Mr WETTENHALL (18 Oct 2007) (3.41 pm): It is with pleasure that I rise to support this bill. I want to briefly mention a couple of the very significant heritage places that are preserved in my electorate of Barron River. The first that I shall mention will be well known to all honourable members throughout the state and around the country-and in fact around the world-and of course that is the Kuranda Scenic Railway. As a heritage listed place, the Kuranda Scenic Railway is one of the major tourist attractions in Queensland and one of the major tourist attractions in Australia. Thousands of people come to far-north Queensland and jump on the train for the scenic railway journey from Cairns to Kuranda.

I thought it might be worth mentioning just a couple of facts about the history of the Kuranda railway. It actually arose as a result of calls by miners in the Herberton district for a transport link to the coast because of flooding, and that goes right back to the wet season of 1882. The miners were unable to obtain supplies and were on the verge of famine. The road was proving impassable and they raised their loud and angry voices to the politicians to agitate for a railway to the coast. General elections and increasing cold weather in the south meant that there were many visits to the north by leading politicians, and some things never change. They all promised a railway, and in March 1882 the then minister for works and mines announced the search for a route from the tablelands to the coast.

Christie Palmerston was commissioned to find a suitable route. Railway leagues were formed in a long and bitter fight for the right to the railway between Port Douglas and Cairns and eventually the Cairns to Kuranda route was selected as the favoured route. The construction was an engineering feat of tremendous magnitude. Dozens of lives were lost of the brave and courageous workers who forged the line by hand. Hundreds and hundreds of men were involved in its construction and it stands today as a monument to their courage and their tenacity. In 1886 the then Premier of Queensland, Sir Samuel Griffith, used a silver spade to turn the first sod and celebrations involving almost the entire population of Cairns lasted all that day and long into the night, and those traditions are continued in our town also.

There were three separate contracts for the various links out of a total line of 75 kilometres. The climb begins near Redlynch and continues to the summit at Myola with an altitude of 327 metres. There are 15 tunnels, 93 curves and dozens of difficult bridges mounted many metres above the ravines and waterfalls. It was constructed by pickaxes and by hand and during its construction navvy camps mushroomed at the tunnels at cuttings and even narrow ledges supported stores catering for the men's needs for groceries and clothes. Townships developed at the tunnels-at Stoney Creek, at Glacier Rock, at Camp Oven Creek, at Rainbow Creek, at Kamerunga. There were even five hotels along the track. Just last week I had the pleasure of attending the Tropical North Queensland Tourism Awards. In recognition of the magnificent contribution that the Kuranda Scenic Railway has made, it was awarded the major tourism attraction award. I want to take this opportunity of congratulating all of the staff and the team that operate the Kuranda Scenic Railway. Earlier this year they had to overcome a closure of the railway whilst a landslip was formed.

This really just goes to show the value of heritage. It is one of the most significant and major attractions in the Cairns region, but of course there are others-Xavier Herbert's Cottage in Redlynch; the magazine depot in Stratford, which is the suburb where I live; the former Innisfail Court House, which is a remarkable timber dwelling that has been relocated to Yorkeys Knob; and of course the Flecker Botanic Gardens in Edge Hill. But it seems that heritage is never far from controversy, and it is to be certainly hoped and expected as a result of the streamlining provisions in this bill that some of these nominations will be less controversial. One example recently that I will briefly mention was a nomination by the Edge Hill-Whitfield Progress Association to have the Progress Hall in Mayers Street listed on the Queensland Heritage Register. I was very happy to lend my support to its bid to have that listed on the Heritage Register and so was the member for Cairns, the Hon. Desley Boyle. The Mayor of Cairns, Kevin Byrne, was not, fearing the difficulties that would be associated with its listing on the Heritage Register and its possible devaluing. But I think that is exactly why the provisions of this new bill are so important and so timely. That hall was used in 1923 by many members of the community as a dance venue and has been home to a kindergarten, a child health clinic and as a communications centre during World War II. The bid to have it protected attracted a range of support from community groups in north Queensland and certainly I am hopeful, without pre-empting any decisions, that it will get the level of protection it deserves. With those few words and reflections on some of the magnificent heritage places in far-north Queensland, I commend the bill to the House.