Custom Search

ABOUT TASMANIA
CONTRIBUTORS
DISCLAIMER
EVENTS CALENDAR
CONTACT ME
LINKS
PRINTS COPIES
SITEMAP
WEBSITE NEWS
PLACES in TASMANIA
ADAMSONS Pk
ALUM CLIFF
ANSONS BAY
ARTHUR RIVER
AVOCA
BADGERS RANGE
BANGOR
BARN BLUFF
BARNBOUGLE
BAY of FIRES
BEACONSFIELD
BEAUTY POINT
BEECHFORD
BELLINGHAM B.
BEN LOMOND
BEN NEVIS
BICHENO
BILLY QUINNS
BILLOP BLUFF
BINALONG BAY
BLUE LAKE
BLUE TIER
BLUFF RIVER
BOTHWELL
BRACKNELL
BRIDESTOWE
BRIDPORT
BRICKENDON
BRUNY ISLAND
BUCKLAND
BURNIE
CAMPANIA
CAMPBELL TOWN
CAPE GRIM
CAPE PILLAR
CAPE PORTLAND
CAPE RAOUL
CARR VILLA
CARR VILLA Cem.
CARRICK
CHASM FALLS
CHINAMANS PLAINS
CHUDLEIGH
CLARENDON
CLEVELAND
COCKLE CREEK
COLEBROOK
COLES BAY
COLLINS CAP
CONARA
CORINNA
CORNWALL
CORRA LYN
CRADLE MOUNTAIN
CRESSY
CYGNET
DELORAINE
DERBY
DERWENT BRIDGE
DERWENT VALLEY
DEVILS GULLET
DEVIOT
DEVONPORT
DIP FALLS
DISMAL SWAMP
DRYS BLUFF
DONAGHYS HILL
DON RAILWAY
DOVE CANYON
DOVE RIVER
DOVER
DUNALLEY
EAGLEHAWK NECK
EAST SANDY Pt
EDDYSTONE LH
EMU VALLEY
ENTALLY
ESKLEIGH Est
EUGENANA
EVANDALE
EVERCREECH
EXETER
EXTON
FALMOUTH
FEBRUARY PLAINS
FINGAL
FLINDERS ISLAND
FORTH
FRANKLIN NP
FRANKFORD
FRENCHMANS CAP
FREYCINET
GEEVESTON
GEORGE TOWN
GLADSTONE
GLENGARRY
GORDON River
GOULDS COUNTRY
GREAT LAKE
GREAT W.TIERS
GREENS BEACH
GRINDELWALD
GUIDE FALLS
GUNNS PLAINS
HAGLEY
HAMILTON
HASTINGS
HAWLEY BEACH
HOBART City
HOBART Bellerive
HOBART North
HOBART South
HOLLYBANK
HUONVILLE
IDA BAY RAIL
ILLAWARRA
JERICHO
KAYDALE GARDEN
KEMPTON
KING ISLAND
KING SOLOMON'S
KIRKLANDS
LABYRINTH
LADY LAKE
LAKE AUGUSTA
LAKE BURBURY
CHAPTER LAKE
LAKE DOBSON
LAKE DULVERTON
LAKE GORDON
LAKE HANSON
LAKE MACKENZIE
LAKE MACKINTOSH
LAKE McCOY
LAKE MARION
LAKE MYRTLE
LAKE NEWDEGATE
LAKE PEDDER
LAKE PRICE
LAKE ROSEBERY
LAKE ROWALLAN
LAKE St CLAIR
LAKE TOOMS
LAKE WHITHAM
LAUNCESTON City
LAUN. Cataract
LAUN. Trevallyn
LATROBE
LEES PADDOCKS
LEFROY
LEGERWOOD
LEVEN CANYON
LIAWENEE
LIFFEY FALLS
LILYDALE FALLS
LISLE
LOBSTER FALLS
LONGFORD
