Wednesday 12th of March Saturday 15th of March

Wednesday 12th of March
Saturday 15th of March
Continue on to Westerway via Ouse and travel into the edge of
the South West Wilderness region to inspect and exert some
effort on the Rail Track Riders experience at Maydena. Retrace
some of the route and continue to the Derwent Valley Railway
depot at New Norfolk for a guided tour (no trains operating at
present). Then 40 minutes on the coach brings the end of the
journey at Midcity Hotel, your accommodation for the next few
nights right in the centre of Hobart.
Below: (left) Launceston Tram no 29, (right) Workshops
Queenstown – Hobart
9.00 a.m. depart Queenstown for a full day’s drive to Hobart
through mountainous terrain and with a couple of interesting
stopovers. On the way, stop at Derwent Bridge for morning tea
and The Wall, where a huge wooden carving of Tasmania’s
history is being created. Proceed to Tarraleah for lunch.
Below: (left) Ida Bay Railway and (right) Rail Track Riders
Hobart – Launceston
8.00 a.m. depart Hobart for Launceston passing through the
various historical colonial towns on the way. Arrive at
Launceston by 11.00 a.m. and book into accommodation at
Commodore Regent, then partake of a lunch break (at own
cost). ATHRA delegates will need to prepare for Conference
and coach will be available.
4.30 p.m. meet at the Queen Victoria Museum and Art Gallery,
Inveresk, http://www.qvmag.tas.gov.au/whatsoninv.html for
a tour of the Railway Workshops Museum and the Inveresk
Tramway Museum, which preserves 5 of the 29 trams that once
worked in Launceston. Dinner will be hosted by the Inveresk
Tramway Museum at a venue to be determined.
EXPRESSION OF INTEREST IN THE TOUR:
Thursday 13th of March
Hobart—Ida Bay – Hobart
8:00 am Leave Hobart on a day excursion to the southern end
of Tasmania. Visit the Geeveston Forestry Centre and Hastings Caves before arriving at Australia’s most southerly railway,
Ida Bay Railway. Lunch is provided at Ida Bay Station Café.
Riding in passenger carriages built on 1890’s bogie flat wagons
hauled by 1940’s Malcolm Moore locomotives, travel along the
shores of Ida Bay and Lune River estuary to Deep Hole.
Return to Hobart to accommodation at Midcity. The rest of
the evening and meal are at your leisure.
Below: (left) MONA and (right) Tas.Transport Museum
Please complete the following and return to Tony Coen on
ajcoen@dodo.com.au. (highlight, copy and paste this box into an
email) For more details call 0417 105 967 Bookings now
extended to February 28.
....................................................................................
I would like to find out more about this tour including costs
Name and contact details
---------------------------------------------------------------------------I would like to book for the tour subject to suitable costing and
provision of further information
Name & Contact Details
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Circle your choice of options for Thursday 11th March.
1. Visit to Carswell Park
Friday 14th of March
Tas. Transport Museum,
Hobart Sightseeing and Leisure
After breakfast, take a morning ferry trip to the renowned
Museum of Old and New Art (MONA). After lunch, coach
transfer from MONA to the Tasmanian Transport Museum to
see the great collection of locomotives, railmotors, carriages
and wagons, period railway station, trams, trolley and motor
buses, traction engines, fire museum and stationary equipment. Some train trips will also be available. Return to Midcity Hotel and enjoy a late afternoon exploration of the waterfront and another leisurely evening.
2. Please book my group of _____ people for the Mt
Lyell Mine Underground Tour – (first in first served)
numbers limited to 9 per tour (2 tours)
3. Trip to Lake Margaret Power Station
4. Train Trip to Dubbil Barril and return
Name & Contact Details
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Attention, steam railway enthusiasts and
anyone interested in Australia’s fascinating
rail heritage!
SteamFest and the Tasmanian Association of
Tourist Railways have teamed up to create an
adventure that combines a tour of Tasmanian
railways with some of the country’s most
beautiful scenery and iconic attractions.
SteamFest Tasmanian Railways Tour Itinerary
Tasmania has long been a drawcard for those seeking a
wilderness experience in a land renowned for good food
and fine wines. The SteamFest Tasmanian Railways Tour
packages Tasmania’s industrial and agricultural heritage
around visits to the operating preserved railways and some
of Tasmania’s popular tourist attractions.
