The original ABT railway was built in 1896
Travel along the edge of plunging gorges
The steam locomotives once hauled pure copper
Starting in 1896, the railway hauled copper concentrates from the Queenstown mines to the port of Strahan, providing the only access and lifeline for the West Coast Tasmanian communities along the way.
Through the boom years of West Coast mining, steam locomotives hauled a fortune in pure copper from Queenstown's Mt Lyell mine, through the rugged King River gorge and down to the Macquarie Harbour port of Strahan. From 1896 to 1963, steam billowed through the rainforest as the German designed Abt West Coast rack railway dragged the train, cog by cog, up the steep 1:16 slope to Rinadeena.
Closed down in 1963, the ABT railway returned to nature and slumbered for 37 years, to be reawakened by a restoration feat similar in magnitude to that of its original construction.
Now, after 40 years, the West Coast Wilderness Railway is running again. You're able to travel through one of the world's last pristine wilderness areas crossing 40 bridges, wild rivers, and climb over 200 metres on a fascinating 35-kilometre journey from Queenstown to Strahan.
The team that restored the railway worked with the same pioneering spirit, reclaiming the route from the forests, raising authentic trestle bridges and re-layering the original cog-rail system invented by the Swiss Dr Roman Abt. Two of the original five Abt locomotives that operate on the railway are believed to be the oldest, fully restored working locomotives in the world.
› Click here to book the West Coast Wilderness Railway
Through the boom years of West Coast mining, steam locomotives hauled a fortune in pure copper from Queenstown's Mt Lyell mine, through the rugged King River gorge and down to the Macquarie Harbour port of Strahan. From 1896 to 1963, steam billowed through the rainforest as the German designed Abt West Coast rack railway dragged the train, cog by cog, up the steep 1:16 slope to Rinadeena.
Closed down in 1963, the ABT railway returned to nature and slumbered for 37 years, to be reawakened by a restoration feat similar in magnitude to that of its original construction.
Now, after 40 years, the West Coast Wilderness Railway is running again. You're able to travel through one of the world's last pristine wilderness areas crossing 40 bridges, wild rivers, and climb over 200 metres on a fascinating 35-kilometre journey from Queenstown to Strahan.
The team that restored the railway worked with the same pioneering spirit, reclaiming the route from the forests, raising authentic trestle bridges and re-layering the original cog-rail system invented by the Swiss Dr Roman Abt. Two of the original five Abt locomotives that operate on the railway are believed to be the oldest, fully restored working locomotives in the world.
› Click here to book the West Coast Wilderness Railway