LOW HEAD
LULWORTH Bch.
MACQUARIE HAR.
MANGANA
MARAKOOPA CAVE
MARAWAH
MARIA ISLAND
MATHINNA FALLS
MAYDENA
MEADSTONE FALLS
MEANDER FALLS
MEETUS FALLS
MIENA
MOLE CREEK
MOINA
Mt AMOS
Mt ANNE
Mt ARTHUR
Mt AMOS
Mt BARROW
Mt BISCHOFF
Mt CAMPBELL
Mt CLAUDE
Mt DIRECTION
Mt FIELD NP
Mt GEORGE
Mt GOULD
Mt HARTZ NP
Mt HUGEL
Mt HUXLEY
Mt IRONSTONE
Mt JERUSALEM
Mt JUKES
Mt LOT
Mt OWEN
Mt PARIS DAM
Mt PARMEENER
Mt PEARSE
Mt PROJECTION
Mt ROLAND
Mt ROGOONA
Mt SADDLEBACK
Mt SEDGWICK
Mt SORRELL
Mt St VALENTINE
Mt VICTORIA
Mt WALFORD
Mt WELLINGTON
Mt WRIGHT
MILLERS BLUFF
MOTHER CUMMINGS
MUSSELROE
MYRTLE PARK
NABOWLA
NARAWNTAPU NP
NEW NORFOLK
NIBELUNGEN CRAG
NILE
NINE MILE BEACH
NOTLEY FERN
NUNAMARA
OATLANDS
ORFORD
OUSE
PARADISE PLAINS
PATERSONIA
PELVERATA FALLS
PENGUIN
PENNY ROYAL
PERTH
PHILO.FALLS
PIEMAN RIVER
PIGSTY PONDS
PINE LAKE
PINDARS PEAK
POATINA
POIMENA
PONTVILLE
PORT ARTHUR
PRESTON FALLS
PYENGANA
QUAMBY ESTATE
QUAMBY BLUFF
QUEENSTOWN
RAILTON
RALPH FALLS
RICHMOND
RINADEENA FALLS
RINGAROOMA
RITTERS CRAG
ROCKY CAPE
ROSEBERY
ROSEVEARS
ROSS
ROSSARDEN
ROYAL GEORGE
RUSSELL FALLS
SALMON PONDS
SARAH ISLAND
SASSAFRAS
SAVAGE RIVER
SCAMANDER
SCOTTSDALE
SCOTTS PEAK DAM
SEYMOUR
SHADOW LAKE
SHEFFIELD
SHIPSTERN BLUFF
SKEMP FNC
SLEEPY WINE BAY
SMITHTON
SOUTHPORT
SOUTH WEST NP
SPLIT ROCK FALLS
STANLEY
STEINS CRAG
St COLUMBA FALLS
St HELENS
St MARYS
St VALENTINES Pk
STORYS CREEK
STRAHAN
STRATHGORDON
STUMPYS BAY
STYX FOREST
SUPPLY RIVE
SWANSEA
TAHUNE AIRWALK
TAMAR ISLAND
TARANNA WLP
TARKINE DRIVE
TAROONA
TARRALEAH
TASMAN NP
TASMANIA ZOO
TOMAHAWK
TONGANAH
TRIABUNNA
TROWUNNA WLP
TULLAH
TUMBLE TOR
TUNBRIDGE
TURNERS MARSH
TURRANA BLUFF
ULVERSTONE
VILLARETT GARDENS
WADDAMANA
WALDHEIM
WALLED MTN.
WALLS JERUSALEM
WARATAH
WARNERS SL
WATERHOUSE
WELDBOROUGH
WESTBURY
WESTERN EXPL.
WEST TOWER
WEYMOUTH Bch.
WHYTE HILL
WILDERNESS Rail
WILMOT
WINEGLASS BAY
WINDERMERE
WINGS WLP
WINKLEIGH
WOOLMERS
WOOLNORTH
WURRAGARRA
WYNYARD
YORKTOWN
ZEEHAN

