The Historic Southport Rail Trail

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  • Опубликовано: 28 сен 2024
  • The Ernest Junction Rail Tunnel is a beautiful piece of historical railway infrastructure that is free to visit and easy to access. It was only in 2014 that it was overgrown and almost inaccessible, but thanks to the good folks of Ernest Junction Tunnel Friends - it has been cleaned and opened up!
    I followed the old Southport Rail Trail, also known as the South Coast Rail Line, from its old historic terminus point at Scarborough St, and followed it all the way to the amazing tunnel, trying to locate any old historical remains. And I end the journey locating the last standing concrete Pylon at the Coombabah Creek which enable trains to cross over this creek once upon a time!
    Relevant Links:
    My Wikiloc GPX here: www.wikiloc.co...
    My inspiration for this adventure came from this site: strikhedonia.w... Full credit where credit is due!
    www.railtrails...
    en.wikipedia.o...
    en.wikipedia.o...
    / ernestjunction
    www.rogerswebs...
    My Ultra-Compact Coffee Stove: • My ULTRA-COMPACT loado...
    WANT TO SUPPORT ME? My videos are free to watch, but are not free to make. If you enjoy my content and want to support my work - I am very grateful. Here's the link: ko-fi.com/jelb...
    MUSIC ATTRIBUTION:
    Song: Myuu - Stillstand
    License: Creative Commons (CC BY 3.0) creativecommon...
    / myuuji
    Music powered by BreakingCopyright: breakingcopyri...
    🔻 "CREEPY WHISTLING Sound Effect" is under a Creative Commons (CC BY 3.0) license (reuse allowed).
    / darklit studio
    🎵 Music provided by ‪@darklitstudio‬
    • CREEPY WHISTLING Sound Effect, FREE-
    " • CREEPY WHISTLING Sound...
    🔺
    #tunnel #urbex #railtrail

Комментарии • 50

  • @michaelswanson7881
    @michaelswanson7881 5 дней назад +1

    WOW, it's still there, I rode dirt bikes through that tunnel in the 80's, there was bush from there all the way to the back of Southport back then with tracks everywhere. Many a fun time had on my 82 XR200 at the "mud flats" and the "duck ponds". Thanks for bringing back some memories of great times.

  • @bigboy9693
    @bigboy9693 29 дней назад +6

    When I was 6 years old, we used to camp behind the skating rink at Coolangatta and I would go over every morning to watch the steam train pull into the station.

  • @KSmith-ez3dh
    @KSmith-ez3dh 13 дней назад +1

    Amazing walk, thankyou! Love your travels and chats. Appreciate all your channels. So real! And what adds special credence to your videos are your followers who can contribute to the history for me. They may live in the areas you explore with such an enjoyable personality, have lived the history, or be caring for the history for us; they are filling in the gaps for us. As a librarian I find this sharing of knowledge at its best and shown here in your videos. Much appreciated everyone.

    • @offtrackxplorer
      @offtrackxplorer  13 дней назад +1

      Glad you enjoyed it. It's great when viewers contribute their knowledge on these vids. Definitely valuable!

    • @KSmith-ez3dh
      @KSmith-ez3dh 11 дней назад

      So many views on this video! Well done!!!!

  • @danceingdave3
    @danceingdave3 12 дней назад

    When I lived on the Gold Coast in late 1990's, I was told a separate station master's house formed part of Southport station. After the line closure, it may have been re-sited to along Scarborough St. From memory, it was an old Queenslander-style house. During my time on the Coast, it operated as a restaurant.

  • @garyholt4445
    @garyholt4445 21 день назад +3

    You made a few mistakes at the start. The club the music emanated from is Club CSI and that was the location of the station. Behind the club is a child care centre and behind that there are pensioner units that face High Street. The pensioner units were built on the railway track corridor. The line went diagonally across the intersection to another set of pensioner units on the corner of Johnston
    Street and High Street. The line skirted St Hilda’s school and ran across the roadway into Jackman Street then across Loders Creek. The Butterfly and Senses Gardens contains a pathway. That pathway was the train line.

  • @Tomdogful
    @Tomdogful 24 дня назад +2

    Interesting take on this trail as we regularly ride it on bikes.
    I believe there is an ancient colvert of the same vintage as tunnel.
    To the West of tunnel.

