Cherry Gully Tunnel

General

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Also known as

Gorge Tunnel; Cherry Gully Railway Tunnel

Classification

State Heritage

Register status

Entered

Date entered

28 July 2000

Type

Transport—rail: Rail tunnel

Theme

5.3 Moving goods, people and information: Using rail

Builder

Overend, J & A & Co

Construction period

1878–1880, Cherry Gully Tunnel (1878 - 1880)

Historical period

1870s–1890s Late 19th century

Location

Address

Warwick - Stanthorpe Line, Silverwood

LGA

Southern Downs Regional Council

Coordinates

-28.41256456, 152.02663977

Significance

Criterion AThe place is important in demonstrating the evolution or pattern of Queensland’s history.

Cherry Gully Tunnel (1880), an intact major engineering work on the Southern Line extension from Warwick to Stanthorpe, is important as a demonstration of the Queensland Government’s policy of constructing railway lines to access mineral fields throughout Queensland, having been built as part of the first rail line completed (1881) due to this policy. Following extension of the rail line to Wallangarra, the Southern Line became the colony’s first and only inter-colonial railway connection with New South Wales and Queensland’s between 1889 and 1930, ensuring the Southern Line’s importance to Queensland.

Criterion DThe place is important in demonstrating the principal characteristics of a particular class of cultural places.

Cherry Gully Tunnel is important for demonstrating the principal characteristics of a 19th Century Railway Tunnel in Queensland constructed for Queensland Railways. It is exceptional as the earliest example of a concrete-lined railway tunnel in Queensland.

The highly intact tunnel demonstrates the principal characteristics of its type through its semi-elliptical cross-section wide enough for a single rail corridor, lined with concrete and face brick; gravel ballast floor; and concrete entrance portals, with steep cuttings on approach to each entrance.

Criterion FThe place is important in demonstrating a high degree of creative or technical achievement at a particular period.

Cherry Gully Tunnel represents a breakthrough in construction technique as the earliest use of concrete construction in a railway tunnel in Queensland. Its success led to concrete becoming a standard construction type used throughout Queensland’s narrow-gauge railway network from the 1880s. The tunnel and its experimental concrete linings are highly intact.

History

Completed in 1880, Cherry Gully Tunnel is a concrete- and brick-lined railway tunnel located about 20km south of Warwick and 281km from Roma Street on the Warwick to Wallangarra section of the Southern Railway Line, the only rail connection between Brisbane and Sydney from 1887 to 1930. This section of the Southern Line was constructed to Stanthorpe (originally named Quart Pot) to service the nearby tin-mining field that arose after discovery of alluvial tin in Quart Pot Creek in February 1872.[1] Cherry Gully Tunnel is located on the traditional lands of the Githabul People.[2]

The establishment of railway lines in Queensland by the Queensland Government dates from the 1860s. The government’s primary objective was to use its limited resources to develop regional industries (wool, agriculture, mining) by moving products by rail from their source to a port. The first rail line between Ipswich (a port on the Bremer River) and Bigge's Camp (later Grandchester) opened in 1865, with the intention that it would be extended west to the Darling Downs, the principal pastoral area of the colony at that time. Connection to Toowoomba was achieved in 1867. The rail line extension south to Warwick from the rail terminus at Toowoomba was contracted in February 1866 and opened on 9 January 1871.[3]

Exploitation of the colony’s mineral resources through railway development commenced in the 1860s. The construction of the first of these lines from Rockhampton towards the Peak Downs copper field began in 1864, with its initial western terminus at Westwood opening on 19 September 1867.[4] This nexus continued when the Queensland Parliament approved construction of four mineral railways in August 1877: from Townsville to Charters Towers, Bundaberg to Mount Perry, Maryborough to Gympie, and the extension of the Southern and Western Railway from Warwick to Stanthorpe.[5] However, the decision to construct these rail lines with no connection to other parts of the Queensland Railways system resulted in a proliferation of separate railways from the interior to ports (the main railways linking to Rockhampton, Townsville and Cairns), which were not unified until 1924, with the opening of the North Coast Line between Brisbane and Cairns.[6]

Agitation for the construction of a railway from the town of Warwick[7] to the mining centre of Stanthorpe was a major political and social rallying point for the population of the southern tablelands. The booming tin mining area around Stanthorpe provided the impetus for the extension of the railway south from Warwick.[8] In 1873 a survey from Warwick to Stanthorpe began and the 41½ miles (66.8km) to Stanthorpe was mapped. However, this survey included two costly tunnels ‒ one 29 chains (583.4m) in length to save a 1¾ mile-long (2.82km) detour and a 13-chain (261.5m) long tunnel to save 2½ miles (4km).

