A fire has destroyed parts of the iconic Don River Railway in Tasmania’s north this morning.
The blaze ripped through the heritage tourism icon near Devonport shortly after 4am, destroying a carpenters workshop that is understood to have contained ‘multiple carriages and wood working equipment’.
The Don River railway confirmed the damage in a statement, saying they hope to have train services ‘operating as normal’ from Thursday.
“Its with a heavy heart we can confirm what we know. Our carpenters workshop has been destroyed by fire and surrounding damage,” the railway said.
“Our site will be unaccessable to all today while the authorities do their work.”
“We thankyou for your support and we will give updates as we know more”.
Premier Jeremy Rockliff said waking to news of the fire was ‘devastating’, pledging support to help the railway get back on track ‘as soon as possible’.
“An iconic tourism icon on a pathway to reach its full potential,” he said.
“I feel for the volunteers that have put in so much hard work, toil and passion over so many many years.”
“I’ve spoken to representatives of the railway this morning, and conveyed my thoughts.”
“We will assess, take stock and help you get back on track as soon as possible to ensure the Don River Railway continues to roll on.”
We’re learning the Don River Railway’s carpenters workshop has been destroyed, with damage reported in multiple areas. Some historic train carriages have been lost @abcnews pic.twitter.com/1H2IBGpYWp
— Monte Bovill (@MonteBovill) April 3, 2023
