Hervey Bay railway line, sometimes known as Urangan railway line, is a closed railway line in Queensland, Australia. It was opened in 1896 to Pialba and it was extended to Urangan in 1913. It was extended to the end of the Urangan Pier in 1917, along with the opening of the pier.[1] It was closed in 1993.
Coal was discovered on the Burrum River in 1863. The Maryborough railway line had commenced operations as an isolated system with the opening of a line from the Port of Maryborough to the goldfields at Gympie. Initially, the coal at Burrum River generated little interest, but by the 1880s, developers were pushing for a railway to the river, and the first section of the line, which would eventually be extended to Bundaberg, opened from Baddow to Howard on 30 June 1883. This gave the coal mines near Howard access to the Maryborough wharves, but the small, shallow vessels which could traverse the Mary River were not conductive to development, and shipping of the coal from Burrum River, across Hervey Bay to the Mary River where it was transshipped to larger vessels was met with similarly limited success.
Trial survey
In 1882–1883, a trial survey was carried out by the government with regards to a possible railway to Hervey Bay. The trial had been made from a point 11km (6.8mi) north of Croydon to Pialba, a distance of 27km (17mi). By commencing the line so far north, it would avoid major bridging of the Susan River, and the land the line would traverse would be relatively flat. The proposal by Vernon Corporation led to the government's proposal being shelved for the time being.
Early proposals
In 1883, capitalists from the state of Victoria visited the Wide Bay area to purchase land for coal mining at Burrum, and planned to construct a railway or tramway to Hervey Bay, where they would construct coal wharves. On the bay, it would be possible to provide a deep water berth for larger ships, which was necessary for coal to be exported intrastate, interstate and overseas. Burrum coal was cited as an alternative to Newcastle coal for industry in Victoria where coal was unavailable and required importing. The capitalists formed into the Vernon Coal & Railway Company, which was incorporated in Melbourne on 25 September 1884.
As an incentive to Queensland investors to make available their local knowledge, experience and interest, the company planned to allot £50,000 to Queenslanders. Local support was not as great as expected and the whole of the capital required was subscribed by Melbourne businessmen.
First proposal and bill
An extant level crossing at Takura station in 2010Pialba railway station in July 2010One of the few distinct railway items left in the Hervey Bay CBDTakura is the first railway station on the lineThis railway stop has been left in front of the Urangan Pier.
In September 1884, the Vernon Corporation presented the Maryborough and Urangan Railway Bill to the Queensland Parliament. Included in the bill was the proposal to build a railway or tramway from Maryborough to Urangan, which the company guaranteed to build within 8 months if the bill were to be passed. It was noted that the line would benefit the district and the coal trade, as well as providing easy access to the beach resort of Pialba. Other proposals included the privilege selection of 1,000 acres of Burrum coal land at market value and the purchasing of 200 acres of frontage land on Hervey Bay for the construction of wharves.
The proposed railway was planned to commence at Kent Street in Maryborough, and would run along the main line to Baddow, causing as little inconvenience to the railway traffic to Gympie as possible. It would then utilise the first 7 and a half miles (12km) of the Burrum railway to a point approximately the same location as Colton, then run north-east to Pialba and south to Urangan on a new formation. The coal traffic would be catered for by a loop line which would diverge from the Burrum railway line (now part of the main North Coast railway line) 12 miles (19km) north of Baddow and join the new line somewhere near Pialba.
Stations were to be located at Kent Street (in Maryborough), Pialba (where watering facilities would be provided) and Urangan (where the main office and workshops were to be located). The rails were to be 60lb (27kg) per yard, and although this weight would eventually become state standard, it was heavier than the rail that was eventually used when the railway was built. The government had the option to buy the railway and wharf facilities at a cost, plus 5% of the value of rolling stock and other equipment, after ten years.
Extensive alterations were made to the bill after a select committee was set up to investigate it, and although there were no alterations to the course of the line, the committee added that the line was to be built within three years and the period after which the government had the option of purchasing it was reduced to five years, which was not well received by the Victorian promoters. Due to this, they promptly withdrew their support for the scheme.
Initial Issues
The Maryborough and Urangan Railway Bill received government approval on 5 December 1884, but by 1885 no work on construction of the railway or its associated works had been undertaken. In March 1885, some of the Vernon Co. directors visited the Burrum coalfield and were surprised to find that little development of the coal deposits had taken place, but promises were made that the railway would soon be commenced. Though the company had proven to the government that it had sufficient funds to complete the railway, doubts were now being expressed as to the company's intentions, and the government withheld deeds of 1,000 acres of land that the company had selected on the coalfield for mining purposes until the completion of the railway.
The first share issue of the company in February 1886, did not meet with the expected response and difficulties were being experienced in obtaining land leases for right of way.
