Wilderness Railway - Queenstown

We were up and at em at 5:15am and on the road by 6:45am.  Back to Queenstown for our heritage train trip on an abt train track.  Sitting in the carriage at 8:45am with a glass of champagne.  Cause why not.  YOLO.

First stop on on train trip is Lynchford.  Here we were able to try our hand at panning for gold.  Water was freezing.

Second stop ,Rinadeena, meaning little raindrops in the local aboriginal dialect.  Others just call it 'rain indeed' as they get 3 metres of rain a year.  The train uses 3000 litres of water to get to the top of the mountain.  

The railway was built entirely by pickaxe and shovel, with material being carted out by wheelbarrow.  No dinamite was used.  It took 500 men 2 and a half years.  With only 4 causalities due to accident during the construction.  How many due to illness is anyone's guess.

We stopped the train at King River George for photos.  We could see people on the river in rafts.  I'd like to see the forest from that angle. The trees and undergrowth are so thick. It feels ancient, with moss covering everything.

Then on to Dubbil Barril where the train turned to take us back to Queenstown. We're able to do a little walk through the ancient trees. Stunning

"Find a way, or make a way.". This was the motto of the early settlers in the area. Would have been such a hard life.Read more