I do not recommend this company. All their promotional material indicates that they have steam trains. I booked and paid for a steam train experience and find the train hauled by a diesel. Not a steam train in sight.

Do not book and pay for steam and get supplied a very inferior experience without compensation. Don't risk it.

PS: anther train at the sheds has a duesel loco attached. Do they have steam trains?

Approximate cost: $45

I found this business on Word of Mouth

Like the cruise on the Gordon River this is the second time I have done this journey. And i'm glad I decided to repeat the experience. A bit older, a bit wiser, different priorities in life and a greater appreciation of the environment, Australian history and it's significance made for a much more enjoyable and educational trip. And I did it by myself this time so wasn't held back from enjoying all the trip has to offer.

The first thing that you will probably think when you look into this further and go to book is that it appears rather pricey. That was my first thought too, especially as I was purchasing an upgrade to premier class. But really, the experience made the $210 worthwhile (so much so I would probably even do the trip in the same carriage again).

We departed Queenstown at 1100 am and started out journey to Strahan. An old 1934 steam locomotive pulling carriages made from Huon pine and expertly restored. Not to their original specifications of course given that there are a whole different range of rules for safety and everything these days and differing expecations of comfort but all in all the carriage was presented very well. It made me want to be back in time, to simpler days without mobile phones and all where the journey was more relaxed and strangers talked and the general ambience was so much nicer than the rail of today and those travelling with partners kept each other warm (this carriage was kept warm by the authentic and traditional late 1990s/early 2000s reverse cycle airconditioner lol) but blankets are also available.

I'm pretty sure I would have put on about 2 kgs by the time we finished but the food and drink that was provided in premier class was outstanding. From the time of arrival we were given the option of a glass of champagne or juice and plenty of offers of top ups were made along the journey or you had the option of soft drink, tea, coffee, juice, merlot, pinot nois, pinot gris, sauvignon blanc, cider etc etc. All largely local, the wines all from Tamar Ridge, and absolutely stunning. Then there was the food. No sooner than we pulled away from Queenstown Station were we offered some very tasty chicken and camembert pies. Amazing. And plentiful. Would you like another sir was answered by a very enthusiastic yes. A variety of different flavours of chocolate brownies from Brownie Point at Launceston to try, I recommend the rocky road. The only downfall to these is they are so good but a bit hard to come by elsewhere in Tas. A platter of Tasmanian cheeses from Ashgrove Cheese at Elizabeth Town. The chilli cheddar is superb. And it just kept coming. My one negative about the food however is the lunch. Everyone on board, tourist and premier class, gets a "fettlers" lunch, a boxed lunch consisting of soup of the day (think today was spicy pumpkin and undoubtedly the nicest I have had), a small spinach and ricotta triangle, a crisp Tasmanian apple, some Anvers chocolate truffles (in Tassie you HAVE to go to Anvers even if just for take away coffee - I mean seriously, $4.20 for a proper cafe coffee with a truffle and piece of Anvers fudge, unbeatable)...... but I digress, this was all very nice. The let down was the very basic and average ham and cheese roll. A white roll with one slice of ham and one slice of cheese on it. Now again, in premier class you get provided with so much other food and drink that it probably doesn't matter too much about this (unless you choose not to indulge or cannot for dietary reasons in the other stuff). For those that choose the basic option though this is the only meal that is provided so I think for their $129 something a bit better could be served. Maybe some chicken and salad or some nice King Island beef. And maybe some beautiful Tamar Valley yoghurt as an after. I'm sure that some deal could be done with producers to showcase these high quality, world class foods for a reduced supply cost. But at the end of the day I was well fed and enjoyed everything.

The journey itself is thoroughly enjoyable from the scenery as you travel through the mountains and out onto the plateau looking through narrow gorges and along raging rivers. Several stops are made where you get out and go for short walks or do gold panning. Only other disappointment on this occassion was that unlike my last trip we didn't stop and do honey tasting and hear about Tasmanias honey industry, which I personally found really enjoyable when we did do it (chocolate honey!!! - combines 2 of my favourite things). It just adds another dimension to the experience (and provides another revenue stream as they offered the honeys for sale after the tastings). Apparently its a seasonal activity though so missed out this time around.

All in all this was a brilliant experience and one that I could easily do a third time round. It's a must do if you come to this part of Tasmania but I do recommend that to make the most of it you pay that bit extra and go for the premium experience, it's well worth it.

Finally, a couple of things to note though, there are no toilet facilities on board but plenty of stops are provided for this. Just ensure that kids go at these opportunities because it can be up to 45 minutes between stops. Also, if you have any special dietary requirements they are more than happy to provide for you, just make sure you let them know as much time in advance as possible. And take wet weather gear, this region has 300 days of rain a year on average and chances are you may get wet on the walks.

Approximate cost: $129 basic, $210 premier