Boolboonda Tunnel

Copper was discovered in the Mount Perry area in the second half of the nineteenth century. Mining activities led to agitation for a link between the mines of the Mount Perry region and a port. In 1872 proposals of a private railway line were considered, and both Maryborough and Bundaberg vied to secure the line. These plans were never executed however. Rather, it was decided a state-owned line would be constructed. Thornloe Smith, Engineer in charge of Railway Surveys, conducted a survey from North Bundaberg to Mount Perry in 1875. Thornloe's survey noted the country was rugged, and eventual surveying plans called for a tunnel to pierce part of the Boolboonda Range. The Bundaberg Railway, as it was called, was constructed in two sections. The first section, North Bundaberg to Moolboolaman, was constructed by Overend and Company and opened on 19 July 1881, although timber specials had run for some months previously. The second section, including the tunnel works, was approved in November 1880. == Description ==

The Boolboonda Railway Tunnel, in length, is located on Tunnel Road, approximately in a north-easterly direction from the town of Mount Perry. Constructed through granite rock, the tunnel is unlined and unsupported. The tunnel is presently used by vehicular traffic. == Heritage listing ==

Boolboonda Railway Tunnel was listed on the Queensland Heritage Register on 24 September 1999 having satisfied the following criteria. '''The place is important in demonstrating the evolution or pattern of Queensland's history.''' The Boolboonda Railway Tunnel is important in demonstrating the pattern of Queensland's history as evidence of the rail line from Bundaberg to Mount Perry built in the 1880s. '''The place demonstrates rare, uncommon or endangered aspects of Queensland's cultural heritage.''' The place demonstrates a rare aspect of Queensland's cultural heritage as an early example of one of the few railway tunnels built in Queensland not requiring lining or support. The tunnel is also made unusual by the absence of portals to the entries of the tunnel. The place is important because of its aesthetic significance. The Boolboonda Railway Tunnel is of aesthetic significance as a picturesque element in the landscape. The place has a strong or special association with a particular community or cultural group for social, cultural or spiritual reasons. The tunnel is of social significance to the local community. == See also ==