Shortly after Queensland was declared a separate colony, it was
decided that a railway was needed between Ipswich and the rich
farmland of the Darling Downs. To do this they needed to traverse
the Great Dividing Range, something that would require a monumental
effort. Because of this, it was decided that 3'6 narrow gauge would
be used, rather than the more common 4'8-1/2" standard gauge that
was used in Great Britain. The main reason for this decision was
cost, as at the time the colony was struggling financially. At the
time, laying narrow gauge line in QLD was done at approximately
half the cost per mile, of laying standard gauge line in NSW.
Work commenced in 1864, with the first section,
Ipswich-Grandchester, completed in 1865. The first train arrived in
Toowoomba on 12 April, 1867. This was the first railway in
Australia to traverse the Great Dividing Range.
Once completed, the line from Murphy's Creek to Toowoomba was 16
miles long, had 126 curves, 49 of which were 5 chain radius, 47
bridges with a total length of a mile, and 9 tunnels, only 1 of
which is straight. Two-thirds of the length of the line was in
cuttings.
Today, only one tunnel portal is visible from public land (as
far as I'm aware), the down portal of tunnel 6. And it is to a view
of this portal that this cache will take you. The railway line is
reasonably busy - most days there will be several coal trains and a
few other various trains passing through. If you want to time your
visit with seeing a train, the Westlander is the most regular,
which passes through here at about 7:20 on Thursday and Saturday
mornings. It takes approximately 20 minutes for a train to reach
here from Toowoomba. On days when there are steam train specials,
you may find this area quite crowded with rail-enthusiasts taking
photos.
Please Note: As tempting as it may be to walk closer to
the railway line, or to the tunnel, please do not do so. It is both
illegal and dangerous to trespass on railway property. Although
there is a gap in the fence here, the fence-line is very obvious.
Do not cross it. Use binoculars or a telephoto lens on your camera
to get closer to the tunnel. It is not necessary to trespass onto
railway property to find the cache.
Please ensure you replace the cache as you found it so the next
cacher enjoys the same experience.