The railways of Queensland consist of two main trunk lines, one for the southern districts from Brisbane, at the head of the Moreton Bay Navigation, and one for the northern districts from Rockhampton, at the head of the navigation at Keppel Bay, running nearly due west into the interior, passing through Westwood and other townships, and traversing the extensive Leichhardt district, whence it will be eventually extended to Claremont, a township of the Peak Downs, distant 220 miles from Rockhampton. This extension, when completed, will open out a vast territory, and will give the same facilities for the inhabitants of the province to transport their enormous yields of wool to the sea-board as India now possesses for its cotton. The first section of this railway from Rockhampton is on the eve of completion. As regards the Southern line, it has been open more than a year from Brisbane to Ipswich. Its extension to Toowoomba (sixty-two miles) will, it is expected, be ready for traffic early next year; and later, two forks, one extending north-west towards Dalby, and the other south-west to Warwick, in the direction of Dumaresq River, which forms the boundary between the southern inhabited portion of Queensland and the northern of New South Wales, will be completed. The gauge of the Queensland railways is 3 feet 6 inches, and the reason for its adoption in these narrow proportions was to save the great additional cost which construction on a wider gauge would have entailed in passing through the extremely difficult country between Ipswich and Toowoomba. Two ridges of hills have to be crossed, one 700 feet and the other 1,400 feet above the level of the land at their bases. The main range incline is sixteen miles long, and upon it there are eleven tunnels, the longest of which is over three-quarters of a mile, all of which require lining with stone or brick. The total number of bridges is 47; their total length is 5,196 feet, or 84 feet less than a mile. In one locality they are so crowded together, that there are eight in three-quarters of a mile. The longest is 535 feet, the greatest in height is 73 feet over the rails. The steepest gradient is 1 in 50; the longest at that rate of inclination is 1,820 yards; the total length of 1 in 50 is 4 miles 280 yards. The average gradient of both inclines is 1 in 70.