Re: [TAS] Penguin

[athan <hatsoff@bigstix.com>]

Leon Kernan wrote:

> >
> > The money being spent on Parattah- they are apparently putting in a
> > triangle - I would invest in improving rail facilities further down the
> > line at Ross, which *is* actually a tourist-focussed town with
> > bakeries, restaurants, accommodation, nice old buildings, churches and
> > a charming sandstone bridge.
> >
>
> I disliked Ross so much i stayed on the train to Tunbridge and sat in the
> loop while the paper train passed. Far more fun :)
>
> Leon

Certainly, Ross has more going for it than Parattah.  The convenience of
Parattah- loop, traditional and historical crossing point is probably the
reason it has been the place of choice on the special charter runs.  The
lack of local infrastructure and support from the locals is unforgivable in
any state- ventures like this can bring valuable boosts to the local
economy, for sure.

Penguin is about to celebrate 100 years of rail through the town- April
15th, I think. There is an article about it in the last TasRail magazine,
and a picture showing the placements of the new crossing loop- from what I
can remember, it is pretty much where the original was.

What is there to do in Penguin?  This is a question that I often asked when
spending my childhood there! There has been considerable money spent on
beautifying the main street, the new park opposite the railway station
(Hiscuitt Park) is certainly a nice place to spend some time- especially
looking around the windmill, and ofcourse, there is the giant ferro-cement
"Fairy Penguin' (another town with a giant something...)

The park area would be fairly close to where the original tramway to the
Fern Dene mines terminated. It followed the Penguin Creek which has been
dammed to form a small lake in the park. Hopefully, some information about
that will be in the displays in the station. There are also several great
photographs of Penguin Station about- a major crossing point, so again, the
scope for an imaginative display of rail memorabilia, and the port (opposite
the station site) could be included.

Penguin (through the Central Coast Council) has the opportunity to do some
good things. Since the second redevelopment of the National Highway has now
even removed Penguin's reputation of being "a set of traffic lights in the
middle of nowhere" to being a name on a green board you may see if you are
not watching the road as you zoom past to Burnie or Devenport at 110 kmh's,
tourism is important. Let's hope that they certainly market it well.  There
are some wonderful views along the central coast by rail- the entry
travelling west into Penguin through Lonah, past The Three Sister Islands,
along cliff faces and cuttings, and through the Max Perry Reserve are
certainly worth the trip.

The other great hope that I have is that places that advertise themselves as
"Coffee Shops" should sell coffee, and not instant! (personal dislike
admitted!) Note well ROSS and CAMPBELLTOWN!