Scenic Rim Region, Queensland, Australia. In the 2016 census, Hoya had a population of 220 people.

Blantyre is a rural locality in the Scenic Rim Region, Queensland, Australia. In the 2016 census, Blantyre had a population of 59 people.

Fassifern Valley is a rural locality in the Scenic Rim Region, Queensland, Australia. In the 2016 census, Fassifern Valley had a population of 91 people.

Anthony is a rural locality in the Scenic Rim Region, Queensland, Australia. In the 2016 census, Anthony had a population of 111 people.

Kulgun is a locality in the Scenic Rim Region, Queensland, Australia. In the 2016 census, Kulgun had a population of 67 people.

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

Radford is a rural locality in the Scenic Rim Region, Queensland, Australia. In the 2016 census, Radford had a population of 41 people.

Ipswich–Boonah–Rathdowney Road is a continuous 87.8 kilometres (54.6 mi) road route in the Ipswich and Scenic Rim regions of Queensland, Australia. It has two official names, Ipswich–Boonah Road and Boonah–Rathdowney Road. The entire route is signed as State Route 93, and much of it is also part of Tourist Drive 16.

References

1 2 Kerr, John (1990). Triumph of narrow gauge : a history of Queensland Railways. Boolarong Publications. pp. 57–58, 224. ISBN 978-0-86439-102-5.
1 2 3 Johnson, M.; Saunders, K. (2007). "Working The Land: An historical overview of Boonah and its northern district" (PDF). State of Queensland. Archived (PDF) from the original on 29 September 2009. Retrieved 24 October 2009.
↑ QR Limited. "Rail as foremost mode of travel". Archived from the original on 12 September 2009. Retrieved 25 October 2009.
↑ Southern Downs Steam Railway (2009). "'Via recta' – The line that never was". Archived from the original on 12 September 2009. Retrieved 25 October 2009.
↑ Fassifern Branch Railway Memorial, Boonah, 31 May 2020, archived from the original on 22 December 2020, retrieved 8 June 2020
↑ "1880s". Queensland Rail . Retrieved 9 June 2020.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 "Map 40: Two-mile series" (Map). Queensland Government. 1952. Archived from the original on 8 June 2020. Retrieved 9 June 2020.
↑ "Ipswich – railway station in City of Ipswich (entry 39186)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government . Retrieved 9 June 2020.
↑ "Little Ipswich – railway station in City of Ipswich (entry 19597)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government . Retrieved 9 June 2020.
↑ Gregory's Street Directory of Brisbane and Suburbs and Metropolitan Road Guide (11 ed.). 1975. pp. Map 111 H10.
↑ "Churchill – railway station in City of Ipswich (entry 7229)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government . Retrieved 9 June 2020.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 "Flinders" (Map). Queensland Government. 1927. Archived from the original on 29 May 2020. Retrieved 29 May 2020.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 "Map 38: Two-mile series" (Map). Queensland Government. 1946. Archived from the original on 8 June 2020. Retrieved 9 June 2020.
↑ "Dugandan" (Map). Queensland Government. 1935. Archived from the original on 30 May 2020. Retrieved 30 May 2020.
↑ "Towns of Boonah and Dugandan" (Map). Queensland Government. 1981. Archived from the original on 30 May 2020. Retrieved 30 May 2020.
↑ Fassifern Branch Railway Memorial, 18 April 1982, archived from the original on 22 December 2020, retrieved 30 May 2020
↑ Scenic Rim Region. "SEQ Regional Recreational Trails Program". Archived from the original on 12 July 2017. Retrieved 25 October 2009.

External links

1925 map of the Queensland railway system

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
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[kerr1990-1] 1 2 Kerr, John (1990). Triumph of narrow gauge : a history of Queensland Railways. Boolarong Publications. pp. 57–58, 224. ISBN 978-0-86439-102-5.

[workingtheland-2] 1 2 3 Johnson, M.; Saunders, K. (2007). "Working The Land: An historical overview of Boonah and its northern district" (PDF). State of Queensland. Archived (PDF) from the original on 29 September 2009. Retrieved 24 October 2009.

[3] QR Limited. "Rail as foremost mode of travel". Archived from the original on 12 September 2009. Retrieved 25 October 2009.

[SDSR-4] Southern Downs Steam Railway (2009). "'Via recta' – The line that never was". Archived from the original on 12 September 2009. Retrieved 25 October 2009.

[5] Fassifern Branch Railway Memorial, Boonah, 31 May 2020, archived from the original on 22 December 2020, retrieved 8 June 2020

[6] "1880s". Queensland Rail . Retrieved 9 June 2020.

[2m40-7] 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 "Map 40: Two-mile series" (Map). Queensland Government. 1952. Archived from the original on 8 June 2020. Retrieved 9 June 2020.

[8] "Ipswich – railway station in City of Ipswich (entry 39186)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government . Retrieved 9 June 2020.

[9] "Little Ipswich – railway station in City of Ipswich (entry 19597)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government . Retrieved 9 June 2020.

[gregorys1975-10] Gregory's Street Directory of Brisbane and Suburbs and Metropolitan Road Guide (11 ed.). 1975. pp. Map 111 H10.

[11] "Churchill – railway station in City of Ipswich (entry 7229)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government . Retrieved 9 June 2020.

[:0-12] 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 "Flinders" (Map). Queensland Government. 1927. Archived from the original on 29 May 2020. Retrieved 29 May 2020.

[2m38-13] 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 "Map 38: Two-mile series" (Map). Queensland Government. 1946. Archived from the original on 8 June 2020. Retrieved 9 June 2020.

[14] "Dugandan" (Map). Queensland Government. 1935. Archived from the original on 30 May 2020. Retrieved 30 May 2020.

[15] "Towns of Boonah and Dugandan" (Map). Queensland Government. 1981. Archived from the original on 30 May 2020. Retrieved 30 May 2020.

[16] Fassifern Branch Railway Memorial, 18 April 1982, archived from the original on 22 December 2020, retrieved 30 May 2020

[17] Scenic Rim Region. "SEQ Regional Recreational Trails Program". Archived from the original on 12 July 2017. Retrieved 25 October 2009.

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