Dalveen Tunnel

General

More images…

Also known as

Dalveen 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

Garget, J

Construction period

1878–1880, Dalveen Tunnel (1878 - 1880)

Historical period

1870s–1890s Late 19th century

Location

Address

Warwick to Wallangarra line, Dalveen

LGA

Southern Downs Regional Council

Coordinates

-28.48816832, 151.98007637

Significance

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

The Dalveen 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.

The Dalveen Tunnel is an intact example of a late 19th century railway tunnel as constructed by Queensland Railways. The tunnel is important in demonstrating the principal characteristics of its class of cultural places in its: Semi-elliptical cross-section wide enough for a single rail corridor, face brick linings and portals with sandstone quoins, gravel ballast floor with metal railway tracks, and earth embankments on approach to both ends. With very little alteration, the Dalveen Tunnel is intact and retains a high degree of integrity.

History

Completed in 1880, Dalveen Tunnel is a brick-lined railway tunnel located about 34km south of Warwick and 295km 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] Dalveen 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.[11] This section included Cherry Gully Tunnel [QHR601517].

Initial tenders for Section Two were too high. The contract, which included a short tunnel, later named Dalveen Tunnel, was awarded to J Garget £105,983 after the tender was readvertised in July 1878.[12] The Engineer’s Report stated: ‘Clearing of the right of way began in November 1878, as well as some cuttings were begun.’[13]

In common with railway construction of the time, a camp would have been situated nearby to act as labour base for its workings. On Section Two, some 325 men were employed at this time. [14] Construction camps were temporary townships, and were supplied with drinking establishments, sometimes a school, contractor stores and even places of worship. Edmund Power operated a drinking establishment on the Second Section at Telegraph Road crossing, while John Commerford opened the North Australian Hotel, Main Camp, at the new Tunnel on the 2nd section. Life in the camps could be a perilous affair at times, especially where hot tempers were concerned.[15]

Dalveen Tunnel, situated at 84 miles 20 chains (135.23km), was constructed to pierce a spur of the Silverwood Range. It was one of the major works on the Second Contract of the line to Stanthorpe. Section Two did not experience the construction difficulties encountered on the works around the Cherry Gully Tunnel. By the end of 1879 it was noted that:

The heading of No. 2 tunnel at 84 miles 20 chains was excavated to about one-third of the total length, and a large number of bricks had been prepared in readiness for the lining.

The Commissioner's Report for 1880 noted that the excavation and lining of No.2 tunnel had been completed and that only track laying remained to be done. The Commissioners Report noted that only plate laying and ballasting required completion.

The remainder of the line – from Cherry Gully through to Stanthorpe – was officially opened on 3 May 1881[16] and was taken over by Queensland Railways on 1 November 1881.

To provide water for steam locomotives on the line between Warwick and Stanthorpe a concrete arch dam (Gorge Tank and Dam) had been built 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.[17] 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 Southern Line extension from Stanthorpe to Wallangarra opened on 4 February 1887. With the completion of the NSWGR line from Tenterfield to Wallangarra the first inter-colonial rail link between Brisbane and Sydney opened on 16 January 1888.[18] 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.[19] This line served as the rail link between Brisbane and Sydney for the next four decades.

From the late nineteenth century, agriculture, particularly deciduous fruit growing, replaced mining in the Stanthorpe district. Deciduous fruit, comprising pome fruit (apples and pears)[20] and stone fruits (peaches, nectarines, plums, apricots, cherries),[21] proved viable, with growers utilising the Southern Line to transport produce to market.[22] Fruit growing around Stanthorpe expanded into an important industry in the state[23] 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.[24] 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.’[25]

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.[26] 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.[27] 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.[28]

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.[29]

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.[30] ‘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.’[31] The line between Tenterfield and Wallangarra on the New South Wales side of the border closed to traffic in 1989.[32]

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.[33] Since 2009, Southern Downs Steam Railway Association has regularly operated tourist trains between Toowoomba and Wallangarra.[34]

In 2024, the Warwick to Stanthorpe Section of the Southern Line is used for regular steam train journeys for tourists and rail enthusiasts.[35] Dalveen Tunnel remains an intact, major engineering work on the Southern Line.

