Rotate to landscape to view slideshow
The Mt Lyell Mining Company had a problem – lots of copper, but with the mine in a remote area of Tasmania, difficulty in getting the ore to market.
The nearest port at Macquarie Harbour was almost inaccessible from the mine site due to the wild terrain – wild rivers, dense rainforest and steep inclines. Dr Carl Roman Abt to the rescue.
Dr Abt invented a system that enabled the locomotive to lock into a rack of teeth on the railway that would help pull the train carrying the valuable copper ore up hills and control its descent down hills. And so the train started operations in 1892.
With increasing maintenance costs and the improvement in road transport, the railway ceased transporting ore in 1963 and was almost forgotten. Until someone had the idea to re-establish the trip as a tourist attraction. That took a lot of work. Rail had to be relaid, bridges repaired, rolling stock acquired. But it got done and the wilderness tourist railway commenced operations in December 2002.
When we took the journey on the West Coast Wilderness Railway you could do the length of the line in one go (we did the Strahan to Queenstown trip). We started out with a deisel locomotive but swapped over to the specialist ABT steam loco before we got to the ABT track system which is installed on the steepest part of the track. I understand that the trip options have now changed so make sure you check and book prior to your trip.
And it’s a great ride. Through the thick rain forest, over trestle bridges, crossing the King River – a trip of about 35km.
The journey has a few breaks to change locomotives and to allow you to have a good look at the scenery and the track.
Watch out for the station called Dubbil Barril near the King River, just because it’s a cute way to spell the name.
Email from Ben: “I plan to climb Cradle Mountain when we visit the area in a few weeks – better start training”. So I reduced my alcohol consumption to one glass of wine a night (well, most nights) and did a bit of walking (on the flat) at weekends, so when we started our trek on a fine February day I was completely unprepared for what lay ahead.
Oatlands, a small town on the Midland Highway between Hobart and Launceston, contains great examples of Colonial Georgian buildings.
Down the Western Explorer highway, through Corinna, Zeehan and Strahan for a day on Macquarie Harbour.
With the stories of friction between local people and asylum seekers landing in boats from Turkey, it’s nice to take a look at the countryside of Lesbos.
Casa Mila is the last private residence designed by architect Antoni Gaudí and perhaps his most iconic.
In Plaça de la Vila de Gràcia, Barcelona there’s a clock tower. And occassionally other towers spring up in the square – but these are people towers.