,

links icon

.

My Lyell from Queenstown
Queenstown
West Coast Region
Historic post office
Queenstown
West Coast Region
Historic Paragon Theatre
Queenstown
West Coast Region
Historic church
Queenstown
West Coast Region
Historic Queenstown railway station
Queenstown
West Coast Region
Wilderness Railway at Dubbil Barril
Queenstown
West Coast Region
Deep gorge of the King River
Queenstown
West Coast Region
Lake Burbury
Queenstown
West Coast Region
Lake Burbury
Queenstown
West Coast Region

Main photo gallerys are below information.

QUEENSTOWN

Mount Lyell & Wilderness Railway

SMALL PHOTO & INFORMATION PAGE

QUEENSTOWN is an interesting, old mining town that is isolated by the western wilderness of Tasmania. It is infamous for the damage done to the environment by sulfides to the landscape and acid to the King and Queen rivers. It has retained many of its old buildings to give the town a Wild West feeling to it, so a walking tour of Queenstown is quite interesting. The Gallery Museum also has a very detailed history of the area and there are tours of the mines. A tour of the mining areas east of Queenstown is also a must do. The most spectacular attraction, though, is the old Wilderness Railway that begins at Queenstown and ends at Strahan. This is a unique experience and is suitable for everyone. Queenstown has many facilities and much accommodation.

LAKE BURBURY is a beautiful lake east of Queenstown. From this lake you can get really ethereal views of the surrounding mountains.

Queenstown is a very isolated place. It is 40 minutes from ZEEHAN and STRAHAN, 60 minutes from ROSEBERY and 2 hours from HOBART. Other places in the West Coast Region are described in my WEST COAST REGION page.


View West Coast in a larger map

FACILITIES at Queenstown include shops, cafes, petrol stations, vehicle repairs and a full range of businesses. There is some accommodation in QUEENSTOWN.

TOURIST information is at the Gallery Museum, 1 Driffield Street, Queenstown.

SIGHTS: Queenstown is a unique, old mining town. A heavily eroded Mt Lyell looks down on a Wild West town nestled in a narrow valley. The town has many old buildings and a unique atmosphere that only an old, continuously operating, mining town can give. The area is heavily eroded, but this is part of its charm. There is a lot to see in Queenstown. The sights include the:

To LARGER QUEENSTOWN PHOTOS

  • QUEENSTOWN
  • Lookouts
  • Mt Lyell
  • Wild. Railway
  • Nelson Falls

 

Queenstown Tasmania

1/ Queenstown is a unique, old mining town in western Tasmania. Copper, silver and gold were discovered here in the late 19th Century and the town boomed around the famous Mt Lyell Copper Mine. Queenstown retains many of its old buildings, which add to its charm. This photo is looking up Hunter Street towards a distant Mount Lyell on the horizon.

Queenstown Tasmania

2/ The proud Victorian era lines of the Empire Hotel attest to a time, when Queenstown enjoyed great wealth.

Queenstown in western Tasmania

3/ The Queenstown Post Office also attests to the great wealth Queenstown enjoyed in the late 19th Century.

Queenstown Tasmania

4/ This old hotel now hosts the Galley Museum. It is well worth a visit to learn about the old days of Queenstown.

display in the museum at 4/ This old hotel now hosts the Galley Museum. It is well worth a visit to learn about the old days of Queenstown.

5/ The museum has many displays the exhibit all kinds of 19th and early 20th Century memorabilia.

photos in museum at 4/ This old hotel now hosts the Galley Museum. It is well worth a visit to learn about the old days of Queenstown.

6/ The museum also has many photographic displays on many topics of interest to students of the local history.

Queenstown Tasmania

7/ This is the view down Hunter Street. Queenstown has retained whole Victorian era streetscapes.

Queenstown Tasmania

8/ This is Hunters Hotel. It is the scene of many proud moments in Queenstown's past. Note that my camera lens has distorted some of the angles that you see here.

Queenstown Tasmania

9/ This proud old hotel has retained its classic Victorian era balcony.

Queenstown Tasmania

10/ One of the great attractions of Queenstown is the mine tour. This is where you book it.

Queenstown Tasmania

11/ This photo is looking down Orr Street towards the Queenstown Railway Station. The other main street of Queenstown with lots of old buildings is Hunter Street.

