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Full steam to mark 25 years of railway IT HAS survived two natural disasters and suffered damage totaling0 about $250,000 earlier in the year. By Jalouat Don't miss out on the headlines from Bundaberg. Followed categories will be added to My News. Follow IT HAS survived two natural disasters and suffered damage totaling about $250,000 earlier in the year. And after 25 years, the Australian Sugarcane Railway remains one of the most popular attractions in the Bundaberg region. Operated by a dedicated group of volunteers from the Bundaberg Steam Tramway Preservation Society, the first train made its run at noon on November 20, 1988. One of the founding members of the society, planning engineer Ross Driver, said he and the other volunteers were proud of their achievements and would celebrate the 25th anniversary of the railway this weekend. "We got a locomotive in 1980 and it took us six years to have it fully operational because we only worked on it part-time," he said. "We started off with one steam train and got the second one going in 1992." Mr Driver said now the railway had four steam locomotives and one diesel, carrying more than 450,000 passengers since its inception. "Most of those passengers are locals who keep coming back," he said. In February, Mr Driver was distraught as he recounted to the NewsMail how the floodwaters caused immense damage to locomotives and infrastructure costing them an estimated $250,000 to fix and relocate. After reopening in July, Mr Driver said the hardworking team of volunteers were working on getting their full fleet of locomotives back on track. "There will be a lot going on with all the Centenary Celebrations so we hope people turn out for a great day at the Botanic Gardens. Source: www.couriermail.com.au/news/queensland/bundaberg/full-ste...

The clocks agree - 15:35 !

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So many telegraph wires on that building in the middle.

National Library of Ireland on The Commons 🚴...

Seán Ó Domhnaill A web?

Bundaberg Rum is a dark rum produced in Bundaberg, Queensland, Australia, by the Bundaberg Distilling Company. It is often referred to as "Bundy". In 2010, the Bundaberg Distilling Company was inducted into the Queensland Business Leaders Hall of Fame. Bundaberg Rum originated because the local sugar mills had a problem with what to do with the waste molasses after the sugar was extracted (it was heavy, difficult to transport and the costs of converting it to stock feed were rarely worth the effort). Sugar men first began to think of the profits that could be made from distilling. The vital meeting was held at the Royal Hotel on 1 August 1885, W M C Hickson served as the chairman, and other notables in attendance included all the big sugar mill owners of that time, W G Farquhar, F L Nott, T Austin, J Gale, S McDougall, T Penny, S H Bravo and A H Young, all to become the first directors of the Company. They started with a capital of £5,000. The Bundaberg Distilling Company began its operations in 1888. Bundaberg rum was first produced in 1889. Production ceased from 1907 to 1914 and from 1936 to 1939 after fires, the second of which caused rum from the factory to spill into the nearby Burnett River. Christsen Pty Ltd operated their own Bundaberg Rum bottling plant in Bourbong Street, Bundaberg at the rear of their large grocery and hardware business in the centre of town. The spirit was sold at UP and OP strength from their business. Spokesperson for the original family, Mr Rod Patch, recalls the origins of the shape of the current "Bundy Bottle". It originated from the Bushells Coffee Chicory bottle that Bundaberg residents sold to his grandfather at the firm for one penny a bottle, after which they were washed and filled with the spirit. The shape remains the same but the capacity has been increased to the current 700ml. Patch's great grandfather, Hans Truval Christensen, a Danish immigrant from Copenhagen and his son Frederick Christsen had an employment policy of employing staff from the Salvation Army faith in the rum bottling process as they were less likely to be tempted to sample the spirit. The Christsen family supported settlement farming families through hard times and these good deeds were acknowledged with the naming of Christsen Park at Bargara Beach. Source: kids.kiddle.co/Bundaberg_Rum