Rockhampton – Townsville

This section forms part of Queensland’s North Coast Line (NCL). Early railway development in Queensland focused on connecting inland agricultural and mining areas to the coastal seaports, which by 1891 amounted to eleven separate isolated railways, generally running in an east – west alignment. However even before the NCL Act was passed, authorising the linking of the isolated railways, there were some divisional railways and tramways that crept along the coast.

The Bowen Railway was built to the north in two sections from August 1880 eventually reaching Wangaratta (Bobawaba from 1906) in October 1891. The Ayr Tramway to the North was built between Townsville and Ayr, opening in March 1901. The Tramway was sold to the Government in 1911 to form a section of the NCL. The Proserpine Tramway was built between Bowen and Proserpine from 1908 until 1910.

Construction on what is now the NCL began in Mackay, the home town of the Minister for Railways. The first sod was turned in July 1911 with construction proceeding south to Sarina and opening in June 1913. There were a large number of coastal streams that required bridging, thus becoming an expensive piece of construction. The line was opened to Carmilla in August 1920,

Meanwhile, construction was started north from Rockhampton, reaching Marlborough in March 1917. Wartime restrictions and steel shortages saw a slowing of the pace of construction, with the line taking until till June 1921 to be completed to St Lawrence. The two railheads approaching each other were eventually connected at Clairview in September 1921

In July 1911 work commenced to connect the Ayr Tramway with the Government railhead at Bobawaba, 35 km distant. The two sections reached either bank of the Burdekin on 30 June 1913 A low level bridge over the river was completed by September of that year creating a continuous track between Bowen and Townsville.

Construction north from Mackay required bridging the Pioneer River, and this work commenced in September 1913, but line did not reach Fairleigh until 1918. Also in 1918, construction commenced south from Proserpine towards Mackay. On 1 December 1923, the link between Proserpine and Mackay was opened thus linking Townsville with Brisbane.