Western wilderness wonders

STRAHAN was once a quick stopover on a tour of Tamania's west coast , but today it has become the centrepiece of the state's tourism industry.

More than a tourist attraction ... the West Coast Railway is a memorial to the pioneers of Tasmania's west

STRAHAN was once a quick stopover on a tour of Tamania's west coast , but today it has become the centrepiece of the state's tourism industry.

Strahan boasts two of Tasmania's must-see attractions – the West Coast Wilderness Railway and a Gordon River cruise.

While the river gets all the accolades, part of the cruise experience includes a visit to Sarah Island – a convict hell-hole – and this is just as interesting as the Gordon itself.

Strahan has become a destination in its own right and offers enough to keep visitors happy for three or four days.

Other tourism enterprises have grown up around the railway and the river and there are plenty of accomodation options in the township – from Federal Hotel's huge Strahan Village to some quaint bed and breakfasts.

And don't forget Australia's longest-running theatre show, Richard Davey's The Ship That Never Was. The play has been performed more than 3650 times.

Apt memorial to pioneers

THE little Abt loco makes a fine sight as it chugs through the West Coast rainforests from Queenstown to Strahan.

With steam belching from the smokestack and undercarriage and a fine mist of water spraying back over the passenger carriages, it is a reminder of days gone by.

For most Tasmanians, the Abt is a quaint attraction that gives tourists something to do on the West Coast.

But the West Coast Wilderness Railway – as it is officially known – is much more than a tourist attraction.

It's a memorial to the pioneers of the region, epitomising the spirit of the Wild West.

In 1898, the booming Mt Lyell Mining and Railway Company had to get its ore 35km to the port of Strahan and the only way was to build a railway through some of the most inhospitable country imaginable.

Desperate mine managers saw a brochure of a Swiss railway designed by Roman Abt that used a centre track between the railway lines. It had a cog mechanism that locked under the steam engine, allowing it to pull the train up steep inclines.

It was a huge gamble, untested outside Europe, but they went for it and, miraculously, it worked.

It took two years to cut the track through the temperate rainforests along the Queen River from Queenstown and down the side of the King River gorge to Macquarie Harbour.

For 63 years the locos carted cargo to the Strahan wharf, with ships then taking it to market.

But in 1963 the Mt Lyell Company decided it was the end of the line for the Abt.

Spiralling maintenance costs and the advent of road transport killed the service, despite a spirited campaign to retain it.

The demise of the Mt Lyell Company, one of the world's oldest copper mines, led to a regional focus on tourism.

Calls to bring back the Abt found Federation funding to the tune of $30 million, so reconstruction started. It took three years to complete.

Numerous bridges had to be rebuilt and track relaid but it was finally opened in December, 2002, and it now takes its place among the world's great railways.

Visitors can enjoy a leisurely five-hour trip from Queenstown to Strahan, stopping off along the way at Lynchford, Lower Landing, Dubbil Barril and Rinadena to fill up with water and give passengers a chance to do a spot of gold panning and exploring.

The best of Tasmanian wines and food are on offer and passengers can enjoy the rainforest brushing past carriages on one side while peering down sheer drops into river valleys on the other.

It is an absolute must for Tasmanians and should be compulsory for students because the railway was a defining moment in the history of the state. 

The writer was a guest of Federal Hotels.

The Sunday Tasmanian