Travel Australia

Ida Bay Bush Railway

The Ida Bay Railway is a 7-kilometre 2 ft (610 mm) narrow gauge heritage bush railway. Located 105 kilometres south of Hobart, Tasmania in the Lower Huon region, it is the most southerly railway in Australia.

Following the arrival of British colinists in Tasmania in 1803, whalers, sealers and convicts became the first non-aboriginal inhabitants of the Far South. By 1822 the first land grant was made at Hythe (now Southport). The area south of Dover was reserved for timber. Convict probation stations were established at Dover and Hythe in the 1840s. By the early 1850s timber leases were made available and mill towns emerged, including at Lune River, Ramsgate, Hastings and Leprena. This was the start of bush tramways in the area, initially with timber rails and horse power.



The original tramway had timber rails and horse drawn. Logs were moved on the railway, to the mill, cut into planks, and loaded onto small ships at the wharf adjacent the mill. The railway is a reminder of Tasmania’s early industrial age. Many forests had bush tramways to transport timber out of forests. Most have long been torn up, many years ago. Unlike older lines, this line is recent enough for it to be still intact as the only surviving railway of its type in Tasmania.

Around 1919 the abandoned timber tramway built to serve the Huon Timber Co's Lune River mill was upgraded and extended by the Hydro Electric Power and Metallurgic Company. The purpose was to transport limestone from a quarry at Marble Hill just south of Hastings Cave to a jetty at Brick Point, Ida Bay. The limestone was then loaded onto river ships, taken to Electrona in North-West Bay south of Hobart and used in the preparation of calcium carbide. This was mainly used for the production of acetylene gas.

In June 1975, freight operations ceased. Following strong community action in support of keeping the railway operating it was purchased by the Tasmanian Government in 1977 and leased to private operators as a tourist attraction. Various lease holders ran the railway for years struggling to make a profit. After a two year closure, the line re-opened in December 2005.



The full two-hour round trip provided a unique experience for visitors, both historic and scenic. The train travels over buttongrass plains, through tea-tree woodlands and forests, and along beautiful coastline to a deserted beach. The tracks run through endangered swift parrot habitat, and it is common to spot wallabies and other local wildlife along the way.

Visitors passed by cultural heritage sites of the Lyluequonny people, and glimpse remnants of days gone by when timber-getters used horse-drawn tramways to cart timber, convicts were sent from Port Arthur to work as loggers, and European migrants laboured in the limestone quarry.

Those looking for a bit of adventure could follow the marked bushwalking tracks to Southport Lagoon and catch a later train back, or even camp overnight, making this a unique attraction with the potential to cater to diverse audiences. Barbecue facilities and toilets are available at Deep Hole.



Passengers rode behind one of the last Malcolm Moore engines, built for the War Department in World War II for use in the Pacific theatre of war. After the war, five of these unused engines came to the Ida Bay Railway between 1948 and 1951. Some parts of the passenger carriages are built on bogies that date back to the 1890s and were retrieved from the Zeehan and Dundas Railway. The train made five trips daily from Luna River along the foreshore of Ida Bay to Deep Hole. 15,000 people visited the railway in 2018, its last year of operation.

In September 2018 a train derailment highlighted the poor state of repair of the track, and the Ida Bay train has not run since. The lease held by the operator was terminated with Tasmania Parks & Wildlife Service appointed caretaker owner. At the time, the line was assessed by the National Rail Safety Regulator as below the standard for safe operation. Extensive upgrade will be needed if it is ever to be opened again.

Little has been done to prevent further deterioration of the line, rolling stock and buildings and urgent maintenance and restoration of this heritage listed railway is needed. The Ida Bay Railway Preservation Society Inc was formed and began negotiation with the Government to restore the railway.

Ida Bay to Southport Lagoon Walking Trail

The historic Ida Bay Railway is no longer operating train rides but the old railway formation and infrastructure still provide a glimpse into Tasmania's past. It is still possible to walk the rail line from the main terminus at Lune River to the wharf at Deep Hole near Southport, where the line ends at an abandoned jetty and tranquil deserted beach. This medium difficulty walk offers unique coastal hiking experiences mixed with pioneer history. This return hike takes in coastal railways systems, sandy buttongrass heathlands and vast lagoon and ocean vistas.