Queenstown Tasmania

12/ This is the modern monument to the old Queenstown miners, which is located on Driffeld Street.

Queenstown Tasmania

13/ The monument honours the simple miners of old Queenstown. I like very much to see monuments that honour ordinary people.

Queenstown Tasmania

14/ This is Penghana House. It was built by one of the founders of Queenstown and is now a Bed & Breakfast.

Queenstown Tasmania

15/ This is the restored Queenstown Railway Station. It is now the home of the famous Wilderness Railway.

Queenstown Tasmania

16/ This is the view inside the large railway shed. What you see is now mostly authentic to the late 19th Century.

Queenstown Tasmania

17/ The Railway Station houses a great display honouring the railway builders of the west coast of Tasmania.

Queenstown Tasmania

18/ This interesting house adjacent to the Queenstown Railway Station may have once housed railway families.

Queenstown Tasmania

19/ This large white house near the railway station probably belonged to a leading Queenstown person.

Queenstown Tasmania

20/ This photo shows an attractively restored church near the Queenstown Railway Station.

Queenstown Tasmania

21/ This is the Queen River that flows out of Queenstown. As you can see, it is still very polluted.

paragon theatre Queenstown

22/ The old Paragon Theatre still regularly holds live drama productions. It is the survivor of a time when Queenstown had many such theatres.

Queenstown in western Tasmania

23/ Queenstown is located on a series of steep hills. It was interesting to see the way the hills were used for houses.

Collingwood football supporter house in 19/ This is the Queen River that flows out of Queenstown. As you can see, it is still very polluted.

24/ Australian Rules Football is popular in Tasmania. I was, however, surprised to discover that this supporter had decorated his house in the black and white colors of his team Collingwood.

 

Rinadeena lookout near Queenstown in western Tasmania

1/ This is the enchanting view from the Rinadeena Lookout towards Mount Lyell and Queenstown. Lush vegetation and forests like this, once surrounded Queenstown.

country near airfield of Queenstown in western Tasmania

2/ This photo shows the large lake west of Queenstown near the Queenstown airfield.

Queenstown in western Tasmania

3/ This is the view of distant Queenstown taken from the Mount Lyell Lookout east of Queenstown

spion kop lookout at Queenstown in western Tasmania

4/ This is the mining lift tower at Spion Kop Lookout. From here you can get some great views of Queenstown.

Queenstown in western Tasmania

5/ This cannon of about 1860 decorates the Spion Kop Lookout. Spion Kop refers to a battle fought in the South African War.

Queenstown in western Tasmania

6/ This is the view towards the north west and Mount Lyell. Note how the large oval is not green. Beyond are the desolate hills worked by the Mount Lyell Copper Mine.

Queenstown in western Tasmania

7/ This view looks north directly at the Mount Lyell Copper Mine. Note how the vegetation cover has been completely stripped away.

Queenstown in western Tasmania

8/ This view is looking south down Bowes Street. The long building is a school.

Queenstown in western Tasmania

9/ This fine view is looking south west towards the old Queenstown Railway Station.

 

Mt Lyell near Queenstown in western Tasmania

1/ Mount Lyell is the huge copper mountain that looks down on Queenstown in western Tasmania. Over a hundred years of mining denuded the mountain, so that today it presents a unique sight. This photo was taken just before sunset. I was impressed by the lovely colors Mount Lyell was showing at that time.

Mt Lyell near Queenstown in western Tasmania

2/ This was my lovely view of Mount Lyell just as the sun was setting. It was breathtaking the way it changed color as the sun set. However, it was worth remembering that the strange color effects are the result of massive damage from sulphur smelters, tree clearing, fires and water erosion in the 19th and 20th centuries.

Mt Lyell near Queenstown in western Tasmania

3/ This was the sunset view of the western slope of Mount Lyell. This is where the modern mine is located.

Mt Lyell near Queenstown in western Tasmania

4/ The road out of Queenstown to Hobart goes up Mount Lyell. Here you get to see just how damaged the land really is.

queenstown sign on Mt Lyell near Queenstown in western Tasmania

5/ This sign decorates the Queenstown lookout. From here you get a great view into Queenstown down in the Valley.

