IN June 1992, a front page story reported that it had become “increasingly obvious that the term Railway Towns … was not indicative of the area and residents would prefer a more suitable name”.
A competition was held by the Caloundra City Council, with a $100 prize on offer for a new name. Dozens of suggestions poured in, including Pineapple Ribbon, Captain Cook Corridor, Glasshouse Strip and Towns of the Colonial Corridor.
The ultimate winner was, of course, Glasshouse Country.
The GC News at the time seemed somewhat ambivalent, writing that Railway Towns was “a choice made many years ago” and besides, “Shakespeare didn’t place any significance in a name”.
Two months later the front page announced: “It’s Official: Glasshouse Country (re-born)”.
“Glasshouse Country will now be registered officially as an area name, and beware those ‘Caloundra folk’ who DARE to call our lovely area the Railway Towns, eh?” the story concluded.
Yet while the name changed, the influence of the railway never disappeared.
The impact of the rail line on our hinterland towns cannot be overstated.
Soon after GC News arrived came the first electric train service in 1988. The newspaper itself would have travelled on those first services, although according to reports at the time, staff declined the opportunity to ride the inaugural train because it fell on Friday the 13th and “anything can happen”.
Less amusing were the battles that followed as governments sought to modernise the transport corridor.
In 1997, a decision was made that would permanently alter Beerwah when the State Government approved a new overpass requiring the closure of the level crossing between Simpson Street and Beerwah Parade.
For generations, the crossing had connected both sides of town. The overpass improved traffic flow but effectively divided Beerwah in two.
The Chamber of Commerce was particularly concerned about the impact on local businesses.
Then-Caloundra MP Mark McArdle railed against what he described as an “arbitrarily determined” decision to close the crossing without properly considering the impact on the town’s economy and emergency services.
“The feel of Beerwah as a small community will be forever destroyed,” he was quoted as saying.
The fight was ultimately lost, but the debate never really went away. The question of a town divided remains today, with large social housing developments, plans for greater density and increasingly busy roads only sharpening the discussion.
If the railway shaped the Glasshouse Country of the past, it is about to shape its future on a scale never before seen. Two of the largest infrastructure projects in the hinterland’s history are now underway and will transform the region once again.
The $5.5 billion Wave rail project and the Beerburrum to Nambour Stage 1 rail upgrade promise to make travel between the Sunshine Coast and Brisbane faster, more frequent and more reliable. In doing so, they will make the hinterland’s railway towns, whether we still call them that or not, even more attractive to commuters and new residents.
Wave, due for completion ahead of the 2032 Olympic Games, will connect Beerwah directly to Caloundra. Combined with rail duplication north to Beerburrum, it will significantly improve capacity and make travel to Brisbane far easier than today’s half-hourly services.
For four decades, GC News has chronicled the changes that have swept through Glasshouse Country. From the debate over a name, to the fight over a crossing, to the arrival of major rail infrastructure, one theme has remained constant: change arrives on the tracks.
The difference today is the scale. The railway that once created these towns is about to reshape them again.