We decided to have a quiet day in Coromandel Town and to see a few of the sights. We could not get very far as we are finding the twisting and turning of the roads difficult day after day. Instead of another road trip to see the extremities of the Penninsula, we decided to do something different. We had heard of a train which had beeen built by a private citizen and which gave an interesting ride to a lookout over the surrounding, and beautiful Bay...so we were off.
The Driving Creek Train was originally started to transport clay to be used by Barry Bricknel, a famous local pottery artist. As the train route grew, so did the associated debt so by the 1990's it was opened to the public. It is fascinating...with several switch backs and a two level bridge. Retaining walls are built from wine bottles and the entire track system covers 3km. The proprietor has also devoted considerable effort to reforesting the area, which had been laid barren by farming efforts. Overall a very different and impressive experience to ride this narrow gage track to its summit and tomsee the wonderful view.
We rounded off the night by watching the lunar eclipse well into the wee small hours of the next morning....a very special experience indeed!
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