Swan View Tunnel

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Swan View Tunnel eastern end.

The Swan View Tunnel is located at Swan View, Western Australia on the edge of the Darling Scarp, and at the southern side of the Jane Brook valley. Currently dormant, due to its location ( 31°52′55.51″S, 116°4′15.59″E to 31°53′2.76″S, 116°4′4.89″E) within the John Forrest National Park, the tunnel and its adjacent landscape exist within a conserved state which will remain unchanged.

As part of the Western Australian railway network of the twentieth century, it was the only tunnel within that system, being built on the alignment that replaced the original Eastern Railway that went through Smith's Mill - Glen Forrest, and Mundaring.

Difficulty was faced during the construction of the tunnel due to the unstable nature of the jointed granite, and clay seam. The tunnel's face was lined with masonry to prevent rock falls, reducing the diameter. The small size of the tunnel combined with the steep gradient caused excessive smoke accumulation. Several train crew workers were asphyxiated when a fully laiden train struggled through the tunnel.

The tunnel and the ASG class Garratt steam locomotives that were used by the Western Australian Government Railways in the 1940s were not a happy mix. Accidents occurred and a Royal Commission ensued.

The change between the single line in the tunnel and the double lines outside - a signal cabin existed at the eastern end of the tunnel - at Tunnel junction between the years of 1934 and 1945.

The single line tunnel was insufficient for traffic, and a diversion was added on the northern side of the hill that the tunnel passed through. The diversion was completed on the 25th November 1945.

The railway line through the tunnel was lifted after the closing of the older and steeper Eastern Railway and the building of the Avon Valley diversion which was completed in 1966.

For a period of time after the 1960s gates/doors were put at either end of the tunnel. These were later removed.

The tunnel remains intact, and has been used for night-time walks by ghost tour operators. It exists within the John Forrest Heritage Trail which in turn is a component of the larger Railway Reserve Heritage Trail.

At some stages in the 1990s, CALM allowed a number of night time 'Ghost walks' in the tunnel as part of the Hills Forest programmes, based at the Mundaring Weir headquarters of CALM.

[edit] References

Elliot, Ian (1983). Mundaring - A History of the Shire, 2nd ed., Mundaring: Mundaring Shire. ISBN 0-9592776-0-9.
Watson, Lindsay (1995). The railway history of Midland Junction : commemorating the centenary of Midland Junction, 1895-1995. ISBN 0-646-24461-2 (pbk.).