A permanent survey in 1876 was completed to the 85-mile (136.8-km) mark, which was 27 miles (43.45km) from Warwick. The line surveyed passed through the centre of Warwick, and included a new railway station for the town.[9] On this survey, several deviations shortened the overall distance of the line.

In 1878, the working plans for the section from Warwick to Stanthorpe were finally prepared. Tenders were called at the beginning of February 1878 for two sections from Warwick to Stanthorpe. Section One ran to a point 20 miles 28 chains 19 links (32.75km) south of Warwick, whilst Section Two ran 20 miles 41 chains 60 links (33.03km) to Stanthorpe.[10]

Section One was awarded to J & A Overend and Co. on 31 May 1878 for £178,784, to be completed in two and a half years. This section included a long tunnel later named Cherry Gully Tunnel. Construction was described in the Engineer’s Report (Southern and Western Line) as follows: ‘Section One ‒ operations were begun May 1878 vigorously – all stone culverts and many of the concrete ones completed. Open cuttings near the tunnel were well advanced but delayed due to the very hard rock encountered. Spring and Mineral Creek bridges were delayed...an average of 784 men were employed.’[11]

Overend & Co established a major construction camp for the Cherry Gully tunnel at the works location, in accordance with railway construction practices of the time. Construction camps were temporary townships, supplied with drinking establishments, sometimes a school, contractor stores, and even places of worship. A school was established at Cherry Gully. In common with many railway communities, much of the construction workforce was drawn from Irish ancestry.[12]

The contract for Section Two, which included a short tunnel, situated at 84 mile 20 chains, later named Dalveen Tunnel [QHR601519], was awarded to J Garget for £105,983, after the tender was readvertised in July 1878.[13] A camp would also have been situated near No.2 [Dalveen] tunnel to act as labour base for its workings. Approximately 325 men were employed at this time on Section Two.[14]

Work started on Section One in May 1878[15] and by 1879 it was reported that good progress had been made. However, delays were experienced due to the difficult nature of the rock at the tunnel site. The major engineering work on Section One was the tunnel at Cherry Gully, known locally as the big tunnel. The hard basaltic rock encountered caused great problems for the engineers and ‘navvies’ on the line, delaying excavation.[16]

In a new innovation for Queensland, the contractor experimented with several kinds of drilling machines, but all failed. As a result, hand drilling operations were resorted to. The use of rock drills in driving this tunnel may have been unsuccessful, however there is evidence of the use of rock drills in cuttings to the south of this tunnel as far as the head of Rosenthal Creek.[17] This use of rock drills was subsequent to the introduction of the Low patent rock drill into Australia, where it was used by the Mount Tarrengower Tunnelling Company at Maldon, Victoria in 1865.[18] Earthworks were also greater than expected due to the unstable nature of the rock encountered.

As a cost-saving measure, according to the Engineer’s Report on the Southern and Western Line for 1878: ‘All the stone culverts, and a large proportion of the culverts and drains in concrete have been completed. A considerable saving has been effected by the substitution of cement concrete for brickwork and masonry, both in culverts and bridges.’[19] The Engineer reported in 1879 ‘that the adoption of concrete in these works has proved an undoubted success, and I should not hesitate to use it for similar ones, in future, in preference to brickwork, not only on account of its being under most circumstances less costly, but stronger and much more reliable’.[20] By the end of 1879, the main works remaining on Section One were the bridges over the Condamine River, Spring Creek and the Cherry Gully Tunnel.[21]

