Biloela railway station

Biloela
Former station building in June 2026
General information
Location97 Callide Street, Biloela[1]
Coordinates24°23′58″S 150°30′31″E / 24.39949°S 150.50867°E / -24.39949; 150.50867
OwnerQueensland Rail[2]
OperatorQueensland Rail
Platforms1
Other information
StatusClosed
History
Opened24 August 1925 (24 August 1925)
Closed30 June 2013 (30 June 2013)
Location

Biloela was a railway station operated by Queensland Rail on the Callide Valley line.[3] It opened in 1925 and served the Central Queensland town of Biloela until its closure in 2013.[4] It was a ground level station, featuring one side platform.[5] Although it was mainly used for freight, the station was used for passengers services when the line was at its peak.[5][6]

History

Biloela station opened on 24 August 1925 as part of the extension of the Callide Valley railway line (which opened one year prior) from Callide to Thangool.[5] The station included a goods yard and contained a number of sidings, including several that were opened in the years following the station's opening.[7] In 1933, the Railway Department named Biloela as having one of the most beautiful railway station gardens in Queensland.[8]

Beginning in the 1970s, Lindsay Hartwig, who represented the electorate of Callide – which includes Biloela – in the Queensland Legislative Assembly as a member of the National Party (and later as an independent), repeatedly raised the issue of the state of the wooden station building.[9] Hartwig described it as a "damned disgrace to the department" and said "the station master's office would not even make a good chicken coop".[10] Then-transport minister Keith Hooper told Hartwig in 1976 that "the existing facilities adequately meet requirements" and it was "not practicable to entertain the request" of a new building because of limited financial resources.[10]

After his appointment in 1977 as transport minister, Ken Tomkins visited Biloela with Hartwig to announce that approval had been granted for the provision of a new station building; Tomkins said in May 1979 that he was "hopeful that the work will be carried out in [the 1979–80 financial year]".[11] Two years later, no construction had begun, with Hartwig saying in November 1981 that "prisoners at Etna Creek live in better conditions than the railway workers of Queensland" and the station remained in "shameful condition".[12][13]

New transport minister Don Lane stated in March 1982 that it had it was not yet "practicable" to fund the construction, but later that year, he told Hartwig that it was "first on the list of priorities for station buildings to be reconstructed in [Central Queensland] when funds are available".[14][15] Construction of the new building eventually began in 1983 and was completed in 1984.[5]

Following the closure of the line to Thangool in January 1988, Biloela became the line's terminus; around this point, it was a 7.7-kilometre (4.8 mi) branch from Dakenba.[16] In the 1990s, the Queensland Government threatened to close the line to Biloela because it was considered unviable; the line remained after several local businesses committed to using it for freight.[17]

In May 2009, Queensland Rail (QR) confirmed it was considering the future of freight rail services to Biloela, which had been losing more than A$1 million annually.[18] In mid-2010, the twice-weekly Seafreighter rail service from Biloela to the Port of Brisbane was replaced with heavy trucks.[19]

Closure

On 30 June 2013, the railway line from Dakenba to Biloela was closed, effectively closing the station.[20][21]

In December 2016, it was announced that the State Emergency Service (SES) facility in Biloela would be relocated from its shed adjacent to the Biloela fire station to the railway station building.[5] The project received A$300,000 in funding from the Queensland Government at a total cost of A$409,000.[22] It officially opened on 14 March 2018.[23]

References

  1. ↑ "SES Group Locations" (PDF). Queensland SES. 2025. Archived from the original (PDF) on 13 June 2026. Retrieved 13 June 2026.
  2. ↑ "Biloela & District 2017/2027 Place Based Plan" (PDF). Banana Shire Council. 2017. Archived from the original (PDF) on 13 June 2026. Retrieved 13 June 2026.
  3. ↑ "BILOELA STATION MASTER RETIRES". Bundaberg News-Mail. 5 July 1946. p. 4. Retrieved 13 June 2026.
  4. ↑ "BILOELA". The Central Queensland Herald. 8 May 1952. p. 24. Retrieved 13 June 2026.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 Edge-Williams, Ken (2018). "Biloela: A Modern Branch to Model" (PDF). ZelmerOz. Archived from the original (PDF) on 13 June 2026. Retrieved 13 June 2026.
  6. ↑ "QLD rail terminals: Biloela". Queensland Rail Freight. Archived from the original on 25 July 2008. Retrieved 13 June 2026.
  7. ↑ "EXTENSION BILOELA STATION". The Morning Bulletin. 16 August 1938. p. 6. Retrieved 13 June 2026.
  8. ↑ "RAILWAY GARDENS". Queensland Times. 21 October 1933. p. 8. Retrieved 15 June 2026.
  9. ↑ "Hansard" (PDF). Queensland Parliament. 1 April 1976. Archived from the original (PDF) on 15 September 2025. Retrieved 13 June 2026.
  10. 1 2 "Hansard" (PDF). Queensland Parliament. 12 October 1976. Archived from the original (PDF) on 26 November 2024. Retrieved 13 June 2026.
  11. ↑ "Hansard" (PDF). Queensland Parliament. 23 May 1979. Archived from the original (PDF) on 13 June 2026. Retrieved 13 June 2026.
  12. ↑ "Hansard" (PDF). Queensland Parliament. 6 May 1981. Archived from the original (PDF) on 13 June 2026. Retrieved 13 June 2026.
  13. ↑ "Hansard" (PDF). Queensland Parliament. 17 November 1981. Archived from the original (PDF) on 13 June 2026. Retrieved 13 June 2026.
  14. ↑ "Hansard" (PDF). Queensland Parliament. 3 March 1982. Archived from the original (PDF) on 13 June 2026. Retrieved 13 June 2026.
  15. ↑ "Hansard" (PDF). Queensland Parliament. 25 November 1982. Archived from the original (PDF) on 13 June 2026. Retrieved 13 June 2026.
  16. ↑ "Rail Network Strategy for Queensland" (PDF). Queensland Government. 2001. Archived from the original (PDF) on 13 June 2026. Retrieved 13 June 2026.
  17. ↑ "Moura Short Line". Trains of Queensland. 19 May 2023. Archived from the original on 13 June 2026. Retrieved 13 June 2026.
  18. ↑ "Central freight rail services face uncertain future". ABC News. 21 May 2009. Archived from the original on 13 June 2026. Retrieved 13 June 2026.
  19. ↑ "Queensland Rail preps for IPO, boosts 'Seafreighter' capacity". Progressive Railroading. 3 October 2010. Archived from the original on 11 February 2026. Retrieved 13 June 2026.
  20. ↑ "Network infrastructure ownership" (PDF). Queensland Rail. October 2014. Archived from the original (PDF) on 3 July 2025. Retrieved 13 June 2026.
  21. ↑ "Draft Costing Manual" (PDF). Queensland Rail. 22 December 2016. Archived from the original (PDF) on 14 June 2026. Retrieved 14 June 2026.
  22. ↑ "Ordinary Meeting" (PDF). Banana Shire Council. 22 February 2017. Archived from the original (PDF) on 13 June 2026. Retrieved 13 June 2026.
  23. ↑ Crawford, Craig (14 March 2018). "Biloela's new multi-purpose SES facility officially opened". Queensland Government. Archived from the original on 13 June 2026. Retrieved 13 June 2026.
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