I love trains. That's why I have been waiting anxiously to get on board this "choo choo" train ever since I landed in Launceston. This was the highlight of our 10-day visit to Tasmania after so many days on the road, discovering lots of little known gems along the way. It was also a chance for us, especially my brother James who has been driving us around, to relax and enjoy a unique train ride from Strahan to Queenstown. We had arrived at Strahan, which is about 3 1/2 hours from Launceston, on Sunday afternoon as the train leaves early the next day, at 8.30am.
The West Coast Wilderness Railway runs this restored train service for tourists on the route used to transport copper from the mines in Queenstown over the rugged mountain terrain to Regatta Point station in Strahan. This was something which the experts in 1880s said could not be done. The rainforest, the steep mountain terrain and the climate were major obstacles in the construction of this railway link. That did not stop the Mount Lyell Mining and Railway Company, especially its owner Bowes Kelly. The company went ahead with the project and this 35km stretch was built at a cost of A$1 million per km. Using only picks, shovels and very simple tools, workers took two and half years to clear the land, lay out the tracks and build 60 bridges until the train service started operating in 1892. At one stage, the mining company employed over 2,000 workers to fell the trees to clear the way for the railway track. Talk about human determination and endurance. The railway has a very appropriate motto, Labor Omnia Vincit (Labour Conquers All) which is similar to that of my alma mater, St Xavier's Institution in Penang.
However, the railway has an additional tagline, "We find a way or We make it." Guess how long it took when they tried to restore this service in the 1990s after the tracks fell into disrepair when it stopped its operations in 1963? Four and a half years. And that is with the help of modern equipment and technology. So here we are, ready to take a journey down this mining trail. We were in the Regatta Point station an hour before departure as we wanted to check out our seats and see the locomotive steaming out from the storage yard and taking up its position in front of the carriages.
This engine is one of the five original locomotives used on the line. One of them has been scrapped while another is in a museum in Hobart.
As expected, the interior of the carriage had that classic look which we often see in the old cowboy movies. There was a local touch as the roof and wall panelling were made up of different types of Tasmanian wood. After getting our welcome drink of sparkling wine from the Josef Chromy vineyard, there was the unmistakable shrill sound of the train whistle and the release of steam, and we were chugging away on a wonderful adventure. Food and drinks were always available, whether on board the train or at the various stations. We were served salmon hors d'oeuvre for breakfast, and there was free flowing coffee, tea or chocolate all the way. On our return journey, we had high tea of scones with jam. We were also served a variety of cakes and a cheese platter with fruits. Each station had its own story to tell. And there were posters with information about that particular region or about the railway's history.
Of course, there were running commentaries from the start to the end of the journey. And the guides would drop by to provide additional information or share jokes with us.
At some places, the guides would go around with books showing us pictures of a particular topic of interest.
The first stop was at Lower Landing station where we were invited to sample the 4 varieties of leatherwood honey produced by the bee hives of the R. Stephens family in the nearby Teepookana. I am told this is good quality honey but it is lost on me, all the 4 varieties of them -- leatherwood honey, manuka, chocolate and meadow.
While we were busy tasting honey, the train drivers were busy filling up water for the engines. Why, I asked? Because this is a steam engine and you need a continued supply of water to generate the steam to drive the engine. Silly me!
From the comfort of our carriage, we can admire the dense rainforest and get a magnificent view of the mountains, valleys and rivers. What can I say about the King River Gorge? Simply spectacular.
We were told that Western Tasmania has a unique geology and vegetation as it is linked to Antarctica. This is also the home of the very old Huron pine.
The real excitement starts at the Dubbil Barril station when the train has to make the steep climb from 9 metres above sea level to the Rinadeena station which is 250 metres above sea level (a gradient of 1 in 20). The normal train will not be able to go up such a steep incline, so the railway owners adopted a special "rack and pinion" system developed by Swiss engineer Dr Roman Abt who had used it in Germany.
The ABT system is like an extra gear which is attached to the train's undercarriage. It rotates on a toothed rack rail which runs between the two existing rails. It is similar to engaging the extra gears in a 4-wheel drive vehicle.
The ABT system is also engaged to give the train an extra grip when it makes its way down from Rinadeena station to Halls Creek station which is 80 metres above sea level (a gradient of 1 in 16).
Again our guide passed around a model, showing the workings of the ABT system.
This train ride reminds me of a similar experience we had when we took the TranzAlpine train across the Southern Alps in New Zealand in May 2015.
After nearly 4 hours of travel, we arrived at Queenstown where we stopped for lunch at the station cafe. You had a choice of smoked salmon or chicken.
The train does not leave for 2 hours, so you can either visit the steam train museum at the station or go for a conducted walking tour of this mining town.
One of the major stops on the return journey was Lynchford which used to be a gold mining town.
Here you can try your luck at panning for gold. Many of the passengers tried their hand at it, with the guides showing them how it is correctly done.
Only one or two struck gold, well only the size of a tiny grain of sand.
The return journey, in fact, was better for those interested in taking photographs or videos.
And there was a lot to see and record.
The balcony on the last carriage of the train gives you an unobstructed view of the surrounding countryside unlike the first leg of the journey when our view was obstructed by the engine.
This railway used to be the lifeline of the West Coast people in the 1880s as there were no roads into the area until 1932.
The death of the railway was inevitable. HIgh maintenance costs and the growing popularity of road transport led to the closure of the railway in 1963.
However, as in the past, the people in this region refused to give up and fought for its restoration.
Restoration work started in the 1990s and it operated as a tourist railway from December 2002.
After a brief closure in 2013, the service resumed under the West Coast Wilderness Railway in early 2014.
I am glad they revived this train service. What a way to end my visit to Tasmania.