Description

The Dalveen tunnel is situated on the Southern railway line, 295km from Roma Street Station on the eastern outskirts of Dalveen, a town approximately halfway between Warwick and Stanthorpe. The tunnel is surrounded by sparsely wooded hills and penetrates a low ridge, a private unsealed road runs across the top of the ridge. The straight tunnel is aligned northwest–southeast, it is approximately 150m long and wide enough for a single railway corridor.

Both ends of the tunnel are approached by a cutting with steep earth embankments either side of the rail line. The tunnel’s portals are faced with brick walls with sandstone capping to the tops, sandstone voussoirs at the north-western portal and concrete around the south-eastern portal. A painted sign above the south-eastern portal displays the date “AD 1880”. The tunnel is semi-elliptical in section, brick lined and has a gravel ballast floor with railway tracks.

Features of the Dalveen tunnel of State-level cultural heritage significance include:

·        tunnel alignment, running northwest-southeast

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

·        face brick linings

·        face brick retaining walls to each tunnel end with sandstone capping to tops

·        sandstone voussoirs around tunnel’s north portal

·        concrete surround around tunnel’s south portal

·        cutting for railway corridor leading to tunnel ends

·        concrete spoon drains to top and bottom of retaining walls.

Features of the Dalveen tunnel not of State-level cultural heritage significance include:

·        unsealed road above tunnel

·        markers painted at each tunnel end and inside tunnel

·        modern railway tracks, sleepers, and gravel ballast.

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, Queensland Heritage Register, 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; ‘Engineer’s Report (Southern and Western Lines) for Year Ending 31 December 1878’, QV&P, 1879, Queensland Government Printer, Brisbane, 1879, pp.451.
[12] ‘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.
[13] ‘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] This was the case when a dispute over the return of a loan of a few shillings lead to the shooting of John O'Neil a sub-contractor on Section Two.
[16] ‘Opening of the Stanthorpe Railway’, Brisbane Courier, 4 May 1881, p.2; ‘The Stanthorpe Railway’, Australian Town and Country Journal, 18 Jun1881, p.24;
[17] 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.)
[18] Wallangarra Railway Station QHR601242.
[19] John Kerr, The Triumph of the Narrow Gauge, p.41.
[20] Definition: Agribook.digital, <www.agribook.co.za/deciduous fruit>, accessed 13 Nov 2024.
[21] Definition: OxfordLanguages, <languages.oup.com/google-dictionary-en/>, accessed 13 Nov 2024.
[22] Thom Blake, ‘Queensland Cultural Heritage Places Context Study, November 2005’, Heritage Branch, DETSI, 2005, p.93.
[23] ‘Stanthorpe: The Royal Astronomical Society’s Station for the Eclipse’, Sydney Mail, 20 Sep 1922, p.38.
[24] 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.]
[25] ‘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.)
[26] Wallangarra Railway Station QHR601242.
[27] ‘Standardisation of Railway Gauges’, Year Book Australia, 1967. Canberra: Australian Bureau of Statistics, 25 January 1967, <https://www.abs.gov.au/Ausstats/abs@.nsf/dc057c1016e548b4ca256c470025ff88/f7d0f9dda8f0a320ca2569de0028b414!OpenDocument>, accessed 28 August 2024.
[28] Wallangarra Railway Station QHR601242.
[29] 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.
[30] Warwick Railway Complex QHR600955.
[31] Wallangarra Railway Station QHR601242.
[32] Wallangarra Railway Station QHR601242.
[33] Wallangarra Railway Station QHR601242.
[34] Downs Explorer: Heritage Railway Experiences, The Southern Downs Steam Railway Association Inc (SDSR) <https://downsexplorer.org.au/about-us/>, accessed 2 July 2021.
[35] 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.

Image gallery