WONDERFUL WILDERNESS RAILWAY

Our Beautiful Shiny Locomotive

What an amazing experience! While we were in Strahan we took the opportunity to take a ride on the iconic Wilderness Railway that runs from Strahan to Queenstown. They offer two levels of enjoyment – general and deluxe – we decided to treat ourselves and went Deluxe! We had to wait for 5 days to actually get a berth as they were just so busy. The Wilderness Railway is at risk of becoming defunct as it appears it is not making sufficient money for the current operators to continue. The Government has indicated it may be prepared to assist, but that avenue is rather tenuous at the best. The trains will stop running at the end of April and then the business will be up for tender etc. I have to tell you, if it ceases it will be a travesty – it is a very special piece of history and a brilliant experience. We count ourselves fortunate indeed to have taken this train ride.

Luxuriously Appointed

The way the rail operates, is to either take a coach to Queenstown and the train back to Strahan or vice versa – we opted to take the coach to Queenstown and ride the train back – that worked well for us. We left Strahan by coach at 8.30am and headed along the steep and windy road to Queenstown – happy to have the coach driver do the driving for a change. The weather that day was not the best, light rain and heavy mists clung to the roads and mountains. We had heard many bad things about Queenstown and so were pleasantly surprised when we arrived there. I will tell you all about Queenstown in the next blog however.

When we arrived at the Queenstown Train Station we were greeted by the sight of our beautiful train – bright red shiny carriages set behind an incredibly well maintained gleaming black and red Puffing Billy – the setting was perfect, clouds, mist, soft rain and pure white steam chuffing softly from the engine as it sat warming in the cool morning air.

Our Deluxe carriage was just stupendous – all beautifully polished warm timbers, antique style fittings (as per the era) and luxurious leather seating. As we boarded we were greeted by our charming young hostess and handed a glass of sparkling white of excellent quality. Hmm, the day was looking ‘real good’! We were fortunate to have the last seats in that carriage which was at the rear of the train and looked ‘backwards’ thru’ huge windows to the beautifully appointed little platform at the rear of the train. I was actually able to shoot (photos) thru’ the rear windows they were so large and clear. We were able to walk out to the platform for more comprehensive photo-taking as well. We had no sooner left the station with a big hisssss of steam and a vigorous blowing of the whistle than our lovely hostess came around with a plentiful supply of tiny hot Bree and Chicken pies – these kept coming for some time along with as many beverages of choice one wished to partake of. I have to say that I had no repeat of the boat trip problems and was able to consume a few of those delicious glasses of bubbly.

Goodbye Queenstown Station

Exiting Queenstown Station

The train threaded its way along narrow ferny passes, up steep inclines, over skinny bridges spanning gorges over swiftly flowing rivers and down almost vertical declines. The commentary along the way was good and very informative. We were provided with beautifully produced complimentary books telling us all about the railway, the region and the Abt System of Rail which the train utilises for the super steep track. Abt is a Rack & Pinion System of rail developed by Swiss Engineer Dr Roman Abt – “this system utilises a third rail of solid bars with vertical teeth. Small Cogwheels under the loco engage with the teeth on the middle rail”. Without this system it is doubtful the historical locomotive would have ever been established in that region.

Abt Rack & Pinon Rail System

The purpose of the original trains was to haul copper from the mines in Queenstown to the harbour at Strahan. The line construction was also a major event incorporating some 60 bridges over incredibly tough terrain in a decidedly inclement climate. It is a disturbing thought wondering how many lives were lost in the endeavour. Eventually use of the trains was discontinued as alternative means of transporting ore became available and as mining in the town diminished dramatically. The trains were left to ruin and the wilderness started to reclaim the track. In the early 21st century the track was restored and the trains lovingly restored. Carriages were purpose built along the lines of the original My Lyell carriages and the Wilderness Railway was born. The railway was first opened in 1899, closed in 1963 and reopened in 2000.

The Rail Followed a Winding

And Often Narrow Track

We travelled alongside both the Queen and King Rivers and were told that the rivers were technically ‘dead’! It seems that the early mining settlement, not knowing better, dumped much of the town waste into the Queen River – this included waste from the mines – sulphuric acid being just one of the chemicals poured into the unfortunate river. The Queen runs into the King and so both rivers were contaminated. Certainly the Queen looks dead – the rocks and banks of the river are all an unhealthy and un-natural yellow colour and there are no plants close to the waters’ edge. The King on the other hand looks just fine, but we are told there is no life in the river. Both rivers are in repair mode and they say that it will take around 100 years for them to regenerate and harbour life once again.

The Queen is Dead















The Dead King From on High







We made four stops along the way at old sidings and stations. At Rinadeena, one of these stops the organisers of the trip arranged for willing passengers to do a little gold panning. Now, I feel a little guilty here, I should really have told the other passengers to forget it, as if DD was going to do any panning, he would inevitably be the one to ‘’strike it rich’ – indeed, eureka was the word for the day as when I came back from photographing our beautiful loco, there was DD pleased as punch, holding up a little plastic bag which held his lucky strike. What can I say? DD claims he is going to have a ring made from the gold – all kidding aside, the tiny piece of metal is probably worth around $30 on today’s market – the lad is happy!

Eureka

The 'Workings' of our Loco

The goodies on the train kept coming with slices of a choclatey fudgey sort of thingamabob – either milk chocolate and coconut or white chocolate and berries – served with coffee etc – just delicious. After all that, they fed us! Lunch was at another little siding and comprised of fresh salmon and ham buns, chocolate bars and fresh fruit. After lunch we changed trains – the steam engine was replaced with an equally shiny diesel engine which pulled the carriages the remaining distance to Strahan. For some reason, they reversed the carriages and we were now in the front carriage looking at the back of the diesel.

Our Nice Shiny Diesel for the Homeward Stretch

Tiny Sidings Along the Way

One of the Many Bridges

Once we were back on board, we were again able to avail ourselves of tea, coffee and alcohol as desired. We continued to cross rivers and gorges until we finally arrived on the comparative flat land at the mouth of the King River. We finally arrived back at the Strahan station at around 3ish in the afternoon. The day was wonderful and will always be a cherished memory of Tasmania.

Until next time when we meet in Queenstown, stay on track – Steph.

The King meets Macquarie Harbour