Yimbun Railway Tunnel

The Yimbun railway tunnel is on an inaccessible section of the Brisbane Valley Railway corridor, just south of Harlin. It was constructed in 1910 and is the only tunnel on the line. The Brisbane Valley line was advocated by graziers, including James McConnel of Cressbrook station. He was keen to open up the area to dairying, having established the Cressbrook condensed milk factory at Toogoolwah. The line was built in stages, with the first section to Toogoolawah, completed in February 1904. The town of Yimbun was reached in September 1904, and the line from Yimbun to Linville, including the tunnel, was finished in 1910. It is a semi-elliptical 100 meter concrete lined tunnel. The date ‘1901’ is displayed at both portals. As the railway continued up the mountain to Blackbutt, it opened up timber reserves. The final section to Yarraman opened in 1913. The line transported materials and equipment for the construction of the Somerset Dam from 1935 to 1959, and led to a new prosperity for the line. The line closed in 1993. The Brisbane Valley Rail Trail now utilises much of the old rail corridor. The section from Toogoolawah to Moore via Harlin is yet to be completed.