Florentine Junction
Florentine Junction, also known as Pillinger’s Creek, Risby’s Junction, Florentine Rail Yard and Florentine Depot, is the terminus of the
. The station opened in 1936 but closed in the mid twentieth century when the railway beyond Kallista was closed.History
The Derwent Valley Railway reached Kallista on 2 July 1936, and shortly afterwards the 8 km extension to Florentine was opened. The track was used exclusively by Australian Newsprint Mills, running
Railtrack Riders
Florentine Junction is currently used by Railtrack Riders, a tourist initiative of the Maydena Community Association Inc. and which hopes to give visitors an insight into Tasmania's forestry and its railway heritage. Passengers pedal open railway carts for 2.4 km from Maydena to a purpose built turntable at Florentine Junction which repositions the carts for the return journey. At Florentine, there is also a small museum with historic forestry displays and other historical information.[5]
Last Living Thylacine
Working with local bushman Albert Harris, renowned ‘tiger hunter’ Elias Churchill trapped a living thylacine close to Florentine Junction in 1933. Churchill built a trapping hut near to the track leading to the
References
- ^ Journal of the Australian Timetable Association Previously Australian Association of Timetable Collectors, November 2004 http://cdn.timetable.org.au/thetimes200411issue.pdf
- ^ The Boyer Newsprint Mill, Bruce Cole, June 2010 https://www.engineersaustralia.org.au/portal/system/files/engineering-heritage-australia/nomination-title/Boyer_Newsprint_Mill_Nomination.pdf.
- ^ Railtrack Riders http://www.railtrackriders.com.au/rail-adventures/ Archived 17 August 2016 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Rail Tasmania http://www.railtasmania.com/photogal/showimage.php?id=465
- ^ Railtrack Riders http://www.railtrackriders.com.au
- ^ Cameron R Campbell, The Tasmanian Bushmen http://www.naturalworlds.org/thylacine/history/bushmen/bushmen_5.htm