Second bill and collapse of Vernon Co.
Vernon Corporation was on the verge of collapse in 1887, but interest shown by London capitalists, the Australian-based Transcontinental railway syndicate, in buying the company, gave renewed hope. This led to the presentation in September, 1887, of a further bill to parliament – the Maryborough and Urangan Railway Amendment Bill – the main issue affecting the railway construction being an extension in the time for it to be undertaken. The select committee appointed recommended that the bill be passed. Soon after, the London-based syndicate had discontinued its interest in Vernon Corporation, and as it stood was unable to raise an additional £3000 deposit and eventually went into liquidation in 1888. The project collapsed and the bill was withdrawn.
After the Vernon Co. liquidation
In 1889, a new company, the Isis Investment Corporation (which at that stage was working the Torbanlea Colliery), made approaches to the government regarding the construction of a private railway from Torbanlea to the mouth of the Burrum River on terms which were similar to those granted to Vernon Co. some years earlier. This proposal also failed to eventuate, and although interest in a railway did not wane, there seemed little likelihood of the government or a private enterprise building such a line.
In 1895, the Queensland government passed the "Railway Construction Guarantee Act", the main provision of this act being that the government and local authorities would guarantee to meed half the loss incurred of share the profits. Though there was some local opposition in such use of taxpayers' money, the Burrum Divisional Board, who were keen to see the railway built, agreed to act as the other guarantor.
New plans and construction
During 1895–1896, trial and working surveys were undertaken, and in March 1896, the plans for the new railway line were approved by the government, the first railway in Queensland to be constructed under the new guarantee act.
On 14 April 1896, the contract for the construction of the Colton-Pialba railway line, 16 miles 47 chains in length, was let to McArdle & Thompson, who had tendered for the contract with a price of £25,250. The line was to be completed by 1 March 1897.
The contractors commenced work, and with the relatively flat terrain, construction proceeded steadily. The tourist potential of the line had already been realised and there were possibilities of the coal mining industry developing, as well as an upturn in the agriculture and timber industries. Danish and German families played an important part in the development of the surrounding areas, and were principally involved in sugar-cane and timber-getting. The sugar cane flourished on the fertile land near the coast, and Boyle Martin opened a crushing mill at Pialba in 1883 to cater for cane growers. By 1887, there were three mills in the area, but after the railway opened the cane was sent further afield, and these mills closed.
Construction had advanced sufficiently enough for McArdle and Thompson to open the railway to Aalberg (sometimes spelt Aarlberg, now known as Nikenbah) in October, 1896. Using their own engines, transport of the first sugar cane to be railed from the district to the Maryborough Sugar Factory.
The railway was completed to Pialba and opened for traffic on 18 December 1896, however the official opening occurred two days later. During the first three years of operation, the line sustained a loss, but as this had decreased over the same period, it was optimistically felt that the revenue would improve as settlement expanded now that an efficient means of communication had been provided.
Urangan extension
Though the line to Pialba was now completed, a deep water port at Urangan was vitally needed. Local people pressed for the extension, but it was not until 1907 and 1910 that two trial surveys for the short distance were undertaken. Approval was finally given for the railway to be built in 1911. A working survey was undertaken in 1912, and construction commenced the following year. The line opened on 19 December 1913, with train services commencing the following day.
The government started construction of a pier at Urangan, but it was not completed until three years later, and the coal owners therefore failed to gain the export coal orders that they obviously hoped for. Due to this, the Burrum coal catered mainly for the local market – between Gympie and Bundaberg – such as railways, industry, gas works, sugar mills and coastal shipping. In the end, it was sugar, not coal, which formed the most important commodity to be handled over the pier, and it never became the coaling port which had been originally intended.
Post-construction
The sugar cane industry continued to flourish, however the coal came to a gradual end, and by 1967 mining had virtually ceased. In 1969, produce was no longer exported to Maryborough via the railway line as it became too costly to maintain. Pineapples became the main export to Maryborough. Caltex constructed an oil depot at Urangan in 1961, and soon after all exports from the Urangan pier stopped, and oil became the only import. The pier was closed to all railway traffic on 31 December 1974.[2][3]
In 1985, Caltex's new oil supertankers were unable to navigate Hervey Bay, which led to the closure of the Urangan Pier.[3] Koppers Ltd. established its large logging treatment plant at Takura Siding. Consignments in wagon loads were attached to trains on a daily bases. Burgowan Siding was established with the discovery of coal in that area. An average of six wagons of coal per day were dispatched by train.[4]
Closure
The last passenger train to run on the branch departed Pialba on 7 August 1972, but the railway line was kept open for freight. Pialba was the main freight terminal. The last train to depart from the Urangan freight terminal did so on 29 October 1991, as Caltex stopped operations at the storage facility. The railway line was officially closed on 30 June 1993. The last train to run on the line was No.7M 44 at 10 am on 30 June 1993.[4][5]
Present day
The railway line from Pialba to Urangan was converted into a rail trail. From Takura to Pialba the tracks have been ripped up and from Colton to Takura the tracks lie in a state of severe disrepair.[5] The line has been disconnected from the main North Coast railway line. Traces of the railway line still exist. The track ballast is still visible where the mobility corridor ends in Urangan. Beyond that, there are tracks embedded in Pier Street. A small railway bridge exists where the line to Urangan branched off in Pialba, opposite Pialba Place. There are plans to convert the rest of the line into a rail trail.[5] Pialba railway station still exists, though the platform has been removed and the building has been converted to the Vietnam Veterans Association. Pialba and Takura are the only stations to retain their nameboards.