In another innovation implemented in an effort to effect savings during construction, concrete was substituted as a building and lining material for the Cherry Gully Tunnel, instead of the more conventional brick. This was the first use of concrete on a railway tunnel by Queensland Railways and the contractor reported it as successful.[22] Subsequently, concrete became the standard lining material for rail tunnels in Queensland. Since 1880, at least 27 railway tunnels across Queensland have been constructed using concrete.[23]

In April 1880 the Stanthorpe Border Post reported that good progress had been made at the south end of the tunnel, despite the ‘formidable nature of…the granite bars to be displaced’.[24] Garget & Co apparently were proceeding well with their construction effort despite the dangers during blasting operations. By mid-May 1880, the Cherry Gully Tunnel had been fully excavated and rail laid, allowing a locomotive to pass through. However, the tunnel’s brick and concrete lining had not been completed.[25]

The Queensland Times reported in October 1880 that the line was expected to open to Cherry Gully on 1 December. At this time, the first ballast train made its way over the Mineral Creek bridge and all the way up to the tunnel. It was anticipated ‘that within three weeks contractors will have finished one of the most difficult railways constructed in the colony’.[26]

The opening of the line through to Cherry Gully was achieved about five weeks late – on 8 December, but considering the difficulties experienced was an excellent effort for all concerned.[27] The difficulties of driving and lining the tunnel had meant that three shifts of workers were eventually required on the work. However, using concrete to line the tunnel, apart from the brick crown, a first in Queensland, reduced the tunnel’s construction time.[28]

To provide water for steam locomotives on the line between Warwick and Stanthorpe a concrete arch dam (Gorge Tank and Dam) had been built in 1879 across a large gully approximately two km north of Cherry Gully Tunnel and 279 kms from Roma Street station. It is the earliest example in Queensland of a concrete dam wall constructed for storage purposes.[29] The dam had a storage capacity of 400,000 gallons (1,818.44 kilolitres). The water tank and pipe from the dam were gravity fed, as the dam was situated in an elevated position. The construction of a new water supply at Glen Niven in 1914 meant that the tank was no longer needed as a major watering location for locomotives. From 1950 it was only in use for emergency purposes.

The remainder of the line – from Cherry Gully through to Stanthorpe – was officially opened on 3 May 1881[30] and was taken over by Queensland Railways on 1 November 1881.

The Southern Line extension from Stanthorpe to Wallangarra opened on 4 February 1887. With the completion of the New South Wales Government Railways line from Tenterfield to Wallangarra the first inter-colonial rail link between Brisbane and Sydney opened on 16 January 1888.[31] However, it was not until the Hawkesbury Bridge opened on 1 May 1889, completing the Sydney-Newcastle Link that the Brisbane to Sydney railway was completed.[32] This line served as the rail link between Brisbane and Sydney for the next four decades.

From the late 19th century, agriculture, particularly deciduous fruit growing, replaced mining in the Stanthorpe district. Deciduous fruit, comprising pome fruit (apples and pears)[33] and stone fruits (peaches, nectarines, plums, apricots, cherries),[34] proved viable, with growers utilising the Southern Line to transport produce to market.[35] Fruit growing around Stanthorpe expanded into an important industry in the state[36] after a soldier settlement scheme was established to the town’s north and northwest after World War I. A branch rail line from Cotton Vale to Amiens opened in 1920 to serve the Soldier Settlement.[37] The importance of the rail transport in growers’ success was noted by The Queenslander newspaper in 1922: ‘The principal centres of fruit production in the Stanthorpe country, with few exceptions, are situated on or near the railway…. Easy accessibility to a railway siding or station is…a great convenience in the height of the fruit season, when growers have to cart their produce…almost every day in the week.’[38]

In 1924, the Queensland Government passed the South Brisbane Kyogle Grafton Act, committing itself to the construction of a new standard gauge railway from South Brisbane to the border with New South Wales.[39] This arose from a federal royal commission in 1921 regarding a uniform railway gauge for Australia that recommended the states and commonwealth commit to linking the capital cities of Australia with common gauge railway tracks. As part of the standardisation of the disparate gauges, a new link between Sydney and Brisbane via Kyogle was identified as being a central element. At a conference between the Prime Minister and Premiers in November 1921, it was agreed that standard gauge (4 feet 8.5inches: 1435mm) be adopted.[40] This proposed railway line between Kyogle and South Brisbane, which opened in 1930 as the new link via northern New South Wales and the Richmond Gap into Queensland, did not require a change of trains at a border station.[41]

