Map showing the Railway Systems of the Colonies of Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia

Colouring: Coloured

Condition: Good. Holes along top fold line. Loss top right and middle folds

Confirmed: No

Description: Produced by the Chief Engineers Office in Brisbane and lithographed by Prosdocimi, this map depicts the railway systems of the eastern Australian colonies as of 1880. Existing railways, railways under construction, and projected railways are distinguished, alongside the proposed route (highlighted in red) of the ambitious Transcontinental Scheme connecting the Gulf of Carpentaria to Bourke. The map offers a striking visual record of colonial infrastructure ambitions during a period of rapid inland expansion and economic optimism.nHand-signed by Murray Stanley, Chief Engineer of Railways, and "R. M [illegible]," dated March 1880, the map also functions as an official endorsement of the proposed network. It reflects both the technical aspirations and the intercolonial rivalries that shaped Australian railway development in the late nineteenth century.

First published: Brisbane: Lithographed by Prosdocimi, 1880, hand-signed by Murray Stanley

Image Size (cm): 115×92

Mapmaker: Chief Engineer's Office, Brisbane

Notes: Purchase details

Primary Category: Southern Continent

Rarity: R2 Very rare – one or two copies appear on the market

Sheet size (cm): 119×96

Technique: Lithograph

This state: 1880