{"id":111696,"date":"2015-06-23T22:39:37","date_gmt":"2015-06-23T12:39:37","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/?p=111696"},"modified":"2020-11-12T13:14:21","modified_gmt":"2020-11-12T03:14:21","slug":"upgrade-for-historic-tunnel","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/2015\/06\/23\/upgrade-for-historic-tunnel\/","title":{"rendered":"Upgrade For Historic Tunnel"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/a>
The Muntapa railway tunnel and cutting was built entirely by manual labour more than a century ago<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"\"<\/a>
Cr Sue Englart (Photo: TRC)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

June 23, 2015<\/strong><\/p>\n

Visitors to the historic Muntapa railway tunnel near Cooyar will enjoy easier access after recent work by Toowoomba Regional Council.<\/p>\n

The 287m concrete tunnel is Queensland’s longest straight railway tunnel and the only Queensland tunnel that crosses the summit of the Great Dividing Range.<\/p>\n

It is located in a deep cutting on the Oakey to Cooyar branch rail line which was opened in 1913 and closed in 1964.<\/p>\n

TRC Parks and Recreation portfolio holder Cr Sue Englart said the improvements included a metal staircase to provide safer access and reduce environmental degradation.<\/p>\n

“The walking track leading to the tunnel has been re-aligned to make a circuit trail, and an accessible path has been provided to the lookout to cater for people with a disability,” Cr Englart said.<\/p>\n

“The tunnel is home to a colony of bent-winged bats, and this work provides better access while protecting the micro bats and the cultural heritage of the area.”<\/p>\n

The rail line was built to support small-scale agriculture in the area and provide access to timber reserves at Blackbutt and Nanango.<\/p>\n

“The tunnel serves as a lasting reminder of our pioneering days and the role of the railways in developing our region,” Cr Englart said.<\/p>\n

“Having a unique tunnel in such a secluded location makes a trip to the site a great experience for visitors.”<\/p>\n

The picnic area near the tunnel has a large open space with a picnic table, gas barbecue and waterless toilet and shelter.<\/p>\n

Due to the isolated nature of the location, there is no water supply.<\/p>\n

“There is also interpretive signage throughout the park which includes information about the history of the rail line,” Cr Englart said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Visitors to the Muntapa railway tunnel near Cooyar will enjoy easier access after recent work by Council<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":20,"featured_media":111704,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[3,10],"tags":[1130],"yoast_head":"\nUpgrade For Historic Tunnel - southburnett.com.au<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/2015\/06\/23\/upgrade-for-historic-tunnel\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Upgrade For Historic Tunnel - southburnett.com.au\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Visitors to the Muntapa railway tunnel near Cooyar will enjoy easier access after recent work by Council\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/2015\/06\/23\/upgrade-for-historic-tunnel\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"southburnett.com.au\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2015-06-23T12:39:37+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2020-11-12T03:14:21+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/20150623-muntapa1.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"620\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"385\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Anne Miller\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Anne Miller\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/2015\/06\/23\/upgrade-for-historic-tunnel\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/2015\/06\/23\/upgrade-for-historic-tunnel\/\",\"name\":\"Upgrade For Historic Tunnel - 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