Thereafter, the importance of the Southern line between Toowoomba and Wallangarra diminished. However, during the World War II, the strategic importance of the rail line through Wallangarra was vital in providing an inland transhipment and staging point during the defence of Australia, with a large ordnance depot established at Wallangarra.[42]

From the 1960s, the importance of the Warwick Railway Station and the Southern rail line diminished due to increased road competition and the consequent reduction of railway traffic. The rail passenger service to Wallangarra was withdrawn in 1972.[43] ‘The last Sydney Mail (26 Up) ran on 29 January 1972, and the Brisbane-Wallangarra service was withdrawn as of 1 February 1972…. With the cessation of passenger services on the Queensland side of the border, the line reverted to a goods only basis.’[44] The line between Tenterfield and Wallangarra on the New South Wales side of the border closed to traffic in 1989.[45]

The Southern Line south of Warwick was threatened with closure in 1993-4, but the link was retained due to community protest, and a twice weekly goods service continued. By 2003, trains only ran on an ‘as-required’ basis, and all station staff were withdrawn, leaving Wallangarra as an unattended station.[46] Since 2009, Southern Downs Steam Railway Association has regularly operated tourist trains between Toowoomba and Wallangarra.[47]

In 2024, the Warwick to Stanthorpe Section of the Southern Line is used for regular steam train journeys for tourists and rail enthusiasts.[48] Cherry Gully Tunnel remains an intact, major engineering work on the Southern Line.

Description

Cherry Gully tunnel is situated on the Southern railway line between Warwick and Wallangarra. The Tunnel’s centre is situated 281 kilometres from Roma Street Station, surrounded by sparsely wooded hills and penetrates a low ridge. The straight tunnel is aligned northeast–southwest, it is approximately 272 metres long and semi-elliptical in section, wide enough for a single railway line.

Both ends of the tunnel are approached by a cutting with steep earth and stone embankments either side of the rail line. The tunnel’s portals are faced with concrete walls with a square cornice to their tops. Internally, the tunnel is concrete lined at its base and brick lined to the top half. The floor is gravel ballast with a single line of railway tracks on sleepers.

Features of Cherry Gully Tunnel of State-level cultural heritage significance include:

·        tunnel alignment, northeast-southwest

·        semi-elliptical form, wide enough for a single railway line

·        face brick and cement internal linings

·        concrete walls and portals to each tunnel end with square cornice to tops

·        cuttings for railway corridor leading to tunnel portals.

Features of the Cherry Gully Tunnel not of State-level cultural heritage significance include:

·        modern markers and signs painted at each portal and inside tunnel

·        modern railway tracks and sleepers.

