Railways and Tramways of Australia

Connection completed

 

The railway between Brisbane and Ipswich was completed with the opening of the Albert Bridge at Indooroopilly on 5 July 1876.

 

Queensland’s first railway opened from Ipswich westward to Bigges Camp (now Grandchester) in 1865 and was extended to Toowoomba in 1867. Brisbane was not connected by railway until 1876, but goods were transported by railway to Ipswich and then by river to Brisbane.

 

There was considerable debate in Queensland regarding railway construction and which lines should have highest priority. Work on a line between Ipswich and Brisbane commenced when the first sod was turned in January 1873. The section between Ipswich and Oxley West (now Sherwood) was opened in October 1874 and extended to Oxley Point (now Chelmer) on the south bank of the Brisbane River in February 1875. From Roma Street the line was opened to Indooroopilly in June 1875.

 

Trains began operating between Roma Street and Indooroopilly, where a ferry transported passengers across the Brisbane River. A connecting train then proceeded to Ipswich.

 

Completion of a bridge across the river enabled the railway connection to be opened. Queensland Governor William Cairns travelled from Brisbane by special train. The train crossed the bridge and returned to the middle, where an opening ceremony was held on a decorated span. Governor Cairns broke a bottle of champagne on the bridge and then named it the Albert Bridge in honour of the Prince of Wales.

 

The railway between Brisbane and Ipswich quickly became the busiest in Queensland. It was duplicated in 1886 and 1887. The Albert Bridge was washed away by floodwaters in 1893 and replaced by a new bridge two years later.

 

Completion of the railway between Brisbane and Ipswich connected the capital with Queensland’s south-west. It encouraged further development and continues to carry regular railway traffic.

 

Bibliography

J Armstrong, DG Bailey & JD Kerr, ‘Centenary of the Ipswich – Brisbane railway’, Australian Railway Historical Society Bulletin, no. 477, July 1977, pp 145–68.

J Kerr & J Armstrong, Brisbane railway centenary, Australian Railway Historical Society (Queensland Division), Brisbane, 1976.

J Kerr, Triumph of narrow gauge: a history of Queensland Railways, Boolarong, Brisbane, 1990.

‘Opening of the railway bridge at Oxley’, Queensland Times, Ipswich Herald and General Advertiser, 6 July 1876, p 3.

‘Opening of the railway bridge at Oxley’, The Brisbane Courier, 6 July 1876, p 3.