The Strahan–Zeehan Railway, also known as the "Government Railway", was a railway from Strahan 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 Rosebery and Queenstown. History The greater Zeehan a ...

on the west coast of

Tasmania Tasmania (; palawa kani: ''Lutruwita'') is an island States and territories of Australia, state of Australia. It is located to the south of the Mainland Australia, Australian mainland, and is separated from it by the Bass Strait. The sta ...

. It linked two private railways: 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 (now known as the

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 ...

) between Queenstown and Regatta Point, 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 Lye ...

between

and

Burnie Burnie ( ; Aboriginal Tasmanians#North, pirinilaplu/palawa kani: ''Pataway'') is a port city located on the North West Tasmania, north-west coast of Tasmania, Australia. It is the fourth largest city on the island, located approximately north ...

. Early photographs of the Strahan wharf and buildings adjacent taken from the north usually have the

railway track Railway track ( and UIC terminology) or railroad track (), also known as permanent way () or "P way" ( and Indian English), is the structure on a railway or railroad consisting of the rails, fasteners, sleepers ( railroad ties in American ...

s 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 to

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 ...

and was essential during the

1912 North Mount Lyell disaster The North Mount Lyell disaster (also known as the Mount Lyell disaster and North Mount Lyell fire) refers to a fire that broke out on 12 October 1912 at the Mount Lyell Mining and Railway Company operations on the West Coast of Tasmania, killing ...

. The

track gauge In rail transport, track gauge is the distance between the two rails of a railway track. All vehicles on a rail network must have Wheelset (rail transport), wheelsets that are compatible with the track gauge. Since many different track gauges ...

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 line's 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.

Stations and stopping places

* Silver Bell * Austral * Oceana Junction * Professor * Grieves Siding * Eden * Powell's Siding * Mallana—renamed Fowler's Siding * Henty Bridge—renamed Koyule (1926) * Henty * Beach Road—also known as Ocean Beach * Bellinger * Opah—renamed Stella (1903) * West Strahan * Strahan Wharf * Regatta Point

Dates

Stations and stopping places

See also

References

Further reading