Two Sams TravellingWhen we were on our last Tassie trip, we chose to do the Gordon River Cruise over the West Coast Wilderness Railway. When the opportunity came up for us to travel down the West Coast again, we booked the West Coast Wilderness Railway straight away!
There are four options you can choose from for the railway, and it will all depend on how long you want to spend on the train, what days you are in the area, and if you are looking to leave from Strahan or Queenstown. It worked out that we could do the Rack and Gorge tour, a half day journey return from Queenstown and that suited us fine. There are also two carriage options you can choose from, the Heritage Carriage or the Wilderness Carriage. The Wilderness Carriage was $70 more expensive but you received a glass of sparkling wine on boarding, canapés, complimentary hot beverages, morning tea, a light lunch, and a balcony to get up close and take photos. As we have a few allergies, we decided to go in the Heritage Carriage and bring our own food and drink. For us, this was still great as we were able to see some great views from out the window and had the guide Tom in the cabin with us.
The steam train takes off from Queenstown, heading towards Western Tasmania’s cool temperate rainforest, The first stop was Lynchford Station where you can pan for gold. We left our friend Callum to find some gold and he was successful! You also had the opportunity to read about a bit of history in the area, and get some great photos of the train.
You then climb the steep mountainside and learn about the Abt rack and pinion system that is helping you get up the hill. This system is the only operating Abt rack and pinion railway in the Southern Hemisphere and you can feel its power helping you get up the hill. At the top of the hill is Rinadeena Station, where you can stop for some food and drinks, and also do a short walk to take some photos of the train from above.
After this stop, you head towards Dubbil Barril, taking in the views of the King River Gorge and listening to the history of the people and the area. There is a short waterfall walk to do on this stop, but the highlight is to watch the train being turned on the turntable. Don’t worry, if you miss it here you can also watch it when you get back to Queenstown.
On the way back, you swap sides so you are able to experience the view that you missed on the way down, and you hear more from the team onboard around the history of the area and the different locomotives that were used. You make a quick stop at Rinadeena, where you can purchase food and beverages again, then you make your way back to Queenstown.
The tour was around four hours and we got back to Queenstown around 2pm. There is paid parking available at the station, but we walked from our accommodation as it was a nice day with no rain (something of a rarity in Queenstown). If you are heading down the West Coast, we definitely recommend booking a tour in advance as they are selling out quickly, even in winter! For more information on the tours and the stories, visit the West Coast Wilderness Railway website.
