Our Plan

The Derwent Valley Railway has the unique opportunity to become the backbone of the Derwent Valley, linking many existing high quality tourism attractions and experiences through a multi-stage development plan.

World Class Experience

Once aboard, visitors will be able to sample the fresh produce and high quality boutique products for which the valley is well known, all while enjoying the impressive track-side views in a relaxed environment.


Choose Your Adventure

The Derwent River and surrounding landscape is popular among many adventure seekers including mountain bikers, kayakers, hikers and anglers. The Derwent Valley Railway ventures many places otherwise unreachable by road, opening the door to new adventure tourism destinations throughout the valley. Bikes, kayaks and other equipment will be transported free of charge aboard our services.


Wilderness Within Reach

National Park Station, on the edge of Mt Field National Park, is where rail meets the wilderness of the south-west. Spectaclar waterfalls, rivers and forests are all within easy walking distance of the station. Picnic and camping facilities are also available within the National Park.


Stage 1

Stage one involves completion of the project as far as Plenty, home to the Salmon Ponds, one of the valley’s most popular attractions.

Completion of this stage will occur within two years and will generate the necessary economic activity to support 4 direct and 80 indirect full-time equivalent employment opportunities.

The external funding required to complete this stage has been calculated at $4.2 million. This includes the construction of expanded rail maintenance facilities at New Norfolk as a community workshop to provide technical education, training and skilling opportunities.

Stage 2

Stage two covers the completion of the project from Plenty to Mt Field National Park and would be completed within a period of 3 years.

The economic activity generated from these two stages combined will support 5 direct and 107 indirect full-time equivalent employment opportunities. The external funding required to complete this stage has been conservatively calculated at $3.7 million.

The railway infrastructure is generally intact, but will require refurbishment to meet the standard for passenger rail operations. The locomotives and carriages owned by the DVR also require varying degrees of maintenance, refurbishment and modernisation to ensure the tourist experience is as comfortable as it is authentic.

The balance of funding throughout the project will be generated by the carriage of visitors on the earlier stage of the plan.

Additionally, it is hoped that restorations of the line between New Norfolk and Boyer to preserve the rail connection to the wider Tasmanian Rail Network (TRN). It is hoped that this development will enable state-wide tours to be run in partnership with Don River Railway and the Tasmanian Transport Museum.