Mary Valley Heritage Railway

The Mary Valley Heritage Railway conduct steam train trips and tours from Gympie through the Mary Valley in the Cooloola Region of Queensland, Australia.

MVHR Mary Valley Heritage Railway
Legend Traveston 40km Imbil 30km Kandanga 23km Amamoor 20km Dagun 0km Gympie (Central) Gympie North

The Valley Rattler, C17 802

Train station at Imbil

"Ride The Rattler" scenic tours are operated by The Mary Valley Heritage Railway (MVHR) every Saturday, Sunday and Wednesday from the historic Gympie Railway Station. This historic 40 km journey commences at Gympie, and after crossing the Mary River, negotiates an abundance of curves, gradients and bridges to pass through the small country villages of Dagun, Amamoor and Kandanga to Imbil.

The steam train, a fully restored C17 class locomotive from the early 1920s, departs Gympie station at 10 am. The Gympie Station itself dates back to pre-1880.^[1] As the train travels south, it passes through the southern end of the city of Gympie.

After crossing the Mary River, the railway line enters the Mary Valley. The line wanders away from the river to negotiate the valleys of some of its main tributaries, including the Yabba, Kandanga and Amamoor Creeks. In this area there are a number of curves, gradients and bridges as you head towards the station of Kandanga.

The country village of Kandanga was established in 1910 to service patrons travelling on the proposed Mary Valley line which became operational as far as Kandanga in 1914. The original station, now restored to its former glory, contains an interesting pictorial record of the history of the Mary Valley line.

Travelling through to Imbil, the lines traverses an interesting gorge section through mainly timbered country, before reaching a short tunnel that pierces a ridge of coastal ranges. The track then descends quickly to the line's largest town, Imbil.

Further reading

• The Mary Valley Branch Line Milne, Rod Australian Railway Historical Society Bulletin, December, 1996 pp. 363–374.

See also

Queensland portal

• Rail transport in Queensland

References

1. ^ "The Mary Valley Heritage Railway". Visit Queensland. Max TD. http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Mary_Valley_Heritage_Railway&action=submit. Retrieved 4 April 2010. 

External links

• Details & photos of railway
• Valley Rattler Webpage

Coordinates: 26°27′37.84″S 152°40′33.73″E / 26.4605111°S 152.6760361°E / -26.4605111; 152.6760361