Visitors and train buffs from all over the world visit Normanton to ride on one of Australia’s most famous little rail motors.

The RM93, known as the Gulflander, pulls out of the Normanton Railway Station every Wednesday at 8.30am to travel along the most orig­inal railway line in the world.

The trip from Normanton to Croydon is rich in Gulf landscape, the area’s past and the history of the line and its famous submersible Phillips Steel Sleepers which were created with a hollow base that was filled with mud, making ballast unnecessary. There are also mail stops and a morning tea stop along the way. People can choose to stay in Croydon overnight and return on the Gulflander the following day or book a bus transfer back to Normanton the same day.

But even before boarding the Gulflander, there’s a lot to see. The grand old Normanton Railway Station is not simply the home of the famous little rail motor – it’s an attraction in itself. It was constructed in 1889 and is still in mint condition.

The station is a piece of Victor­ian architecture and stands as a monument to the days when explorers opened up the outback and pioneers flocked to the Gulf. Many people had dreams that the Gulf would be the gateway to the rich Asian markets and that this railway could be linked with other railways from all over Australia. These visions of splendour are reflected in the ornate cast iron pillars and the decorative cast iron lattice that support the station dome.

More than 20,000 people visit the station each year. With a museum, the best stocked souvenir shop in the Gulf and a multi-award-winning garden (for which Barbara from Gulfland Souvenirs deserves much credit), it’s well set up for day visit­ation. Bring a picnic and enjoy the landscaped picnic area. The museum features historic photographs, railway tools and equipment, droving equipment and even a blazed tree from the Burke and Wills Camp 119. The whole station is a living, working museum!

Don’t miss the other star attraction, a former Gulflander known as RM60. It’s still in working order, but it needs a crank-handle start to get it going.

The Gulflander’s weekly trip to Croydon isn’t the only way you can take a trip on the quaint rail motor. The rail motor can be chartered (not on Wednesdays, of course) or you can take a tour on Saturday mornings from mid-June to the end of August. At 9.00am, the rail motor pulls out of the station and chugs along the historic Normanton/Croydon line until it reaches Critters Camp where it can turn around at a specially constructed angle. It returns to Clarina Waterhole where it stops for billy tea, pikelets, scones and damper, in the grand old tradition of the bush. The Morning Tea and Damper Trip concludes by noon.

On Thursday afternoons, the Sunset Sizzle Trip leaves the Normanton Railway Station at 4.00pm and returns about 6.30pm. A free barbecue is put on at the Norman River. Soft drinks are available for sale and if people want a beer or a glass of wine, they can take their own alcohol. Experience a wonderful sunset as you return.

Charters run most days from the Normanton station. Phone the Normanton Railway Station on (07) 4745 1391 for more details.

Normanton Stop Shop Normanton, Queensland 4890 Phone/Fax (07) 4745 1186 General groceries and variety store: Weekly specials, hot pies, air-conditioned comfort Email: stopshop@bigpond.com.au