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Historic Ilfracombe Excursion
On the Historic Ilfracombe Excursion, operated by Outback Rail Adventure, two beautifully restored Silver Bullet railmotors take us on a leisurely half-day trip from Longreach to Ilfracombe.
In Ilfracombe, we have time to explore the Wellshot Centre, the Lynn Cameron Machinery Mile and Langenbaker House before enjoying lunch at the Wellshot Hotel. The excursion starts at the Longreach Train Station, where we board the train and meet the team from Outback Rail Adventure.
Our train today is the iconic 17-metre long ‘Silver Bullet’ railmotors, RM2034 and RM2036, which were built in 1971 and fitted with 12.5L Leyland engines. The 2000 class rail motors originally ran services in Brisbane’s southside and the north coastline to Gympie and Bundaberg. They were relocated from Ipswich to Longreach in October 2022 by Outback Aussie Tours.
From our comfortable seats and large windows, we enjoy stunning views over the vast open plains, watch the birds and wildlife and listen to interesting stories on the 40-minute journey to Ilfracombe.
Ilfracombe was founded in 1891 and was initially a transport hub for Wellshot Station, which at the time held the largest number of sheep on any station in the world. Today it is a small town with a lot of outback character, a traditional hotel, an artesian bore bath and swimming pool and some great history.
The Lynn Cameron Machinery Mile is on the main road and has a wonderful display of machinery collected and donated by the local community.
The Wellshot Centre tells the story of Wellshot Station, one of Australia's greatest sheep stations. It traces the history and development of the station from its early settlement, how it was formed and how people lived and worked there.
Langenbaker House dates back to 1892 and is an early example of an Ilfracombe residence made from timber and corrugated iron.
Established in the 1880s, the Wellshot pub was famously moved along the rail line from the nearby town of Barcaldine and re-erected to its current site in 1890. Today the Wellshot Hotel is full of outback memorabilia, quirky bar stools, hot coffee, cold drinks and tasty food.
A great half day tour on the historic Silver Bullet Rail Motors to the town of Ilfracombe, includes lunch at the Historic Wellshot Hotel.
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