References

[1] Duncan Waterson, Squatter, Selector and Storekeeper: A History of the Darling Downs 1859-93. Sydney University Press, Sydney, 1968, p.90.
[2] Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Cultural Heritage Database and Register, accessed 9 Mar 2022.
[3] Warwick Railway Complex QHR600955. Warwick was established as an administrative centre of the Darling Downs region in 1847 and was granted municipality status in 1861. (Warwick Railway Station QHR600955.)
[4] John Kerr, The Triumph of the Narrow Gauge: A History of Queensland Railways, Boolarong, Brisbane, 1990, pp.23-24.
[5] The required lands were set apart under the Railway Reserves Act 1877 (41 Vic 1877, enacted 5 Sep 1877), which also provided for funding for the construction of the railways. Also approved on 30 August 1877, were rail extensions to the pastoral towns of Roma and Emerald. (‘The Railway Reserves Act’, The Queenslander, 26 Aug 1876, p.16; ‘Parliament. Legislative Council’, Telegraph, 31 Aug 1877, p.2; ‘Supplement to the QGG of 8 Sep 1877’, Queensland Government Gazette (QGG), 1877, Vol.2, pp.583-587.)
[6] David Mewes, ‘Travelling times by rail’ in Queensland Historical Atlas, <https://www.qhatlas.com.au/content/travelling-times-rail#>, accessed 5 Sep 2024.
[7] Warwick was established as an administrative centre of the Darling Downs region in 1847. (Warwick Railway Station QHR600955.)
[8] ‘Stanthorpe’, The Darling Downs Gazette and General Advertiser, 21 Oct 1874, p.3; ‘Railroad Extension from Warwick to Stanthorpe’, The Queenslander, 7 Nov 1874, p.9.
[9] Warwick Railway Complex QHR600955.
[10] QGG: 2 Feb 1878, p.249 and 9 Feb 1878, p.313.
[11] ‘Engineer’s Report (Southern and Western Lines) for Year Ending 31 December 1878’, Queensland Votes & Proceedings (QV&P) 1879, Queensland Government Printer, Brisbane, 1879, pp.451; ‘The Annual Report on the Railways’, The Warwick Examiner and Times, 31 May 1879, p.2.
[12] ‘Big Tunnel Camp, Stanthorpe Railway Line’, The Queenslander, 31 Jan 1880, p.134.
[13] ‘Tender Required’, Darling Downs Gazette & General Advertiser, 10 Jul 1878, p.3; Brisbane Courier, 17 May 1879, p.4; Engineer’s Report (Southern and Western Lines) for Year Ending 31 December 1878, QV&P 1879, Queensland Government Printer, Brisbane, 1879, pp.451; ‘The Annual Report on the Railways’, The Warwick Examiner and Times, 31 May 1879, p.2.
[14] ‘Engineer’s Report (Southern and Western Line), for the year ending 31 December 1879’ in QV&P, 1880, vol.2, p.704.
[15] ‘Local and General News’, Warwick Argus and Tenterfield Chronicle, 2 May 1878, p.2.
[16] ‘Commissioner’s Report for Year ending 31 Dec 1879’, QV&P, 1880 vol.2, Queensland Government Printer, Brisbane, p.625; William R Morrow, Railway Pioneering: My Fifty-eight Years as a Railway Man, extract. <https://www.archerparkrailmuseum.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/03-morrow.pdf>, accessed 8 Mar 2022; ‘Big Tunnel Camp, Stanthorpe Railway Line’, The Queenslander, 31 Jan 1880, p.134; Darling Downs Gazette, 9 Feb 1880, p.2.
[17] Andrew Ward, ‘Queensland Railway Heritage Places Study: Stage 2, Vol 2’, April 1997, p.53.
[18] Heritage Victoria. Mount Tarrengower Tunnelling Company Gold Mine, <https://vhd.heritagecouncil.vic.gov.au/places/5245/download-report>, accessed 6 Jul 2022. The Low patent rock drill was produced by Turner in Ipswich, England.
[19] ‘Engineer’s Report (Southern and Western Lines) for the Year Ending 31 December 1878’, QV&P, 1879, pp.451.
[20] ‘Engineer’s Report (Southern and Western Line), for the year ending 31 December 1879’ in QV&P, 1880, vol.2, p.704.
[21] ‘Engineer’s Report (Southern and Western Line), for the year ending 31 December 1879’ in QV&P, 1880, vol.2, p.704.
[22] ‘Engineer’s Report (Southern and Western Lines) for the Year Ending 31 December 1878’,  in QV&P, 1879, Queensland Government Printer, Brisbane, 1879, p.451.
