Heiner Road Railway Overpass facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Heiner Road Railway Overpass |
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Heiner Road Railway Overpass, 2015
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| Location | Riverlink Shopping Centre, 2 Downs Street, North Ipswich, City of Ipswich, Queensland, Australia |
| Design period | 1840s - 1860s (mid-19th century) |
| Built | 1865 |
| Official name: Heiner Road Railway Overpass | |
| Type | state heritage (built) |
| Designated | 28 May 2004 |
| Reference no. | 602467 |
| Significant period | 1860s (fabric) 1865- |
| Significant components | cutting - railway, abutments - road bridge |
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The Heiner Road Railway Overpass is a special road bridge located inside the Riverlink Shopping Centre in North Ipswich, Queensland, Australia. It was built way back in 1865. This old bridge is so important that it was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on May 28, 2004. This means it's protected because of its historical value.
Contents
A Look Back: The Bridge's History
The Heiner Road railway overpass was likely built in 1864. It crossed over the very first railway line in Queensland. This railway connected the government wharf on the Bremer River to the railway workshops in North Ipswich. The bridge's strong stone supports are still there today. They are a rare reminder of Queensland's earliest railway system. They also show how the railway network first began.
Why Railways Were So Important
Having a good transport network was super important for Queensland to grow. It helped move people, goods, and raw materials around the colony. It's unusual for a first railway to start in a country town instead of the capital city. The fact that Queensland's first railway did this shows how early European settlement happened.
The first European settlement in Moreton Bay was a prison colony in 1824. By 1842, it closed, and the area was opened for free settlers. Even before this, settlers called "squatters" had arrived on the Darling Downs. They moved sheep, wool, and supplies overland to Sydney, not to Brisbane. This was because Brisbane was closed to regular people at the time.
Ipswich: A Trading Hub
Ipswich, first known as Limestone, was used by the prison colony to get lime for building. Because it was on the Bremer River, which ships could use, it quickly became a busy trading center when free settlement began. By 1843, the Moreton Bay region had a voice in the New South Wales Parliament. People started talking about how important transport was for the area's growth.
In 1856, a path from the Darling Downs to Brisbane through Ipswich was mapped out. Planning continued, and in 1859, Queensland officially separated from New South Wales. Elections for Queensland's own government were held in 1860. A special committee was set up to look into transport. The Bremer River had regular boat trade by 1845, but large ships couldn't use it. There were few bridges and roads, and they often depended on the weather. At that time, building railways was usually left to private companies.
Queensland's First Railway
After a private plan for a horse-drawn tramway failed, the Queensland Government decided to build the railway itself. The first Railway Bill was introduced in August 1863. There was a lot of debate about how much it would cost, where it would go, and how it would be built. Money was tight because there weren't many people, so the railway wasn't expected to make a profit right away. Also, the land over the main mountain range to the Downs was very difficult.
Abram Fitzgibbon, an engineer from Ireland with experience building railways around the world, was hired. He suggested using a narrow gauge track. This would make building the railway cheaper. This idea was also debated but was finally accepted. The Queensland railway was the first in the world to be built by a government. Maps for the first part of the line, between Ipswich and Bigge's Camp, were finished by the end of 1863.
It was decided to run the line from Ipswich to the Darling Downs. This was because Ipswich could already be reached by water. Companies were asked to bid for the building contract at the end of 1863. A famous British company, Peto, Brassey and Betts, won the bid. Most of the materials, including train engines that came in pieces, were sent from Britain to Ipswich by river steamer. The first ground was broken at North Ipswich on February 25, 1864. The first shipment of materials arrived by steamer on August 15, 1864.
The Wharf Line and Its Importance
A railway line was built down to the wharf to receive materials. These materials were then moved to a workshop area on higher ground. People wanted a bridge across the river, so the plan changed. The end of the railway line was moved to South Ipswich, in the town's business center. A bridge was built to carry both road and rail traffic. It was finished just in time for the opening of the first section of railway to Grandchester on July 31, 1865.
To save money, most bridges on the first railway line were made of timber. The Bremer River Rail Bridge was the most important of four metal bridges. Both it and the Heiner Road overpass had stone supports that looked similar. The supports of the Bremer River bridge were later rebuilt, and the bridge itself was replaced, carrying only road traffic.
The Wharf Line stayed important until Ipswich was connected to Brisbane by rail in 1874. After that, river traffic became less important. The line was later extended to Hancock's sawmill and was used for many years. The railway workshop activities soon grew too big for the area near the overpass. A new site for the North Ipswich Railway Workshops was chosen in 1884. Only a stores building from the 1870s remains at the original site.
The Heiner Road overpass became much less important when the new David Trumpy Bridge opened in 1965. The old 1865 road bridge was taken down, leaving only its stone supports. These supports have worn down a lot over time, and some stones are missing from the top. The bridge itself has been replaced at least once. The current bridge, made of concrete and timber, doesn't cover the full width of the old stone supports. It is now covered with gravel. The railway tracks and wooden sleepers of the wharf line were replaced over the years and have now been removed, as has the wharf.
What the Overpass Looks Like
The stone supports of the overpass are on the north side of the Bremer River. They are near the supports of the 1865 Bremer River bridge. They are also behind the old goods store, which was part of the first Railway Workshops at Ipswich. The overpass carries a road, but the railway track that used to run between the supports has been removed. You can still see where the railway used to be in some places. Look for dips in the ground where the wooden sleepers once lay, and even old hand-forged spikes.
The stone supports are about 21 feet (6.4 meters) apart. They are held up by strong walls on each side. They are built from large, layered blocks of sandstone. This sandstone has a medium to coarse grain and some pebbles. The blocks are held together with lime mortar. The stone has worn down a lot over time, but you can still see marks from where the edges were shaped on some blocks. You might also see drips of poured lead between and on the front of some blocks.
The concrete bridge that goes over the cutting is quite new. It has the year "LXXXX" (1990) marked on it. It doesn't cover the full width of the old stone supports. It has simple wooden handrails on the sides.
Why It's a Heritage Site
The Heiner Road Railway Overpass was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on May 28, 2004, because it meets important rules.
Showing Queensland's History
The Heiner Road Railway Overpass is important because it shows a key moment in Queensland's development. It represents the very first part of the new colony's railway network, which opened in 1865. The Wharf Line was built even before the main railway line between Ipswich and Grandchester. Most of the parts for the railway came by ship from Britain. So, the line connecting the government wharf to the workshops, where everything was put together, was built first. This was a vital part of how the railway was constructed. The original plans for the strong stone supports of this overpass still exist. They show how important this overpass was for starting the transport network that Queensland needed to grow.
A Rare Piece of History
This overpass is a rare example of Queensland's earliest railway structures. It is also one of the very few overpass supports in Queensland that are made of stone.
