West Coast Wilderness Railway (Queenstown Station) — Attraction in Tasmania

What a wonderful experience. We prebooked the tickets online and went on the Heritage carriage. It was awesome from start to finish. Shown to our seats we started with a choice of drink followed by canapes. Stooping at another station on the way gave us the opportunity to pan for gold - unfortunately we did not make our millions as no gold was found that day. We then boarded the train again for the next leg through some unbelievably beautiful Tasmanian bush. We were allowed to get out on a little platform as the train moved which gave another experience with the trip. We were then served scones with hot drinks and some wonderful blackberry jam. We then arrived at our destination where we got off for around 40 minutes to go for a walk in the bush and watch the engine being drive to the back of the train for the journey home. You can go up stairs and watch all this from a bridge looking down - quite the experience. We then all boarded the train for the trip back. Again we were served some tasty treats finishing with a gorgeous chocolate that are specifically made for the trainline. We also got to fill in postcards that will be sent by the trainline to anyone in Australia - a lovely touch I thought. The commentary on the journey was great and gave a really interesting perspective on this part of the world. Staff were fantastic and made the journey even more wonderful. Totally recommended and if it's in your budget, would recommend the Heritage...

An interesting experience. Be aware that the carriages are air conditioned so the windows kept fogging up in the cooler weather, making it hard to get a good look at what the train was passing let alone take photos. Most of the time there isn't a great deal to see though; you very much are going through "wilderness" and the main attraction is the glimpses of the polluted river from time to time. It appeared that you had to remain in your seat at all times but some people seemed to have permission to get up and take photos from the end of the carriage - unclear why not everyone was permitted this experience. I thought the standard seats were spacious enough but felt uncomfortable as a solo traveller when the person next to me made me empty my pockets so they could be more comfortable. I enjoyed the stop at Lynchford where you can stand on a footbridge over the pumpkin soup coloured Queen River and there is a museum room which allows you to recap the information provided by the guide at your own pace. The second stop at Rinadeena was boring: the kiosk was crowded and a bit expensive and the viewing bridge to watch the train turn around was quite crowded. Back in Queenstown I was disappointed by the souvenir selection (example: only selling Regatta Point pins when the train didn't take us to Regatta Point!) I am glad I did it but it didn't quite capture my imagination in the way other heritage rail trips elsewhere in...

The West Coast Wilderness Railway and Queenstown Station were reconstructed in the early 2000s and now offers tourists opportunity to experience a rail journey through the lush and thick rainforests of West Coast which historically ran between between Queenstown and Strahan.

You can book tickets on the West Coast Wilderness Railway online and purchase at the Queenstown Station ticket desk. There are public toilets and paid parking at the station. Free parking is available on the town centre blocks nearby. There are a couple different classes (Heritage and Wilderness) of tickets with a few different journeys, which come with food & drink service and host commentary.

We recently took the Queenstown - Lynchford - Rinadeena route which was quite fun. The train cars are very nicely maintained, comfortable and the journey through thick rainforests of the West Coast is overall enjoyable. We also enjoyed both stops at Lynchford and Rinadeena, a good opportunity to exit the train, stretch your feet and enjoy the old historic stations opened along the railway for your education ad enjoyment.

Overall, this is a leisurely activity and nice way to spend 3-4 hours when visiting Queenstown. We'd be up for doing so again the next time we've opportunity to spend a few days in this part...