Don River Railway
 

This morning, I will inform you about one of the north-west's community organisations that also happens to be one of the north-west's largest tourist attractions.  The Don River Railway, located within the municipality of Devonport, is a not-for-profit tourist railway and museum.  It has been operating as an organisation for many years and plans to celebrate its 50th anniversary next year.

 

The railway is volunteer-owned and 99 per cent operated by over 80 volunteers.  Its volunteers are drawn from many walks of life.  Apart from providing an outlet for men and women interested in trains, the Don River Railway also delivers on its social purpose in supporting, training and providing work experience for long-term unemployed people in the area.  It also provides volunteering and work experience for a small number of our community with special needs.

 

The railway operates from its base at Don village on the course of the Don River, for 4.5 kilometres, out to its current destination at Coles Beach.  This half-hour return trip operates hourly, four days per week, with heritage steam trains operating on at least one of those days.  Don River Railway is one of the biggest heritage railway workshops in the southern hemisphere, and boasts Australia's largest collection of heritage steam and diesel locomotives.  Some of its exhibits are over 100 years old, showing the historic development of railways here in Tasmania.

 

Members will be surprised to know that in 2018-19 - pre-COVID-19 - the railway attracted over 18 000 passengers, approximately 60 per cent of whom were interstate or international visitors.  As tourism recovers within the state, the railway is well placed to deliver for new visitors and contribute to the area's economic wellbeing.

 

In 2020, the Tasmanian Government provided funding for a study to be undertaken to look at the potential tourism demand, operational feasibility and economic impact of expanding the Don River Railway at its Don site as well as reconnecting to the TasRail main line at Coles Beach.  Results of this study were compelling.  Exciting plans include:

 

·         the redevelopment of the tourism experience at Don village.  This will include new display sheds and an interpretation centre.  The aim is to bring the stories and the purpose behind the people who shaped Tasmanian railways and the Don River from 1854 to today.  These stories will be brought to life in a dedicated area where installations are created to take visitors through the railway's journey;

·         a new café with facilities for visitors is also included.  This element is costed at $9.82 million;

·         the restoration and upgrade of railway rolling stock to provide visitors with a better experience in line with modern expectations is costed at $3.34 million. 

·         the reconnection to the main line at Coles Beach, with associated designs, signalling and radio equipment, will enable the railway to make use of one of Australia's best coastline scenic railway journeys from Devonport to Penguin. 

 

All three components outlined would deliver a forecast 33 600 visitors to the attraction and an additional 22 000 bed nights in the greater Devonport area each year.  In addition, during construction the project will contribute about $30.1 million and 49 FTE jobs to the local economy. 

 

Once built, visitor spend would increase by about $2.3 million locally each year.  Over the next 10 years, investment in the construction of the railway experience, its ongoing operation and upkeep, plus the local visitation it attracts and the flow-on economic benefit it stimulates throughout the region will be around $7.92 million per year and an average of 40 FTE jobs, nearly $80 million in total over the 10-year period. 

 

The project has enormous strategic merit, capitalising on the additional 40 per cent capacity of the new Spirit of Tasmania ferries, due to arrive in 2023.  It also aligns with significant local and state investment in the Devonport Living City project, including the new Novotel and providing visitors disembarking and boarding the Spirit ferries with a critical trigger for spending an extra night in the greater Devonport area.  In addition, there are flow‑on effects as this stimulus circulates through the local north-west economy.  When the flow-on effects are incorporated, the $20 million investment in the railway experience will add an additional $42 million to GRP over 10 years, supporting over 400 FTE jobs, due to the increased tourism expenditure. 

 

The community benefit, the economic benefit, as well as the preservation of our railway heritage that this project brings to Tasmania makes this a project worthy of support.  We should, as a parliament, support this funding in this wonderful economic and tourism opportunity especially for the north-west and west coast region.