New Acquisition - Toowoomba Railway Station Work of Art

The Toowoomba Railway Station art work is an original watercolour on card, 25.5 cm x 34.5 cm, mounted, and painted by an unknown artist ca. 1867.

The view taken from the Royal Hotel (named in 1858) would appear to depict the original railway station which was a crucial link to the Darling Downs.  The rail line between Toowoomba and Ipswich was opened in 1867, but the planned double-story masonry station was cancelled as a consequence of the 1866 financial crisis.

As well as complementing other early images in the art and photographic collections, the painting fills a significant gap in our depictions of Toowoomba's historic buildings.  No photograph of the original (pre 1874) railway station appears to be held in the John Oxley Library's collection.