    • @offtrackxplorer
      @offtrackxplorer  24 дня назад

      It's a great line for bikes I can see. Yes, I only found out about that small culvert after this video. I'll have to head back to locate it🤞

  • @keithwilson1554
    @keithwilson1554 20 дней назад +5

    I moved into that Tunnel Area in 2004 while building my home. I regularly visited the Tunnel and as it was Unknown it had no Graffiti and No Gates or Concrete fences around the Area. It was used to dump stolen cars, rubbish even Asbestos. Which I used to report. The Fence and Gates were put up by the TMR as they own the Land and i pointed out what a Fire Hazard (which was made worse by the nearby residents dumping their Lawn Clippings) it would be if there was no barrier. The Hard working Ernest Volunteers came later and were happy with the Graffiti Artists coming in. If you walked further along away from the Tunnel you may have picked up a Rail Spike or two lying around. I proposed to the volunteer group that a small line be laid through the Tunnel and a Train with 2 or 3 Carriages that could do a short trip then stop for people to have Dinner/Lunch in the Restaurant Car. All Electric but look like a steam Train. Ghost tours and a First Australian Cultural Show. But that's a Tourist business which requires huge money.

    • @offtrackxplorer
      @offtrackxplorer  17 дней назад +1

      I now wish I walked a bit further on, I enjoy finding rail spikes! I love your electric train tour idea, does have merit!

  • @samshepherd26
    @samshepherd26 28 дней назад +6

    I've kayaked up Loders creek before, there are some old pilons from a train bridge in the creek.

    • @offtrackxplorer
      @offtrackxplorer  28 дней назад +3

      I had a sneaky suspicion that I missed them.... 🙄

  • @LawpickingLocksmith
    @LawpickingLocksmith 11 дней назад +2

    Good work mate.

    • @offtrackxplorer
      @offtrackxplorer  11 дней назад

      Thanks 👍👍

    • @LawpickingLocksmith
      @LawpickingLocksmith 11 дней назад +1

      @@offtrackxplorer Should have used them abandoned trolley for advertising then you would earn some real money?

    • @offtrackxplorer
      @offtrackxplorer  11 дней назад

      Lol... I like your thinking! I'm gonna bring little RUclips advertising placards to hang off abandoned trolleys from now on 😂

    • @LawpickingLocksmith
      @LawpickingLocksmith 11 дней назад

      @@offtrackxplorer Not my thinking but as part of the new socialism you gotta be woke so some form of public property destruction is getting all the algorithm going.

  • @adamclarke2199
    @adamclarke2199 22 дня назад +1

    My Old boss started as a Lad Porter for QR at Southport Railway station in 1962. Retired from QR in 2017.

  • @trudiswanson9855
    @trudiswanson9855 29 дней назад +1

    I really appreciate this exploration. Interesting video. 👍

  • @jouebien
    @jouebien 6 дней назад

    ripped up along with Coolangatta, Mt Morgan & Yeppoon/Emu Park Lines. The Nationals (doing there best Margaret Thatcher impersonation) didn't want to spend the money to upgrade the line or purchase more DH locos (the only loco on the books that was light enough for the line but they were all in use further north) and non wooden rolling stock.

  • @johngilby2402
    @johngilby2402 29 дней назад +2

    Hi John that's not the good stuff.its caster oil. Deadly .look up Ricin.

    • @offtrackxplorer
      @offtrackxplorer  29 дней назад

      I know... just my sarcasm, I can't help it. :)

    • @geoffgunn9673
      @geoffgunn9673 29 дней назад

      Rape seed oil boiled in hydrocloric acid to make it somewhat safe and call it canola from Canadian oil .

  • @jessriggio2603
    @jessriggio2603 20 дней назад

    No all the dogs are in the town centre, excuse me miss got a spare smoke ? Excuse me miss got a spare $2

  • @BrettNoneya
    @BrettNoneya 27 дней назад +3

    around the 15:40 where you decided the train line would have gone through the dugout area. I would give a good bet that if you ran a metal detector over the footpath there might be rail lines under it. Doubt they would go to the expense of removing them.

    • @offtrackxplorer
      @offtrackxplorer  27 дней назад +1

      I reckon you'd be right on the money!

    • @351xb1973
      @351xb1973 22 дня назад

      from what my parents told me they pulled up most of the tracks. There was an old rail bridge near helensvale that was still standing in the early 80s. Dad took us fishing off it. Was really quite pretty there back then. It all industrial around there there now

  • @martyn1107
    @martyn1107 19 дней назад +4

    Great video on the Southport line but unfortunately the location of the station building is not correct it was right next to the Railway hotel where there was a trestle bridge that went over Scarbourgh st. The turntable was under the worker club and the yard went all the way down to Marine Pde. I have lots of pics of the area when it was in it's hey day along with the Johnson family sawmill which was next door. If you want to see a scale model of the area go to the Miniature Train Club at Heritage park in Pimpama and you can see a scale model of the area as it was. The station at Ernest Junction just a passing loop where the Southport train was joined onto the train coming from Tweed Heads and people could get onto the correct cars for their destination.. Anyhow I could go on for hours on this train line and the rest of the South Coast line. But as I said a good effort for a non train buff. Well done.

