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

But even before they board the Gulflander for a trip on the unique railway line between Normanton and Croydon, people discover that there’s a lot to see. The grand old Normanton Railway Station is not simply the home of one of the most famous little rail motors in Australia - 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. The museum features historic photographs, railway tools and equipment, droving equipment and even a blazed tree from the Burke and Wills Camp 119. In fact, the whole station could be considered a living, working museum.

The Gulflander pulls out on its weekly trip to Croydon every Wednesday, but that’s not the only day 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-May to early September. 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 whole trip, known as the Morning Tea and Damper Trip, takes just over two hours.

The Sunset Sizzle Trip pulls out of the station at 4.00pm on Thursdays. The rail motor stops at the Norman River for a barbecue dinner put on by the local property owners. Experience a wonderful sunset as you return. These trips are perfect if you don’t have time to go all the way to Croydon but want the chance to travel on the unique railway.

The Railways inspecting surveyor of the day, George Phillips, designed a sleeper that was safely submersible during flood time. The steel sleeper was hollow based and filled with mud, making ballast unnecessary. More than a century later, the line is still in amazingly good condition.

Normanton Electrical and Video 30 Landsborough Street, Normanton Qld 4890 Phone/Fax (07) 4745 1387 Shop in air-conditioned comfort. Electrical goods, antennas, CDs, bicycles, video hire