There’s movement at the station, for the word has passed around Longreach that outback Queensland’s latest transport off ering, a vintage railmotor, is about to depart on one of its fi rst outings. Locals and tourists alike are gathered on the platform to board or capture a shot of the early morning departure on the Darr River Rail Run, a half-day saunter across the vast Mitchell and Flinders grass plains of central-western Queensland.
Bringing two Queensland Rail 2000 class railmotors into service is the culmination of years of work for Alan “Smithy” Smith and his wife, Sue, the owners of tour company Outback Aussie Tours. It’s all part of a grand plan to reconnect the rail link between Longreach, renowned as the home of the Australian Stockman’s Hall of Fame and the Qantas Founders Museum, and Winton, known for its Australian Age of Dinosaurs (AAOD) museum and Waltzing Matilda Centre. While freight trains still operate on this line, it has been decades since a passenger service has traversed the 179 kilometres between the two towns.
