On October 31 and November 1 of 2023, fires ravaged the Southern Downs region, destroying homes and burning rail track and bridges in the section Ballandean to Wallangarra,

After reviewing the damage, repairs were costed at $20m.

In March 2024, the Government of the day announced closure of the entire section south of Stanthorpe, despite the track to Ballandean being completely untouched by the fires.

The closure will be contested.

On 12 August 2023, SDSR what may have been the last ever train to the border towns of Wallangarra/Jennings. I was lucky to be there for it.

Enjoy this repost of footage from that day, starting from Stanthorpe and continuing south to Wallangarra.

Photos here:
  / southerndownssteamrailway