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QUEENSTOWN

Mt Lyell & Wilderness Railway

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Nearby: STRAHAN, ZEEHAN, LAKE BURBURY, CORINA, WEST COAST REGION

  • QUEENSTOWN
  • Queenstown Lookouts
  • Mt Lyell
  • Wild. Railway

 

Queenstown in western 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 in western Tasmania

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

Queenstown in central Tasmania

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

Galley Museum in Queenstown in western Tasmania

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

museum display in Queenstown in central Tasmania

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

Queenstown in central Tasmania

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

hunter street in Queenstown in western Tasmania

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

Hunters Hotel in Queenstown in western 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 in western Tasmania

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

mine office in Queenstown in western Tasmania

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

Queenstown in western 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.

monument in Queenstown in western Tasmania

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

miner sculpture in Queenstown in western Tasmania

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

Penghana house in Queenstown in western Tasmania

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

Railway station in Queenstown in western Tasmania

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

display in railway station in Queenstown in western Tasmania

16/ The Queenstown Railway Station houses a great display honouring the railway builders of the West Coat of Tasmania.

Railway station in Queenstown in western Tasmania

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

Queenstown in western Tasmania

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

Queenstown in western Tasmania

19/ This large white house near the railway station probably belonged to a leading Queenstown personality of the 19th Century.

church in Queenstown in western Tasmania

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

Queen River in Queenstown in western Tasmania

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

Paragon theatre in 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.

houses in queenstown

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

house in Queenstown

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.

Queenstown in western Tasmania

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

Mount Lyell view of 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 on Mt Lyell 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 on Mt Lyell 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 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 from Mt Lyell 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 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 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 in western Tasmania

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

Linda hotel near Mt Lyell 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 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 hills near Mt Lyell in western Tasmania

17/ This photo shows degraded hills near Linda.

 

West Coast Wilderness Railway near 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.

West Coast Wilderness Railway near 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 near 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 of the West Coast Wilderness Railway near Queenstown in western Tasmania

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

abt gear of the West Coast Wilderness Railway near 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 being crossed by the West Coast Wilderness Railway near 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.

West Coast Wilderness Railway near 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 near 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 near 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 near 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 near 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 near Queenstown in western Tasmania

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

Rinadeena on the West Coast Wilderness Railway near 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 near 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 near 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 near 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 near 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 near 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 near 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 near 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.

 

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