Rockhampton’s own slice of Harry Potter

James Lindley writes about the heritage of the Archer Park Railway Station and its connection to Harry Potter

Melanie Emery and the 'Brown Bomber' at Rockhampton's historic train station

RIGHT here in Rockhampton, at Archer Park Railway Station Museum, stands the Harry Potter Hogwarts Express ready to steam into ‘fantasy-land’.

The genuine 5972 still lives in Scotland, but this “Brown Bomber”, as the later models were known because of their mid-brown colour, was used by Movie World to promote the Harry Potter movies in Australia.

Melanie Emery is a Rockhampton Regional Council officer and one of the dedicated Harry Potter fans employed by the Rockhampton Regional Council museum to care for, and espouse the incredible and almost unbelievable Rockhampton history stories and treasures and to promote Rockhampton to the many domestic and international tourists who visit.

Movie World at the Gold Coast used this genuine “C17 Number 988” steam train, painted the Hogwarts red, to masquerade as the Hogwarts Express at Movie World, Coomera.

Now the C17 has been repainted to the authentic mid-brown and green and returned to the Rockhampton Archer Park Rail Museum.

Harry Potter fans who missed the opportunity of seeing and photographing the Hogwarts Express at Movie World, can experience the joy of standing in the cabin and driving the Hogwarts Express in their fantasy when they visit Rockhampton.