Some railway activists are calling for a modern rail link to be installed to Hervey Bay due to the city's rapid growth.[4] People wishing to travel to Hervey Bay by rail must leave the train at Maryborough West and continue by QR's bus.
Location of railway buildings
Some of the railway station buildings on the line were preserved. The status of some of the station buildings is not known.
Urangan railway station – Building exists on private property near Nikenbah
Torquay railway station – Building exists as an extension to a private residence in Urangan
Scarness railway station – Building preserved at Australiana Tourist Park, approx. 1 kilometre (0.62mi) from the original site
Pialba railway station – Building was turned around and refurbished after closure. Now serves Vietnam Veterans Association. Exists in original location.[6]
Kawungan railway station – Only had a waiting shed, unknown status.
Urraween railway station – Only had a waiting shed, unknown status.
Nikenbah railway station – Unknown, presumably exists on private property with Urangan railway station's building
Walligan railway station – Only had a waiting shed, unknown status.
Stockyard Creek siding – Did not have a building, steam filling tank removed.
Takura railway station – Did not have a building, name board exists, had a waiting shed, unknown status
Rollingstock used on the line
The A12-class4-4-0s, B12-class2-6-0s and the B13-class4-6-0s provided the motive power on the line in the early days of its operation. The PB15-class 4-6-0s appeared in the 1920s, and as the older classes disappeared, they took over all steam-train haulings.
The red railmotors appeared on the branch in 1928–1929, starting with the 45 horsepower version and gravitating through the 50 horsepower diesel type to the 100-120 horsepower versions, which operated most of the railcar services throughout the 1940s. From 1961 onwards, these railcars were replaced with the 2000 class railmotors.
In 1966, Walkers Ltd. of Maryborough built a B-B diesel-hydraulic locomotive, the first of its kind, as an experiment, offering it to Queensland Railways on a trial basis. The trial took place on the Hervey Bay railway line. The locomotive was successful, and became the forerunner to the DH-class locomotive.
After the demise of the steam trains in 1966–1967, the DH class initially worked most of the locomotive-hauled trains, with the occasional appearances from 60-ton diesel-electric units which were allowed on the branch from 1966. They became the normal motive power on the branch until its closure.[2]
Hervey Bay is a city on the coast of the Fraser Coast Region of Queensland, Australia. The city is situated approximately 290 kilometres (180 mi) or 3½ hours' highway drive north of the state capital, Brisbane. It is located on the bay of the same name open to the Coral Sea between the Queensland mainland and nearby K'gari. The local economy relies on tourism which is based primarily around whale watching in Platypus Bay to the north, ferry access to K'gari, accessible recreational fishing and boating and the natural north facing, calm beaches with wide undeveloped foreshore zones. In October 2019, Hervey Bay was named the First Whale Heritage Site in the world by the World Cetacean Alliance, for its commitment to and practices of sustainable whale and dolphin watching. A 2010 study by Deakin University showed that people on the Fraser Coast area including Hervey Bay, were the happiest in Australia. At June 2018, there were an estimated 54,674 people in Hervey Bay, having grown by an annual average of 1.31% year-on-year over the preceding five years.
The North Coast railway line (NCL) is a 1,681-kilometre (1,045 mi) 1067 mm gauge railway line in Queensland, Australia. It commences at Roma Street station, Brisbane, and largely parallels the Queensland coast to Cairns in Far North Queensland. The line is electrified between Brisbane and Rockhampton. Along the way, the 1680 km railway passes through the numerous towns and cities of eastern Queensland including Nambour, Bundaberg, Gladstone, Rockhampton, Mackay and Townsville. The line though the centre of Rockhampton runs down the middle of Denison Street.
