Mary Valley 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.

"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.

Experience the Cooloola Region's Mary Valley aboard the 'Valley Rattler' - easily one of Queensland's most scenic railway lines. 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. Disembark at any of these original stations, fully restored and landscaped, where you can enjoy interesting excursions within the district and good old-fashioned country hospitality.

The steam train, a fully restored C17 class locomotive from the early 1920's, departs Gympie station at 10 am.

As you travel south, you pass through the southern end of the city of Gympie which was founded on the discovery of gold in 1867. With its winding main street following the original bullocky trail, Gympie boasts many heritage buildings as living proof of its golden past. The Gympie Station itself dates back to pre-1880. Other attractions in Gympie include the Gympie Gold Mining Museum and Woodworks Timber & Forestry Museum, which features a working blacksmith's shop and steam driven sawmill.

After crossing the Mary River, you continue your journey into the Mary Valley. The line wanders away from the main river to negotiate the valleys of some of its main tributaries, including the Yabba, Kandanga and Amamoor Creeks. Timber was the major industry which first opened up this fertile district - the Dagun sawmill is one of the few remaining mills.

The steep slopes around Amamoor and Dagun are a patchwork of pineapples at various stages of growth. Pineapples are the major crop here with macadamia nuts another flourishing industry. The countryside is spectacular, with an abundance 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, you traverse an interesting gorge section through mainly timbered country, noted for grey gums, spotted gums, blue gums and ironbarks, before reaching a short tunnel that pierces a ridge of coastal ranges. The track then descends quickly to the line's largest town, Imbil.

The Mary Valley Heritage Railway is currently under threat from the proposed construction of the Traveston Crossing Dam.

External links

* [http://www.assco.org.au/mvhr.htm Details & photos of railway]
* [http://www.mvhr.org.au Valley Rattler Webpage]

Further Reading

"The Mary Valley Branch Line" Milne, Rod Australian Railway Historical Society Bulletin, December, 1996 pp363-374