We had breakfast at a local cafe that was okay, but nothing special and then waited for the shuttle-bus to take us to the local station.
Once at the station we were shown to the premier class carriage (there were only two carriages in total, the other being "tourist class") and introduce to Ashley who was to look after us for the day.
On entering the carriage we were handed a glass of sparkling wine and very soon the train shook into life and we were off.
The railway has to negotiate a 1 in 20 and a 1 in 16 incline so it uses an ABT Rack and Pinion system to drag the train up the incline and to provide extra braking on the way down. The locos themselves are fitted with large cogwheel pinions which engage with the rack on the centre rail. There were five originally, but only three are in service at the moment and we spent the day being pulled by ABT No 5.
The scenery was stunning. The carriage we were in had a "balcony" at the rear that afforded an excellent view as the train rattled along the banks of the King River, the Queen River, past various gorges, through ancient temperate rain forests and over several bridges.
All the while we were fed and watered with Tasmanian wines, Tasmanian cheeses, coffee, hot chocolate and other snacks and drinks.
Tom, who was looking after the Tourist Class carriage, gave a running commentary about the history of the railway, the mines and the general area.
We stopped at various small stations on the way where we could stretch our legs and go for a stroll into the rain forest.
Eventually, the train rolled into Queenstown where we boarded a bus for the trip back to Strathan. It was a really enjoyable and interesting day.
Before we left for Tasmania, I was told to try the crayfish but, try as we might, we haven't found any yet. The only place that seems to sell it here in Strahan is a local souvenir shop(!) but we would rather have it in a restaurant than on our laps in our hotel room.
So, we ended up in Hamer's, the local pub, where we had some oysters followed by steak (Alicea) and curried scallops (me) which were both rather nice.
We then went back to the hotel for the night as we've a long day tomorrow as we try to get to Cradle Mountain and then do the long drive back to Hobart.
