Cloncurry's 150th Anniversary, Qld

2017 marks 150 years since Ernest Henry discovered rich deposits of copper and kicked off the Great Australia Mine, that put Cloncurry on the map. To celebrate Cloncurry’s mining success, the council has been hosting a series of special events and we were grateful to be a part of one - a ride on a Steam Train! Gumby and I surprised my (Shovel’s) mum for her birthday and brought my Parents out to Cloncurry to experience a bit of history. The train was manufactured in the 1950’s and was the last steam train ever built. The carriages were all different, their build dates ranged from as early as the early 1900’s up to the 1970’s. Every carriage was beautifully preserved, it was a moving history museum and the outback Queensland scenery outside filled the windows with endless bush colours. Fascinating experience and loads of fun. We also pulled up at the Chinaman Creek Dam lookout for some rock chucking and views, then stretched the legs at Burke and Wills memorial.

​We were fortunate to sit in the First Class Pullman Sleeper Carriage, with fold down beds, storage compartments and a spacious washroom. This Sleeper Carriage, the DAS 1057 was built in Ipswich, Queensland and began service in 1924.

Interesting fact, the first Sleeper Carriage used by Queensland Rail was in 1888.