The natural geography around the Darling Downs also precluded an easy grade, with any railway requiring a steep ascent of the eastern escarpment of the Great Dividing Range and the crossing of several creeks and streams.

The disadvantages of such a decision meant sharper curves on ascending ranges, lower speeds, lighter bridges and as a consequence, smaller locomotives and rolling-stock.

Lady Diamantina Bowen, wife of the first Governor of Queensland, turned the first sod of earth for the first section of railway on 25 February 1864.

An initial line was laid down to the wharf in Ipswich to receive consignments of materials and move them to a workshops site on level ground above.

Public pressure for a bridge across the river resulted in a change of plan and the terminus was moved to South Ipswich in the business centre.

The first section of line between Ipswich and Bigges Camp (a distance of twenty-one miles) was officially opened to traffic to great public fanfare on 31 July 1865.

[1] The building of the Sadliers Crossing Railway Bridge and deviation, which opened in 1875, made the old line via Mihi Creek redundant and it fell out of use except for a short section to the Ipswich workshops and to service a coalmine.

[1] Queensland Railways demonstrated the viability of the use of narrow gauge, thereby influencing other countries including Japan, Africa and New Zealand to also adopt the technology.

[1] The sandstone culvert, a small brick-lined drain and the remains of railway line embankments are all found on the bushland reserve.

The area immediately adjacent to the culvert contains a number of trees of varying ages, and is thickly covered in tall grass and other scrub.

[1] The base and lower half of the culvert is constructed of poor quality grayish sandstone to a height of approximately 1 metre (3 ft 3 in).

Inside the culvert, the middle section is largely intact though a small amount of graffiti is present on the upper brick walls.

At a point 10–12 metres (33–39 ft) from the Southeastern end, the lower sandstone and upper brick sections have collapsed and been washed away.

[1] Significant physical elements of the place include:[1] Sandstone Railway Culvert and Remains was listed on the Queensland Heritage Register on 24 June 2005 having satisfied the following criteria.