Queenstown from Mt Lyell near Queenstown in western Tasmania

6/ This is the lovely view from the Queenstown lookout on Mount Lyell. Queenstown is in the valley in the middle.

Mt Lyell near Queenstown in western Tasmania

7/ This is the typical view of the environmental damage that you see in the hills around Queenstown. Fortunately, today the hills are being replanted with trees.

Iron Blow Lookout on Mt Lyell near Queenstown in western Tasmania

8/ This massive flooded lake is the old Iron Blow. It was a major area of open cut mining in the late 19th Century. The photo was taken from a perch about 200 metres above this lake. It was so large that my lens was only just able to photograph it all.

Iron Blow cut out at Mt Lyell near Queenstown in western Tasmania

9/ This photo might give you some idea as to how much earth was moved in the mining operations. This was the famous North Lyell mine of James Crotty. He was the great rival of the other mining giant, Bowes Kelly.

Mt Lyell near Queenstown in western Tasmania

10/ Just to the south of the Crotty's Iron Blow was the open cut mine of Bowes Kelly. The two mines competed with each other to the detriment of Queenstown. Both mines had there own dedicated smelters, towns, railways and ports. Yet they were only a few kilometres apart on opposite sides of Mount Lyell. Had they cooperated Queenstown would have been a much more successful site.

Lake Burbury seen from Mt Lyell near Queenstown in western Tasmania

11/ This is the view from the Iron Blow lookout towards Lake Burbury in the east. To the right is the remnants of the town of Gormanston, which was one of the towns of Crotty's empire.

Mt Lyell near Queenstown in western Tasmania

12/ This is the view to the north of the Iron Blow. The mountain tops show you what happens, when you cut down the trees.

Gormanston near Mt Lyell near Queenstown in western Tasmania

13/ This is the view to the south of the Iron Blow of Gormanston, which was one of Crotty's towns. A century ago this town was twenty times larger than it is today.

Gormanston near Mt Lyell near Queenstown in western Tasmania

14/ This is the view of damaged hills to the south west of Gormanston.

Linda near Mt Lyell near Queenstown in western Tasmania

15/ This is the shell of the old hotel of Linda. Linda was Crotty's old rail head town. This hotel is the last remnant of the old town still standing.

Linda near Mt Lyell near Queenstown in western Tasmania

16/ This is the view down what was once the CBD of old Linda. The modern inhabitants of Linda benefit from the tourist boom of recent times.

Linda near Mt Lyell near Queenstown in western Tasmania

17/ This photo shows degraded hills near Linda.

 

Wildnerness Railway at Queenstown in western Tasmania

1/ The West Coast Wilderness Railway is a unique train experience. It runs from Queenstown to Strahan in far western Tasmania. It is the old Mt Lyell Railway that was closed in the 1960s and only reopen in 2002. The journey gives passengers breathtaking views of steep river gorges and ancient forests. By November 2014 the line is due to be fully restored all the way to Strahan. On my trip in February 2013, it only went as far as Dubbil Barril. The photo above shows the train departing from the old Queenstown railway station.

Inside a carriage on the West Coast Wilderness Railway at Queenstown in western Tasmania

2/ The passenger carriages of the West Coast Wilderness Railway are stylishly restored 19th Century carriages. The roofs had to be totally rebuilt, but they were built in a style that was harmonious to the old carriages' style. The carriages are heated in winter to keep them comfortable.

turnstile of the West Coast Wilderness Railway at Queenstown in western Tasmania

3/ This is the turnstile at Queenstown from where the West Coast Wilderness Railway begins its journey. There are other turnstiles at Dubbil Barril and Strahan.

Queenstown Railway Station

4/ This is the restored Queenstown railway station, where you board the West Coast Wilderness Railway.

