[1] Although it was to be an extension of the Great Northern Railway it appears that the line beyond Hughenden was later renamed the Winton Branch because of extensions due west of Hughenden to Richmond were completed in 1904, to Cloncurry in 1908, to Duchess in 1912 and to Mount Isa in 1929.

The last stage opened to Winton on 5 July 1899 with tiny stops at Olio, Lana, Prubi, Oondooroo and Rangelands.

As was the case with many of Queensland’s railways, freight traffic steadily declined to the point that the Winton Branch became uneconomical to maintain.

In 2012 it was reported that some 8,500 tonnes of track, 320,000 sleepers and 1.3 million dog spikes were removed and resold or recycled.

The Hughenden to Winton Road that largely runs parallel to the old track has been sealed so as to provide an alternative route to the North Queensland coast when the Capricorn and Flinders Highways leading to Rockhampton and Townsville are cut by floodwaters.