[23] Yimbun Railway Tunnel QHR602637. These tunnels include: Normanby Tunnel, Brisbane Exhibition Loop (1882; demolished); Woolloongabba Branch Tunnel (1884; demolished); 15 tunnels on the Cairns Railway, Section from Redlynch to Crooked Creek Bridge (1887-1891) [QHR600755]; Ernest Junction Railway Tunnel, South Coast Line (1889) [QHR650228]; Dularcha Railway Tunnel (1891) [QHR601522]; Yimbun Railway Tunnel (1910) [QHR602637]; Muntapa Tunnel, Cooyar (1913) [QHR602594].
[24] Border Post, 30 Apr 1880, p.4; ‘Progress of the Stanthorpe Railway Works’, The Telegraph, 12 May 1880, p.2.
[25] ‘Engineering Accomplishments on the Stanthorpe Railway’, Warwick Argus, 11 May 1880, p.2.
[26] ‘Local and General’, Queensland Times, Ipswich Herald and General Advertiser, 21 Oct 1880, p.3.
[27] ‘Report of the Railway Commissioner to the Year Ending 31 Dec 1880’, QV&P, 1881, vol.2, p.306.
[28] ‘Queensland Railways Engineer’s Report for the year ending 31 Dec 1880’, p.93 in QV&P, 1881, vol.2, p.397.
[29] The Engineers Australia interpretation panel for 75 Mile Dam (Gorge Dam), on site. This panel states that the dam is the oldest concrete arch dam in the world. (Image, Site File, 601517 Cherry Gully Tunnel.) The place will be officially entered in the Engineering Australia Heritage Register in 2025. (Peter Osborne, Heritage Strategist, Queensland Rail, Pers. Comm, 15 Nov 2024.)
[30] ‘Opening of the Stanthorpe Railway’, Brisbane Courier, 4 May 1881,p.2; ‘The Stanthorpe Railway’, Australian Town and Country Journal, 18 Jun 1881, p.24;
[31] Wallangarra Railway Station QHR601242.
[32] John Kerr, Triumph of Narrow Gauge: A History of Queensland Railways, Boolarong Publications, Brisbane: 1990, p.41.
[33] Definition: Agribook.digital,<www.agribook.co.za/deciduous fruit>, accessed 13 Nov 2024.
[34] Definition: OxfordLanguages, <languages.oup.com/google-dictionary-en/>, accessed 13 Nov 2024.
[35] Thom Blake, ‘Queensland Cultural Heritage Places Context Study, November 2005’, Heritage Branch, DETSI, 2005, p.93.
[36] ‘Stanthorpe: The Royal Astronomical Society’s Station for the Eclipse’, Sydney Mail, 20 Sep 1922, p.38.
[37] Southern Downs Regional Council, ‘Regional Information: History – Stanthorpe’, <www.sdrc.qld.gov.au/our-region/region-information>, 2015 and Kerr, Queensland Railway Heritage Report, 1993, p.11 cited by Watson Architects, Queensland Rail Stanthorpe Railway Station Conservation Management Plan, 1 May 2019, p.84. This branch line continued operating until 1974.]
[38] ‘Progress of Fruit Growing at Stanthorpe’, The Queenslander, 21 Jan 1922, p.38. However, fruit growers were unsatisfied with high freight charges for rail transportation of their produce and the service’s frequency from 1892 to the 1920s. (Brisbane Courier, 21 Jan 1892, p.5; ‘Stanthorpe’, Brisbane Courier, 4 Jan 1929, p.9; ‘Fruit Growing’, Warwick Daily News, 10 Jun 1929, p.7.)
[39] Wallangarra Railway Station QHR601242.
[40] ‘Standardisation of Railway Gauges’, Year Book Australia, 1967. Australian Bureau of Statistics, Canberra, 25 January 1967, <https://www.abs.gov.au/Ausstats/abs@.nsf/dc057c1016e548b4ca256c470025ff88/f7d0f9dda8f0a320ca2569de0028b414!OpenDocument>, accessed 28 August 2024.
[41] Wallangarra Railway Station QHR601242.
[42] Wallangarra Railway Station QHR601242; 3 Advanced Ordnance Depot (3AOD) Queensland World War II Historical places, <ww2places.qld.gov.au/place?id=1790>, accessed 6 Jul 2022.
[43] Warwick Railway Complex QHR600955.
[44] Wallangarra Railway Station QHR601242.
[45] Wallangarra Railway Station QHR601242.
[46] Wallangarra Railway Station QHR601242.
[47] Downs Explorer: Heritage Railway Experiences, The Southern Downs Steam Railway Association Inc (SDSR), <https://downsexplorer.org.au/about-us/>, accessed 2 July 2021.
[48] Downs Explorer: Heritage Railway Experiences, <https://downsexplorer.org.au/>, accessed 27 Aug 2024; The Borderlands Steam Adventure, <https://railwayadventures.travel/tours/the-borderlands-steam-adventure/>, accessed 28 Aug 2024.

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