Gold Coast Adventures - Part 1 - Ernest Junction Tunnel

Gold Coast Adventures - Part 1

My hometown, the lovely Gold Coast, Australia. Lovely beaches and lots to do.

This is post number 1 in a series on my hometown. Why you might ask, because I can and I miss posting and blogging here on the Hive platform. Time to pull my finger out and show you around the not so touristy bits of this lovely part of this Australia.

Ernest Junction Railway Tunnel

The Ernest Junction Tunnel was constructed in 1888 to accommodate the steam locomotives travelling from Brisbane to the Gold Coast. There were many day trippers wanting to visit the beaches, and back then, train was the quickest way to travel. The journey took around 3 hours to complete the 50 kilometres or so and had to pass through this tunnel to reach the town of Southport.

Source

The Ernest Junction Railway Tunnel is 114 metres long, 4.4 metres wide at its base and 4.9 metres high, and runs some 21 metres below the crest of the hill it cuts through. It is a curved tunnel and is easily accessible by foot from the road above (as you can see from my 'walking boots').

The tunnel was one of the first in Queensland to be lined with concrete rather than bricks, and its construction is a testament to the fact that it still stands strong today, after around 130 years since it was first opened.

You can walk through at anytime and admire the years of art that now adorns the wall of the tunnel.

A fascinating piece of railway history only minutes from the beaches of the Gold Coast.

Thanks for reading.