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This site was on 4-2-2007
Tasmania Flag Queenstown West Coast Australia Flag

Home of The Abt Wilderness Railway
Queenstown.
Population about 3500, it was the home of the Mount Lyell Mining Co. a copper producer for 105 years.
The town is set in a valley and is overlooked by Mount Owen which is 1146 metres in height. Queenstown is 180 kms South of the city of Burnie and 257kms Northwest of Hobart. The Queen River runs through the town and was the most polluted waterway in the southern hemisphere with the mine using it to get rid of it's tailings right up to 1994. The mine was closed for twelve months and re-opened by Gold Mines of Australia in 1995. It was re-named Copper Mines Of Tasmania not long after opening.
Regulations prohibiting the dumping of tailings into the river were introduced giving the river a new lease on life. However there are still problems with acidity due to acid water run off from the mine, these are being addressed gradually and it is conceivable that in a few years life could return to the waterway.

The weather
Tasmania's west coast receives rain about 300 days a year and is in the path of the Roaring Forties, snow quite often falls to low levels during winter. In summer the temperatures can be as high as 37deg. Celsius.

Attractions
The first thing visitors to the district see when approaching Queenstown is the unique landscape, it looks more like the barren scenery on the moon, devoid of vegetation (although there are signs of re-growth everywhere recently). This barren feature was caused by removing most of the trees to feed the copper smelters in years gone by. The sulphur fumes emitted during the process killed the remainder of the vegetation.

For the adventurous there are underground mine tours,wilderness tours or bus trips to the open cut mine.
For the angler Lakes Burbury and Plimsoll are not far away and are stocked with trout.
A visit to the Galley Museum to see the many mining artefacts and other historical articles is well worth while.
Queenstown offers first class accommodation and meals, also the locals are friendly and helpful.

"Part of the beautification of Queenstown".

Dr Alex Stevenson who purchased the Paragon Theatre has been renovating the building almost single handedly for some time now. Alex hopes to have the theatre up and running this year, he will be screening digital movies on a large cinema screen. Patrons will be seated in armchair comfort and refreshments will be available. We all wish Alex every success in his new enterprise.

"The Paragon theatre today".

"An original movie poster from 1934, courtesy of the Galley Museum Queenstown."

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Abt Railway	Map of Railway	Queenstown Past 1 & 2
Queenstown Today 1,2 & 3	Locos 1,2 & 3	Hospital 1 & 2
Bio & Links	Workshops	Train Station 1, 2 & 3
Track Laying	Lynchford Site	Rinadeena
Strahan	Other Stations	Mt Lyell Disaster
	Official Opening