The rail network in Queensland, Australia, was the first in the world to adopt 1,067 mm narrow gauge for a main line, and now the second largest narrow gauge network in the world, consists of:
The City of Hervey Bay was a local government area located in the Wide Bay–Burnett region of Queensland, Australia, containing the urban centre of Hervey Bay as well as the northern half of Fraser Island. The City covered an area of 2,356.3 square kilometres (909.8 sq mi), and existed as a local government entity in various forms from 1879 until 2008, when it was amalgamated with the City of Maryborough, Shire of Woocoo and the 1st and 2nd divisions of the Shire of Tiaro to form the Fraser Coast Region.
Howard is a rural town and locality in the Fraser Coast Region, Queensland, Australia. It is a southern boundary of the Dundaburra peoples of the Northern Kabi Kabi Isis districts and surrounds. In the 2016 census, Howard had a population of 1,359 people. It is located 284 kilometres (176 mi) north of Brisbane and 37 kilometres (23 mi) west of Hervey Bay.
The Fraser Coast Region is a local government area in the Wide Bay–Burnett region of Queensland, Australia, about 250 kilometres (160 mi) north of Brisbane, the state capital. It is centred on the twin cities of Hervey Bay and Maryborough and also contains K'gari. It was created in 2008 from a merger of the Cities of Maryborough and Hervey Bay and the Shires of Woocoo and most of Tiaro. In June 2018 it had a population of 105,463.
Wallaville is a rural town and locality in the Bundaberg Region, Queensland, Australia. It is 372 kilometres (231 mi) north of the state capital, Brisbane and 43 kilometres (27 mi) south west of the regional centre of Bundaberg. In the 2016 census, Wallaville had a population of 410 people.
Torquay is a coastal suburb in Hervey Bay in the Fraser Coast Region, Queensland, Australia. In the 2016 census, Torquay had a population of 6,316 people.
Urangan Pier is a historic pier in Urangan, Hervey Bay, Queensland, Australia.
Colton railway station is a closed railway station on the North Coast railway line in Queensland. It was the junction for the Urangan railway line that extended from Colton to Takura, Stockyard Creek, Walligan, Nikenbah, Urraween, Kawungan, Pialba, Scarness, Torquay and finally Urangan and the Urangan Pier in Hervey Bay. Much of the Urangan line has now been removed, as has Colton station itself.
Pialba is a coastal town and suburb of Hervey Bay in the Fraser Coast Region, Queensland, Australia. It is the central business district of Hervey Bay. In the 2016 census, Pialba had a population of 3,678 people.
Urangan is a coastal suburb of Hervey Bay in the Fraser Coast Region, Queensland, Australia. In the 2016 census Urangan had a population of 9,764 people.
The Port of Maryborough, Queensland, was opened in 1847 and in 1859 it was declared a port of entry, meaning that overseas and intercolonial vessels could arrive and depart direct, although there appears to have been considerable uncertainty about the name of the port outside Queensland for some years. Customs officials elsewhere and such publications as the Mercantile Navy List frequently called the port "Wide Bay" well into the 1860s.
Torbanlea is a rural town and locality in the Fraser Coast Region, Queensland, Australia. In the 2016 census the locality of Torbanlea had a population of 791 people.
Maryborough railway station is a heritage-listed railway station at Lennox Street, Maryborough, Fraser Coast Region, Queensland, Australia. It is on the North Coast line serving the city of Maryborough. It was designed by Chief Engineer of the Queensland Railways Department and built from 1878 to 1890 by John Roddam & John Walker. It was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 21 October 1992.
Colonsay Farm is a heritage-listed farm at 125 Doolong Road, Kawungan, Fraser Coast Region, Queensland, Australia. It was built in 1909. It is also known as Doolong Farm. It was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 11 March 2011.
Bunya Creek is a rural locality in the Fraser Coast Region, Queensland, Australia. In the 2016 census Bunya Creek had a population of 79 people.
Pialba Memorial Cenotaph is a heritage-listed memorial at Freedom Park, Main Street, Pialba, Fraser Coast Region, Queensland, Australia. It was designed by Philip Oliver Ellard Hawkes and built from 1918 to 1921 by Frederick William Webb. It was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 6 May 2016. It is also known as the Pialba War Memorial and the Hervey Bay War Memorial.
Walligan is a rural locality in the Fraser Coast Region, Queensland, Australia. In the 2016 census Walligan had a population of 377 people.
Maryborough–Hervey Bay Road is a continuous 44.9 kilometres (27.9 mi) road route in the Fraser Coast region of Queensland, Australia. The entire route is signed as State Route 57. It is a state-controlled regional road.
1 2 3 Ellis, R.F.; Moore, S.K. (June 1979). "The Pialba-Urangan Branch and the Maryborough Picnic Trains". Australian Railway Historical Society Bulletin: 117–141.
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