Abt gear at Dubbil Barril on the West Coast Wilderness Railway at Queenstown in western Tasmania

5/ This is the special Abt gear that allows the locomotive to climb up steep grades. The hills around Queenstown presented a major engineering challenge. The Abt gear is a 19th Century Austrian invention, which was chosen for use in the hilly country of western Tasmania.

Queen River seen from the West Coast Wilderness Railway at Queenstown in western Tasmania

6/ As you exit Queenstown, you cross the highly polluted Queen River. Although the polluting has now stopped, it may be thousands of years before this river is clean again.

bridge of the West Coast Wilderness Railway at Queenstown in western Tasmania

4/ This is one of the 48 bridges needed by the West Coast Wilderness Railway. The railway had to be built with hand tools in very challenging conditions. Notice the special Abt line between the rail lines.

Lynchford on the West Coast Wilderness Railway at Queenstown in western Tasmania

5/ The first stop of the West Coast Wilderness Railway is at Lynchford. This was an old gold mining town that has now disappeared. The locomotive needs to take in 3000 litres of water to climb up to Dubbil Barril.

Lynchford on the West Coast Wilderness Railway at Queenstown in western Tasmania

6/ At Lynchford passengers are given a chance to pan for gold, just like the old miners did in the 19th Century. Some passengers even find some gold. The whole area around Lynchford once contained a small town.

King River seen from the West Coast Wilderness Railway at Queenstown in western Tasmania

7/ For much of the journey the train follows the King River. This is a view into one of the many gorges that you see. Note that the King River is also highly polluted and despite the pollution having been stopped, it will not be clean again from thousands of years.

Rinadeena on the West Coast Wilderness Railway at Queenstown in western Tasmania

8/ This is a view of the rebuilt, old, railway station at Rinadeena. Here passengers can buy their lunch. This is the highest point that the train climbs to. Rinadeena rains on most days of the year.

Rinadeena on the West Coast Wilderness Railway at Queenstown in western Tasmania

9/ From the railway bridge at Rinadeena, you get a good view of the old train.

filling up on the West Coast Wilderness Railway at Queenstown in western Tasmania

10/ The train has to take on more water at Rinadeena. Behind it you can see the bridge across the rail line.

West Coast Wilderness Railway at Queenstown in western Tasmania

11/ The journey between Rinadeena and Dubbil Barril goes through some very interesting countryside.

King River seen from the West Coast Wilderness Railway at Queenstown in western Tasmania

12/ This is another view into the gorge of the King River near Rinadeena. The views in this section were awesome.

King River seen from the West Coast Wilderness Railway at Queenstown in western Tasmania

13/ This is another view of the King River. Note the dirty brown color of the highly polluted King River.

King River at Dubbil Barril on the West Coast Wilderness Railway at Queenstown in western Tasmania

14/ This is a view of the King River at Dubbil Barril. The small piece of flat land in the foreground was once part of a dairy farm that supplied milk to Queenstown.

Dubbil Barril on the West Coast Wilderness Railway at Queenstown in western Tasmania

15/ This view looks down the railway station at Dubbil Barril. Note how the railway station is cut into the cliff face. The locomotive is moving to the turnstile around the corner to be turned around for the return journey.

Dubbil Barril on the West Coast Wilderness Railway at Queenstown in western Tasmania

16/ This shows the locomotive entering the turnstile at Dubbil Barril. In the background is the railway station.

Dubbil Barril on the West Coast Wilderness Railway at Queenstown in western Tasmania

17/ Watching the drivers turn the locomotive by hand excited a lot of interest from the passengers. It was interesting to see just two men turn a 30 ton locomotive.

 

Nelson Falls in western Tasmania

1/ A few kilometres East of Lake Burbury is the trail to Nelson Falls. The trail is well paved and it is only a short walk through a beautiful rain forest to reach the falls.

Nelson Falls in western Tasmania

2/ This view shows the lovely rain forest of Nelson creek on the way to Nelson Falls.

Nelson Falls in western Tasmania

3/ This photo shows the Nelson Falls. Unfortunately, that summer the water flow was quite low. I estimated that the fall was about 40 metres. I intend to return for a better photo in the winter, when it is much more impressive.

tas icon