SUNDAY 5 - MONDAY 6.2.2012: As the trip has progressed we have come to realise the pleasure gained 
from the trains of yesteryear. With that in mind we booked a trip on the West Coast Wilderness Railway. We were picked up from the Golf Club and then boarded a bus to Queenstown. The steam train is a unique ABT (Dr Roman Abt - inventor), rack-and-pinion system and to fully appreciate this we were advised to travel from Queenstown to Strahan. The railway was built in 1896 to carry pure copper from the rich mines in Queenstown to the harbour port of Strahan. Station stops were made with activities such a gold panning and honey tasting included. 
We were almost at Rinadeena Station which is the steepest section of the trip (1 in 16 - for every 16 metres travelled you climb 1 metre), and where the rack-and-pinion is most effective, when we came to an abrupt halt. A tree had fallen on the train's middle carriage. We were evacuated and asked to walk the last 200 metres to the station. The driver and fireman were left chainsaw in hand, to remove the offending obstruction.
We had lunch and reboarded, but were now an hour behind schedule. The rest of the trip went according to plan and we arrived back safely in Strahan - thoroughly enjoyed the journey!
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| "HILL CLIMB" |
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| ABT RACK-AND-PINION SYSTEM |
Annette (O-U-R MACDOG Obedience Trainer), suggested we see the play "The Ship That Never Was". It is the true story of the great escape from Sarah Island. In January 1834 the last ship built at the convict settlement shipyard at Macquarie Harbour was about to sail for the new prison at Port Arthur. Ten convict shipwrights had other ideas. The play has been performed for 18 years and is the longest running in Australia. There are only two actors, with the audience encouraged to play the other roles. Whilst the play is educational it is also hilarious - fun night!
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| BLANKETS WERE PROVIDED! |
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| "THE SHIP THAT NEVER WAS" |
from the trains of yesteryear. With that in mind we booked a trip on the West Coast Wilderness Railway. We were picked up from the Golf Club and then boarded a bus to Queenstown. The steam train is a unique ABT (Dr Roman Abt - inventor), rack-and-pinion system and to fully appreciate this we were advised to travel from Queenstown to Strahan. The railway was built in 1896 to carry pure copper from the rich mines in Queenstown to the harbour port of Strahan. Station stops were made with activities such a gold panning and honey tasting included.
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