Lahey's Canungra Tramway Tunnel

When visiting the charming town of Canungra, take time to see Lahey’s sandstone tramway tunnel. Parking is available in Darlington Range Road, close to Pine Street. The Lahey family established their first Canungra sawmill in 1884. In the late 1880s, the family held timber leases over 16,000 acres and hauled logs by bullock teams. The Laheys decided to build a tramway into the Pine Creek Valley. A narrow gauge of 3 feet 6 inches was chosen to match the Queensland Government railways. Rail engineer George Phillips surveyed and designed the project. A tunnel was cut through the ridge to avoid the long circuitous route around. The tunnel was pierced on 1 January 1901 and first used in September 1903. The line was extended over the subsequent decade eventually totalling 26 km. From 1915 it linked with the government’s Logan Village to Canungra line. As the timber industry fell into decline, the line was used for sightseeing, but was sold and pulled up in the mid-1930s. During WWII the tunnel was used for storing ammunition for Canungra’s Kokoda Barracks. Although re-opened to pedestrians in 2001 recent safety concerns have led to the tunnel’s closure, although you can walk to its entrance.