Departs Queenstown, 30 minutes away
The West Coast Wilderness Railway
The Wilderness Railway is a rebuilt 19th century line that climbs out of Queenstown through rainforest, on gradients steep enough that it needs a rack and pinion to hold the track.
- DepartsQueenstown
Photograph: Kim Dunstan
The original line was built to move copper, through country that had no business having a railway in it. It closed, and it was later rebuilt as a heritage operation, which is why you can ride it at all.
The engineering is the point. The rack sections exist because ordinary adhesion could not hold a train on these grades, and hearing that mechanism work is worth the ticket on its own.
It departs from Queenstown, 30 minutes from Zeehan, so it fits comfortably into a day that also takes in the drive over the range.
Practical
Planning it from Zeehan
- Book directly with the railway, and well ahead over summer.
- Allow 30 minutes each way for the drive to Queenstown.
- Several departure options exist and they vary in length, so check what suits your day.
Stay the night at the Heemskirk
Thirty minutes from the platform, with breakfast from 5am if you are on an early service.
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