After reading the thread about the old Tweed Heads Line, and remembering my visit to Southport by train in 1947 ( when Surfers consisted of Jim Cavill's art-deco hotel and about a dozen fibro shacks), I was looking up maps in my old 1958 edition of Australian Encyclopaedia.
I was surprised to see a railway line to Canungra, which branched off the Beaudesert line at Logan Village and went through North Tamborine.

This line does not appear on an Australian atlas of similar vintage, so I am wondering whether the line was actually built during WW2, knowing Canungra was the Army School of Jungle Warfare, and the country would not be ideal for railway construction. I would be glad if someone as elderly as myself could confirm whether it actually existed or if it was a figment of the cartographers vivid imagination. If it did exist I would appreciate any information.

The Canungra line absolutely existed. It connected at Canungra with Lahey's Tramway, famous for running Climaxes and Shays up from Canungra, through a tunnel (which is a walking track today) to the forests. Construction of the QR branch began in 1913, some years after Lahey's tramway opened, moving logs to their mill.  

The LRRSA have published a book on the tramway - I suggest a Google search for "Canungra Laheys" which will give a number of useful links.

The ARHS Qld book "Destination Sth Brisbane" by John Kerr gives a concise account of the Canungra branch.

There is a reasonable distance between Canungra and the Jungle Warfare Trainng Centre - Canungra. The original training centre was set up c1942 and then closed post -WWII. When it reopened it was the '50s so much of the transport would have been by trucks.

... or if it was a figment of the cartographers vivid imagination. ...

Real carotgraphers don't have an imagination - let alone a vivid one!

(If only we could prosecute the people who come up with the scribbles in the front of science fiction books!  Make them join the guild!!  Force them into a harsh and cruel 20-year apprenticeships!!!)

How many amateur cartographers does it take to draw a railway map?  As many as you like, but each is limited to only 37 bridges and tunnels crossing the Brisbane River!  (Zen Dave grins, ducks, and runs away now and hides out at Cartography Club eating prime meridian steak, and drinking mercatoritas.)

Logan village has an extensive railway heritage. I believe theres been a few attempts at putting a line through there over the years for one reason or another.

Even today you can still see and find remnants of said lines around the village and theres hundreds of old timers, no offence lol, or locals who will be more then happy to tell you the local history.

There is an old line which isnt in use anymore which I think was the attempt, or so im told, to run a line from beenleigh through logan village and down to beaudesert however this information could be wrong but it generally heads in all the right directions.

I work in logan village shopping centre managing a store out there so I often hear numerous tales of the old lines and heritage of the lines around that region and around the entire south east corner as alot of the oldies come out there to retire in the last remaining patch of secluded land availiable.

I will endeavour to find out further about this line and keep you all up to date.

Cheers,

Mick.

I was in Brissy in 1993 and was with a party that went on a minibus trip to Southport, Surfers then inland to Mount Tamborine to watch the hang gliding. On the way back we came through Logan Village and followed a derelict railway in reasonable condition through Logan Village. I believe it was the Bethania to Beaudesert line which was going to be revived as a tourist railway about five years ago and went broke after receiving quite a  large amount of federal government grant.

Yep, the Beenleigh - Beaudesert line (corridor) still exists, although no trains run, and are probably unlikely to again. However, the corridor is likely to be used by Beaudesert Shire Council as partly a bus corridor, and partly a non-motorised transport corridor (walk / push bike etc.).

Remenants of the old Canungra Line still exist as road reserve (Railway Parade / unmade corridor) through to the Yarrabilba Pine Forest, currently the subject of an development application to turn the 2,000Ha of cleared pine forest into roughly 20,000 home sites, and associated commecial / industrial supporting areas).

The Canungra section was used to transport logged timber from Tamborine Mtn / Canungra down to the wharf at Logan Village and on to Brisbane.

The Canungra line absolutely existed. It connected at Canungra with Lahey's Tramway, famous for running Climaxes and Shays up from Canungra, through a tunnel (which is a walking track today) to the forests.

There is a reasonable distance between Canungra and the Jungle Warfare Trainng Centre - Canungra. The original training centre was set up c1942 and then closed post -WWII. When it reopened it was the '50s so much of the transport would have been by trucks.

According to my Gold Coast UBD, the Land Warfare Centre gets as close to Canungra as Tamborine Mountain Road, which starts from near the tramway tunnel, so not that far from Canungra at all.  And the tramway itself went very close if not into the Land Warfare Centre.

Just outside the Land Warfare Centre, there is a bit of a bush estate, including Climax Court and running off that, Shay Place.