The tour has been timed to coincide with Tasmania’s
premier Country Fair – SteamFest, which promises to be
entertaining for both young and old. Then, travelling via
the picturesque North West coast and through the South
West Wilderness area, discover Tasmania’s rich collection
of heritage railways that include Don River Railway, Wee
Georgie Wood Steam Railway, West Coast Wilderness Railway and Ida Bay Railway.
Tasmania has a lot to offer for those interested in railways,
steam era heritage, scenery and epicurean delights. This
tour has been especially tailored to meet those interests.
The coach driver for the tour will be Mr Tony Coen whom
many in the steam scene will know. Tony was a former
Association of Tourist and Heritage Railways of Australia
Tasmanian representative. His knowledge of Tasmania’s
rail history proved to be most interesting for participants in
the inaugural SteamFest tour!
Just a few weeks left to book—get in quick!
Saturday 8th March 2014
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Launceston – Sheffield
(the Town of Murals)
10.45 a.m. depart Launceston Airport and on the way spend an
hour in Westbury wandering through the huge collection of
steam era equipment at Pearn’s Steam World
http://www.pearnssteamworld.org.au/
Monday 10th of March 2014
Tullah – Queenstown
8.30 a.m. arrive at Wee Georgie Wood Steam Railway for an
inspection and trip on the remaining remnant of the Nth. Mt.
Farrell Tramway, which until 1961 was the only link between
Tullah and the outside world.
Below: (left)Wee Georgie Wood (right) Zeehan Pioneer Museum
Some of the Pearn’s Steam World Collection
then onto SteamFest http://www.steamfesttasmania.org.au
at the Redwater Creek Railway at Sheffield. Book into your
accommodation - Kentish Hills Retreat Sheffield or the
Sheffield Motor Inn - have lunch (own cost) and attend the
opening of SteamFest.
This will be SteamFest’s 20th year and is the largest gathering
of Tasmanian steam power including displays of vintage
machinery and vehicles, train rides, tractor-pulling competitions and demonstrations of farm practices from the steam era
(chaff-cutting, threshing, stone-crushing, etc.) along with craft
displays, bands, entertainment and food stalls.
10.30 a.m. depart Tullah for Zeehan through rugged scenery
passing many historical and interesting places en route.
Arrive at West Coast Pioneers Memorial Museum at 12.30 p.m.
for an inspection of this grand collection of equipment and
photographs relative to the boom mining years of the district.
Lunch (at own cost) is available at local stores.
.2.00 p.m. leave Zeehan and travel along much of the former
Government railway line to arrive at the picturesque village of
Strahan before 3.00 p.m. Enjoy some free time exploring this
lovely area and then have dinner (own expense) at any of the
wonderful dining venues in Strahan. After dinner, travel on to
Queenstown.
Engine line up and Threshing at SteamFest
Hope you can make it for some clean green epicurean
steam era heritage delights!!
Above: West Coast Wilderness Railway
3.00 p.m. on to Devonport for a trip on the Don River Railway,
http://www.donriverrailway.com.au an half hour journey on a
genuine vintage train along the old Melrose Line to Cole’s
Beach and back. Spend some time inspecting locomotives,
rolling stock and workshop before heading back to Sheffield
around 5.00 p.m.
Spend the rest of the day at SteamFest at your own leisure.
There are several dining establishments at Sheffield to choose
from for your evening meal and the coach is available to
transfer you to the nearby accommodation.
Sunday 9th of March 2014 Sheffield - Tullah
Free time at SteamFest and around the town of Sheffield, the
Town of Murals—check them out!
4.00 p.m. leave Sheffield, travel to Tullah via the Central
Highlands, arriving at Tullah Chalet overnight accommodation
around 6.00 p.m.
Discover the historic 35 kilometres railway line of tight curves
and spectacular bridges as the train clambers through rugged
wilderness, dense Tasmanian rain forest and deep gorges, a
legacy of the engineering skills, determination and endurance
of the late 19th century West Coast pioneers who built it. Two
nights’ accommodation at Queenstown and free time to
explore.
Tuesday 11th of March 2014
Full Day around Queenstown
Options include:
*visit to Carswell Park railway workshops
*underground tour of the 6 kilometres deep Mt. Lyell Copper
mine (2 tours for max. 9 people at $90 each)
*trip to Lake Margaret power station, the largest power
scheme in the Southern Hemisphere when built
*or train trip to Dubbil Barril and return.
(You may choose options when you book, see back page)
Dinner is at own cost at one of the many eateries or historic
pubs around the town and then back to accommodation place.