  • @martyn1107
    @martyn1107 19 дней назад +3

    Great video on the Southport line but unfortunately the location of the station building is not correct it was right next to the Railway hotel where there was a trestle bridge that went over Scarbourgh st. The turntable was under the worker club and the yard went all the way down to Marine Pde. I have lots of pics of the area when it was in it's hey day along with the Johnson family sawmill which was next door. If you want to see a scale model of the area go to the Miniature Train Club at Heritage park in Pimpama and you can see a scale model of the area as it was. There was no station at Ernest Junction just a passing loop where the Southport train was joined onto the train coming from Tweed Heads. Anyhow I could go on for hours on this train line and the rest of the South Coast line. But as I said a good effort for a non train buff. Well done.

    • @offtrackxplorer
      @offtrackxplorer  17 дней назад +1

      I wish I knew about the miniature train club and scale model earlier! Thanks for the info. When I film and do these kinds of videos, I often don't have all the info at the time, nor after, until people wiser than I begin commenting and filling in the blanks or correcting info... but that's the way it goes and I think it's great that people do take the time to provide these relevant comments. Thanks very much Martyn for your info!

  • @Wez4214
    @Wez4214 29 дней назад +3

    You missed the old rail pieces to your right hand side at 25:52 they're leaning against a tree

    • @offtrackxplorer
      @offtrackxplorer  29 дней назад +3

      Aaah, that's a bummer! I knew I'd miss some things after putting up the video. Thanks anyways :)

  • @trainingtheworld5093
    @trainingtheworld5093 29 дней назад +2

    Good work to take one for the team. Amazing how much of a dump Southport has become. Why the hell do the sc um have to tag the tunnel? They can’t leave anything alone for historical purposes can they?

    • @Steve211Ucdhihifvshi
      @Steve211Ucdhihifvshi 20 дней назад

      Poor parenting, and children that should have been removed from their so called parents that cant be done anymore because we are "sorry" aparently.

  • @teephillips9621
    @teephillips9621 21 день назад +1

    I wonder if the locomotive is still on the park just near the beach at Southport

    • @ValRigoli
      @ValRigoli 20 дней назад +1

      No It's not, it was removed many years ago and taken to Swanbank where it was stripped down, and then on sold to Mary Valley Rattler folks up in Gympie.
      Fund fact this train that was in the park in Southport was a C17, however locos that large never ran on our Brisbane south railways, they were too heavy, the largest and most common was the PB15 class loco.

  • @Gee-kb2pv
    @Gee-kb2pv 18 дней назад +1

    Used to ride our bush bikes out there years ago.
    Along the rail line before there where any houses out there. 👍

    • @offtrackxplorer
      @offtrackxplorer  17 дней назад

      It's a great place... much more ridable now with concrete pathways.

  • @SamWolfandCo.fossickandfind
    @SamWolfandCo.fossickandfind День назад

    I remember our cadet training was done in this area west from the Southport State High School and sports days it was just off the track. As far as haunted goes maybe the ghost of empty booze bottles or bravery tests by the local hoons and the occasional lost cherry . Haunted, Not really that's just to keep the youngsters away so the older youths could have it for their ceremonies of initiations and under age boozing and smoking weed. and that's back in the 60's and of cause the local bikies used it occasionally . There was a train track still around into the late 60's early 70's in Scarborough Street near Nind Street just 50metres from the pub if memory serves me right and the pub was on the north-west corner of the mentioned streets this is also where the Southport State High School male teachers went for their sedatives, I don't know how they got away with drinking during school hours?

  • @Iseekoutthetruth
    @Iseekoutthetruth 29 дней назад +1

    I Always Enjoy Your Hikes, You Go Anywhere, Anytime. Cool Tunnel, But... Why Do They Have A Picture Of A Star War Storm Trooper. Captian Phasma? Time Stamp 32:21. Seems Outta Place. Loved The Graffiti.

    • @offtrackxplorer
      @offtrackxplorer  29 дней назад +1

      Rain, Hail or Shine.... I prefer sunshine where possible :) I have no idea about the Star Wars Storm Trooper, lol.... they must have been high on the good stuff.

  • @craigservin1564
    @craigservin1564 29 дней назад +2

    Good on you John. I always enjoy your videos and I do quite a bit of this type of thing myself (just don’t RUclips it). Let me know if ever you want company or want to find a new walk/ride! I’m Logan based just like you!

    • @offtrackxplorer
      @offtrackxplorer  29 дней назад +1

      Thanks Craig.... another Logan Xplorer!! Awesome stuff. Thanks for letting me know - will keep it in mind. :)

  • @fairweee8058
    @fairweee8058 29 дней назад +2

    Entertaining as always 🙌