This is good news as Qube previously sent export meat and wine from Naracoorte to Melbourne by road, another reason why the line should reopen as far as Naracoorte for the time being

One update since I wrote this is Qube Logistics taking over the operation of a weekly intermodal service from Bordertown to Melbourne since October 2023.

https://www.facebook.com/westernvicrailfan/posts/pfbid034PRwSY3jeHPCXrbfm1dyaEJYjZvpntR9K1aqXwUVg49STizWfefGmqUP5WZkBAbDl

$40 million yet discarded by the then Premier Dean Brown as his interest only was Adelaide based ventures.
Latest cost is now $150 million

I know this is a 2019 post and now 2024 but I’m interested in any information about log trains from Mt Gambier, interesting to read that there was substantial tonnage on the Heywood- Mt G Line, yet officially the tonnage was reported as low volume, yet a video of the last trains in the area show a different story. I’d to know more of Marius van Onselen.
I am preparing a case to reopen the Heywood – Mt Gambier line based on a P3 arrangement. All other attempts have failed because of the reliance of funding from the two States and Australian Governments including the submission put forward by the Limestone Coast RDA to Infrastructure Australia, to date nothing has been heard.
I am contacting a number of organisations, businesses and selected individuals to form a Consortium that would include Public participation ( some form of funding or support) and private funding and development.
The latest news is that the rail line can only go as far as Glenburnie due to the anti rail stance from the City of Mt Gambier but that will change whether they like it or not in the future.

Thanks for the extra info Michael – I knew that the western Victoria branch lines being a late addition to the gauge conversion project, but didn’t realise how cheap Mt. Gambier could have been.

Paper was railed from South East SA to Melb, Sydney and Park Road (Brisbane). I may have some details filed somewhere from a survey that I did back in the 1980’s. The briquettes for mill boilers came from Latrobe Valley in Vic. Some cement traffic and empty wagons also passed between Vic (Fyansford) and Adelaide via Mt. Gambier, because (I think) it helped balance out train loads, with empty cement pots back from Adelaide to the Mount, then the empty wagons plus loaded paper and chipboard into Vic. Likewise loaded cement and briquettes and empty flats and vans for the paper and chipboard ex Vic to SA. Around 1 million tonnes of traffic on rail in and out of Mt.G at that time.

Total madness that funds were not provided as part of the One Nation conversion of western Vic to SG. From memory, at that time, it was about another $8-10 million to convert Heywood – Mt.Gambier. V/Line Freight did the sums and under the leadership of Marinus van Onselen, convinced the feds to fund converting Dimboola – Yaapeet and Murtoa – Hopetoun with a fairly simple calculation that showed that local, state and federal governments would be up for far greater expenditure to upgrade and maintain the roads to handle the traffic if they did not spend less to convert the rail lines, so the money came very quickly! Lined up the combined support of local councils, grain growers, etc, to lobby for the funding. Shows how it can be done!

Late 90’s, I was involved in a look at converting Mt. Gambier – Wolseley to sg, but governments, both labor and liberal in SA and their bureaucrats have no interest nor understanding of rail these days. Was an easy relatively cheap project and could then be run as a short line trundling up from MT.G to interchange loading in and out, east and west at the national Meld -Adl line.

I’ve found some more details about rail traffic to the Kimberly-Clark factory at Millicent here:

https://www.railpage.com.au/f-p1546449.htm
https://www.railpage.com.au/f-p906325.htm

And here’s a 1977 photo of the Mt Gambier freight – plenty of box vans in the consist:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/gcargeeg/3732652091/

But plenty of other general freight as well:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/markcarter/15268237968

I’ve always been interested in the trains that ran to mount gambier and the Millicent Kimberly Clark (previously known as Apcel) mills from Victoria up until the mid 90s when the broad gauge was cut from the standard gauge. From memory coal briquettes were sent to the pulp mill boiler (from where?). and paper sent back in VR vans. From what I understand now all the pulp is imported. But into where, Melbourne / Portland / Geelong? Must be a massive task to haul the pulp in and paper out by road. What a shame rail can no longer serve this mill.

I’m thinking they might use a container tipper:

https://www.google.com/search?q=container+tipper&tbm=isch

I’m guessing that while the logs themselves are packed tightly enough against each other, they are smooth enough that they’ll slide against the sides of the container on the way out.