The West Coast Wilderness Railway is a restoration of the original Mt Lyell Mining and Railway Co Ltd railway, built on the edge of civilisation in 1896 to transport copper concentrates from Queenstown to export markets. It is a railway built in a time when rugged terrain was a foe to be conquered, not grand nature to be admired. And tame it they did, with a tortuous 35 kilometre route that demanded a leap into the unknown for company officials, engineers, contractors and labourers. Today the restored railway carries passengers through the spectacular scenery of Tasmania's wild West Coast between Queenstown and Strahan in comfort and safety, and related to them the incredible story of this unique railway in the wilderness.