Boolboonda Tunnel
| Boolboonda Tunnel | |
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Boolboonda Railway Tunnel western portal, 2009
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| Location | Tunnel Road, Boolboonda, Bundaberg Region, Queensland, Australia |
| Coordinates | 25°04′53″S 151°40′33″E / 25.0815°S 151.6757°ECoordinates: 25°04′53″S 151°40′33″E / 25.0815°S 151.6757°E |
| Design period | 1870s - 1890s (late 19th century) |
| Built | 1881 - 1884 |
| Official name: Boolboonda Railway Tunnel, SEQ-6Q 1 | |
| Type | state heritage (built) |
| Designated | 24 September 1999 |
| Reference no. | 601516 |
| Significant period | 1880s (fabric) 1884-1960 (historical railway use of tunnel) |
| Significant components | cutting - railway, tunnel - railway |
| Builders | O'Rourke & McSharry |
 Location of Boolboonda Tunnel in Queensland
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Boolboonda Tunnel is an abandoned heritage-listed railway tunnel at Tunnel Road, Boolboonda, Bundaberg Region, Queensland, Australia. The tunnel is 192 m in length making it the longest unsupported man-made tunnel in Queensland. Its construction represented an important engineering feat for rail transport in Queensland. It was built from 1881 to 1884 by O'Rourke & McSharry. It is also known as Boolboonda Railway Tunnel and SEQ-6Q 1. It was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 24 September 1999.
The Boolboonda Railway Tunnel opened 12 November 1883 following a construction period of two years. It was built by Queensland Government Railways as part of the Bundaberg to Mount Perry railway line, constructed to service the Mount Perry copper mines. It took two years to dig and was officially opened on 2 November 1883.The line was deviated in 1960 and tracks removed the following year. The section of the line between Tirroan and Mount Perry closed in 1960 and was removed in 1961.
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.
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