Choo Choo: Land without railways

BY BARNEY ORERE[email protected] New SeriesPart 1 of 4 When we ran the railway series recently it attracted some reaction.

Railway buff, Michael Pearson sent in the following. Confusing the LNG train with a railway train is one thing but The Drum did miss the last train by about 95 years. A train operated from Nouga Nouga landing to the sisal plantations at Fairfax Harbour and Fairfax Harbour North.

These plantations were along the Lealea road from the Boira Junction to the LNG site from early 1900s to 1929. It not only included railway lines in the sisal plantations but also down to Fairfax Harbour about where the Lealea road turns off from the Porebada road. A few sisal plants remain to say they once cover about 6000 hectare or more.Michael Pearson

MOUNTAIN ROADS OR RAILWAYSDear Editor, Post-Courier Friday April 14, pages 22, 25 and 26 ran two articles on transport in our mountains. Page 22 the often repeated story of deteriorating mountain roads – this time to Lumusa. Pages 25 and 26 about Sogeri with a picture of the Cairns – Kuranda railway.

This weekend the Snake Road to Sogeri one of our best kept mountain roads bit again. Yet in the last 100 years, how many times have we built mountain roads just to have them washed away? But in the same period under Australian and National administrations very few attempts have been made to use mountain railways to provide transportation in mountain areas.

The most notable examples are the 7 mile (10.4 Km) access line to the Block 10 gold mine at Umuna on Misima Island (1920s). Also the much less known Banio plantation that used a light railway with a 1 in 20 grade from 1937 until the 1960s.The only other attempts were during the Second World War by both Australians (1) and Japanese (at least 2) using cable haulage. PNG’s only attempt was in the 1970s in the Huon Peninsula, where after a trip to Europe to study railways, Sir Iambakey Okuk suggested a funicular railway.

It is still there after 40 years but it seems to have been forgotten as a positive example. An article in the newspaper last year raised the plight of this little railway but also showed it operated for over 30 years without any further government assistance. Most mountain roads are dangerous and literally money down the drain.

When are we going to change our approach to transport in mountainous areas?Michael R. Pearson RAISING SUPPLIES UP THE MOUNTAIN SIDE

PAPUA: FAIRFAX HARBOUR PLANTATIONSOn July 22 (1915) the directors of the Fairfax Harbour Plantations, Papua, entertained his Excellency the Lieutenant-Governor of Papua(Judge Murray). It was stated by the management that 2000 acres were planted with sisal hemp, and of this area 100 acres were being cropped for leaf for fibre. On the two plantations, 12 miles of tramway have been laid down for the collection of the leaves of the plants (bolding mine MRP 13/3/23), a 50 h.p. engine (this was not a locomotive but rather a stationary engine to drive machineryMRP 13/3/23) installed, and a decorticating machine erected capable of turning out three tons of fibre a day.

At luncheon at the manager’s residence Mr A S. Bloomfield said that the company had always received from every member of the Government the greatest courtesy and assistance. The Sydney Morning Herald (NSW : 1842 – 1954)Friday 3 September 1915Thursday, August 18 (1921)At a quarter Past Eleven O’clock,At 131 William Street, Melbourne.IMPORTANT LEASEHOLDS,Near PORT MORESBY.

PAPUA.THE NORTH FAIRFAX HARBOR PLANTATIONS LIMITED (In Liquidation), PAPUA.G. B. APPLETON and Co have received instructions from the liquidator of the above company to SELL by AUCTION, at their rooms, 131 William street, Melbourne, at a quarter-past eleven o’clock on Thursday August 18, 1921,

THE ASSETS BELONGING TO THE ABOVE COMPANY, as Follows:-Leasehold – 5210 acres of land, held under lease for approximately 86 years from the Papuan Government, at a rental of about 1/- per acre per annum, of which 1060 acres have been planted with sisal hemp (200 acres being in bearing, and the balance expected to come into bearing during the next year). Practically the whole of the remaining area, viz., 4150 acres, is suitable for the culture of sisal hemp. During the company’s existence 8 1/4 tons of hemp of an excellent quality have been produced, and has always commanded a good price.

The property is situated north of and adjoins The Fairfax Harbour Plantations Limited, and has been worked in conjunction with that company, using that company’s rolling stock and mill on a tonnage royalty basis: and the buildings of the North Fairfax Company consist of coolie quarters of value of GBP300. The whole of the assets will be offered as a going concern, and possession will be given as and from June 15, 1921, being date of liquidation of the company.Full particulars may be obtained from the auctioneer, or the office of liquidator, A.S. Bloomfield 84 William Street, Melbourne.

Fairfax Harbour Plantation landing rediscovered2pm Wednesday August 29, 2012Northern End of Fairfax Harbour – PNGAfter reading the sale notice on Trove and archive reports about FHP having a 4 mile tramline to the harbour I checked it out on the Google and today dressed appropriately and having some time to spare and another Scout , Mr Morea, with me and an exceptionally low tide, I decided to see what I could find. The site I wanted to check had a large truck parked in the access to it, so I looked further along but when the truck moved came back to the first site – this is where the sea comes to about 100m from the road. Going through to the mud flats this spot was strewn with large stones which had clearly come from the hills further inland.Closer investigation showed they were part of a causeway much of which is still in formation but over grown with mangroves.

Closer to the shore were found sisal plants growing on the raised landing.I hoped to return and have a better look at this and also the possible route of the line.This may be very difficult as the plantation site has been very much affected by the LNG Project developments.(December 2022 a lot of construction has taken place on the site so it is probable no longer discernible.MRP 13/3/23) The 12 miles of network tramline would have been beyond where the line shown ends in a grid iron pattern covering 3,000 acres 1,500 hectares. Lines would have been about 100m apart and about 1.600km in length.

Barney there were also about 12 miles (18 km) of tramline in a network in the plantation.Michael

PARTS 2- 4 COMMENCES TOMORROW: JAPANESE BUILT RAILWAYS IN PNG, LAND WITHOUT RAILWAYS BY RAILWAY HISTORIAN MICHAEL PEARSON