Tasmania
A cross section of Australian towns and their railway stations, from extravagant to routine, archetypal to unique
Don, Tas
Located on the outskirts of Devonport at the village of Don, The Don River Railway is one of the most enjoyable railway museums in Australia. Its focus is Tasmania's trains of yesteryear, and its sizeable display includes steam and diesel engines and other rolling stock that have played an important part in Tasmania's rail history. The extensive workshop is open for visitors to wander around and see trains in various stages of restoration. Don't miss the leisurely tourist train ride along the banks of the Don River to Coles Beach.
Penguin, Tas
The little town of Penguin sits midway between Burnie and Ulverstone on Tasmania's Bass Strait coast. It's one of those pretty places that you can keep coming back to time and time again and never get tired of. The town's railway station was built in 1901. In the early days crowds would fill the platform to watch while teams of horses and bullocks would arrive from the outlying rural areas to unload potatoes to be transported on the train. Passenger trains haven't passed through here since 1978.
Burnie, Tas
In 1875, the Van Diemen's Land Co. began works on constructing a horse drawn tramway from Waratah to Burnie, over a distance of some 70 km. At the coast, the line extended to the port and a station was erected near Spring Street, and a large stable block was built nearby. This first permanent transport solution guaranteed Burnie’s role as a major port for the shipping of West Coast minerals, as well as a centre for rail traffic in Tasmania's north-west.
Cooee, Tas
An elevated platform, once part of the Cooee Siding, is all that remains alongside an abondoned section of railway track on Cooee Point Road, Cooee. The single narrow gauge line linked Burnie and Stanley, and was opened in 1913. Known as the Far Western line, it was later extended as far as Smithton. From Burnie to Wynyard, the line closely follows the coastline of Bass Strait, for the majority of route between the main road and the water, before turning inland and passing through the south of Wynyard township.
Parattah, Tas
The township was established when the ‘Main Line’ railway was built between Launceston and Hobart. First named Parattah Junction, due to the former Oatlands Railway, which branched off towards Oatlands from this area. Today, the railway station serves no passenger traffic, with the last passenger visits occurring in the early 2000s on heritage rail tours. The railway in Parattah served as an important point on the Main line from Hobart to Launceston, being the halfway stopping point for the Tasman Limited, and the terminus for suburban and inter-regional passenger services on the Tasmanian Government Railways.
Design by W3layouts