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The Palmwoods-Buderim Tramway is a heritage-listed former tramway at Telco Road, Buderim, Sunshine Coast Region, Queensland, Australia. It was built from 1914 and operated until 1935. It was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 28 July 2000. == History == The Palmwoods-Buderim Tramway began operations in December 1914 and provided the impetus for substantial settlement expansion and economic growth in the Buderim area. It was constructed as a "private" tramway, and continued to operate until August 1935. The length of the line was seven miles, fifteen chains (11.5 kilometres), which ran from the Palmwoods railway station across undulating country to Forest Glen on the Bruce Highway, and then climbed to the top of Buderim Mountain.〔 Queensland's coastal areas north of Brisbane, and the hinterland, (now known as the Sunshine Coast) developed rapidly in the1880s. At Buderim, a settlement which developed to service the local farmers, was established by the late 1880s. Shipping of farm and fruit produce from Buderim and surrounds by coastal steamer was complicated by problems with the bar and silting of the Mooloolah and Maroochy rivers. There was great competition in the region, and between regions, for development investment, with the port of Maryborough to the north being a rival for vital road funds.〔 Government railway building began in Queensland in the 1860s and a Gympie to Maryborough section was opened on the North Coast railway line in 1881. An extension from Brisbane through Palmwoods north to Yandina was completed in 1891. The line was neither coastal nor western, lying between Buderim, the Lower Maroochy River, and the Blackall Ranges. However, poor roads hindered access to the railway. The roads up the steep slopes to Buderim were difficult to negotiate, especially in wet weather.〔 Maroochy Shire Council established a committee in 1903 to consider the possibility of a tramway to Buderim. Differences arose between supporters of the Buderim-Palmwoods link, the Buderim-Woombye link, and those lobbying to join with the Moreton sugar mill tramway system near Diddillibah, causing negotiations to continue for some time. During this time, the Maroochy Council purchased tramway lines from the Moreton mill in 1910, and using a government tramways loan of £27 000, extended the line (2 feet gauge) from Nambour to Mapleton west. Finally, an Order in Council for the establishment of the Palmwoods/Buderim tramway was reported on 29 July 1911 in "The Queenslander".〔 The tramway began operations on 1 December 1914 and was officially opened by the Minister for Railways on 18 June 1915. The official party and many others travelled to Buderim on the tram for the ceremony in the School of Arts. With this steady means of transport the Buderim area boomed. The Nambour Chronicle of 16 August 1935 reported that fruit production increased enormously, land values rose to great heights and further land was taken up by settlers at high prices. The tram, to cope with the traffic, had frequently to make two trips a day.〔 The tram became a central feature in the area it serviced. It assumed importance for all social facets of the community, as well as the primary economic purposes. Expectant mothers were driven to the Buderim Station by horse gig to travel to Palmwoods and thence by train to Nambour, to await the birth in one of the maternity nursing homes, there being no hospitals in the region. Passengers from the Vise Road area would be driven in a gig to Telko Station to go to Palmwoods, either to visit Brisbane or Nambour, and then on return by the tram they would get off at Mons Station, to climb the slope and steps up to Mons Road and higher to the present Mons School Road. There was no direct road access to the Mons Station from Mons Road. Loveday records that Mons Station was ''"a mere shed with no visible means of approach"''. Other social uses for the tram included transport to sporting and recreation events, while throughout the depression days those who were drawing the "dole" would travel by tram and then train to Woombye to collect their sustenance allowance.〔 Patrons of the tramway included more than the local population. Passengers from Brisbane would travel to Palmwoods to meet the tram and then journey to Buderim. The tram consisted of perhaps some thirteen wagons, one passenger coach and a guard/brake van, pulled behind a German Krauss or American Shay steam engine. The flat-top wagons had fruit cases placed down their centres along which planks of timber were arranged to form central seats. In this manner about 150 passengers could be carried each trip. and at times two trips per day were made. The visitors would stay in one of the Buderim Guest/Boarding Houses, or travel down to the coast.〔 The tramway began to lose money in the 1920s through lower farm output with less freight revenue, in addition to the effects of a new network of main road transport introducing competition. Other possible influences were that the operations began during World War I, curtailed any planned extensions to economically rationalise the line. A Queensland Survey Office map of the Buderim tramway shows hand drawn lines indicating, perhaps, two alternative track extensions to Maroochydore. Such plans failed during the economic depression of the 1930s. In 1933, the tramway actually ceased to operate for a short period because repairs were needed on the engine operating at that time and there was no balance in the tram working account. The Great Depression possibly added to all other factors to seal the fate of the tramway.〔 The final run of the Buderim tram occurred on 10 August 1935. The last duty of the Buderim tram was to assist in dismantling the railway by delivering the rails, which had been sold to the Moreton Sugar Mill Co., to Palmwoods. Only the rails and engines are recorded as being sold, but the sleepers, bridges and most buildings were also removed at the time or later.〔 The Palmwoods-Buderim Tramway was constructed across some technically difficult terrain as a narrow gauge railway of two feet, six inches. This differed to the three feet, six inches of Queensland Government Rail and two feet of sugar mill trams. The tramway was also a private tramway in that while owned by Council, the Maroochy Shire Council had applied for a government tramway loan and then the 130 ratepayers in the area benefiting from the tramway were levied additional rates to service and repay the loan. The project cost £34 000, of which £21 000 was raised by the loan. The repayment of the loan continued until 1971 when the total had amounted to £84 000.〔 Palmwoods railway station has been much modified since the closure of the line. Electrification of the main line to Nambour in 1988 has removed most signs of both the engine shed to the south and the track which reputedly returned to climb northerly to parallel the still serviceable "Buderim loop" of the government rail near the present car park.〔 The Buderim-Palmwoods Heritage Tramway Inc was established in 2003 to develop a heritage walking track along the tramway and to recover and restore tramway artefacts.〔(【引用サイトリンク】url=http://www.buderim.com/tramway-aims-objectives )〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Palmwoods-Buderim Tramway」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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