Regatta Point is the location of a port and rail terminus on
Macquarie Harbour
Macquarie Harbour is a shallow fjord in the West Coast region of Tasmania, Australia. It is approximately , and has an average depth of , with deeper places up to . It is navigable by shallow-draft vessels. The main channel is kept clear by th ...
(
West Coast, Tasmania
The West Coast of Tasmania is mainly isolated rough country, associated with wilderness, mining and tourism. It served as the location of an early convict settlement in the early history of Van Diemen's Land, and contrasts sharply with the ...
).
Port
Regatta Point is often assumed into the name of the locality across the bay in Macquarie Harbour,
Strahan, Tasmania
Strahan (pronounced "straw-n"), is a small town and former port on the west coast of Tasmania. It is now a significant locality for tourism in the region.
Strahan Harbour and Risby Cove form part of the north-east end of Long Bay on the northe ...
. The other ports in Macquarie Harbour were Strahan, and
Pillinger at the southern end of the harbour.
Most shipping through the notorious
Hells Gates is now the fishing fleet.
The last sea-based delivery of explosives for the Mount Lyell company occurred as late as 1976.
Railway terminus
It was the port and terminus of the
Mount Lyell Mining and Railway Company
Mount Lyell Mining and Railway Company was a Tasmanian mining company formed on 29 March 1893, most commonly referred to as ''Mount Lyell''. Mount Lyell was the dominant copper mining company of the West Coast from 1893 to 1994, and was based in ...
railway line from
Queenstown.
When fully operational prior to closure in the 1960s, it was the location of the transfer of Mount Lyell materials to ships.
Regatta Point was the location of the connection between the Mount Lyell private railway and the
government railway line which passed through Strahan on the way to
Zeehan
Zeehan is a town on the west coast of Tasmania, Australia south-west of Burnie. It is part of the West Coast Council, along with the seaport Strahan, and neighbouring mining towns of Dundas, Rosebery and Queenstown.
History
The greater ...
, when that line was operational. It was possible to utilise passenger services from Queenstown to
Burnie
Burnie is a port city on the north-west coast of Tasmania, Australia. When founded in 1827, it was named Emu Bay, being renamed after William Burnie, a director of the Van Diemen's Land Company, in the early 1840s.
, Burnie had an urban popu ...
, using the Mount Lyell Line, the government line to Zeehan, and the
Emu Bay Railway
The Emu Bay Railway was a Tasmania, Australian railway company. The railway was significant during full operation, in that it linked the Tasmanian Government Railways system at Burnie with that at Zeehan that further linked to the Mount Lyel ...
line to Burnie.
Railway building
An earlier building at the station location was burnt down in 1900.
It currently the terminus for the rebuilt
West Coast Wilderness Railway
The West Coast Wilderness Railway is a reconstruction of the Mount Lyell Mining and Railway Company Mount Lyell railway in Western Tasmania between Queenstown and Regatta Point, Strahan. The railway is significant because of its Abt rack s ...
. The remaining station building at Regatta Point has been restored for the new service, having lain at risk from the 1960s to the 1990s.
Railway stations sequence
From Regatta Point to Queenstown:
*
Teepookana
*
Dubbil Barril
*
Rinadeena
*
Lynchford
*
Queenstown (Tasmania) railway station
Nearest ports
Outside of Macquarie Harbour – on the north coast of Tasmania – Burnie or the south east
Hobart – smaller anchorages exist in between – but are either facility free
Port Davey
Port Davey is an oceanic inlet located in the south west region of Tasmania, Australia.
Port Davey was named in honour of Thomas Davey, a former Governor of Tasmania. Port Davey is contained within the Port Davey/Bathurst Harbour Marine Natu ...
or dangerous
Trial Harbour.
See also
*
Railways on the West Coast of Tasmania
The history of the Railways on the West Coast of Tasmania has fascinated enthusiasts from around the world, because of the combination of the harsh terrain in which the railways were created, and the unique nature of most of the lines.
Points of ...
*
West Coast Tasmania Mines
The mines of the West Coast of Tasmania have a rich historical heritage as well as an important mineralogical value in containing or having had found, specimens of rare and unusual minerals. Also, the various mining fields have important roles ...
Notes
References
*
*
*
{{Coord, -42.1605, 145.3264, display=title
Localities of West Coast Council
Mount Lyell Mining and Railway Company
Macquarie Harbour
Railway stations in Western Tasmania
West Coast Wilderness Railway