Opened 1892 Line length 51 km (32 mi) | Closed 1960 Track gauge 3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm) | |
Terminis Regatta Point, Tasmania, Zeehan | ||
The Strahan–Zeehan Railway, also known as the 'Government Railway', was a railway from Strahan to Zeehan on the west coast of Tasmania.
Contents
It linked two private railways: the Mount Lyell Mining and Railway Company railway line (now known as the West Coast Wilderness Railway) between Queenstown and Regatta Point and the Emu Bay Railway between Zeehan and Burnie.
Early photographs of the Strahan wharf and buildings adjacent taken from the north usually have the railway tracks in the lower section of the photograph, as the line followed the shore from Regatta Point around the bay before passing northward in what is considered to be West Strahan today.
The line ran parallel to Ocean Beach before heading towards Zeehan.
It was a critical link, due to the difficulties of shipping negotiating the entrance Macquarie Harbour and was essential during the 1912 North Mount Lyell Disaster. The track gauge of the lines between Burnie was the same all the way to Queenstown.
Flooding and fire affected the most important link, the Henty Bridge, at stages in the lines history. 1920 was one year where the break in the line is recorded
The line was heavily reliant upon the mining industry and its fortunes, and traffic reduced drastically at times of mining down-turns.
Following its closure, parts became tracks and eventually the formation was made into the Zeehan-Strahan Road.
Dates
The line was opened on 4 February 1892, and it was closed 2 June 1960.