Media release – West Coast Wilderness Railway, 22 September 2023
New partnership to preserve history on Tasmania’s west coast comes alive
On Tuesday 26 September a new partnership between the iconic West Coast Wilderness Railway and independent audio production company, Gap in the Fence, will unveil a new historical experience on Tasmania’s west coast.
The soundscape experience encompasses three 15-minute audio recordings produced by Frances Butler and Don Bate for the Floating Scores project developed by Gap In The Fence. It is commissioned by West Coast Wilderness Railway and paired with a progressive food service designed to complement the audio and immerse the listener in the audio history.
“Earlier this year we participated in a series of community workshops designed to catalogue what our community holds important in terms of our local culture,” says Ian Robertson, General Manager for West Coast Wilderness Railway.
“We heard time and time again that our community’s stories and memories are still a huge part of our identity and we wanted to create a platform for this to happen. We have been fortunate to have really passionate members of our local and online community that have memories of living along the line and one agreed to give a recorded interview,” Mr Robertson said.
The three-part experience features a first-hand account of life along the railway at the port of Teepookana in the 1930s, as told by Lindon Hubbard.
“Lindon was an obvious choice for us as he is so passionate and a huge advocate for the railway, especially on our social media,” says Emily Hopwood, Marketing Manager for the railway. The interview occurred at Lindon’s home and was recorded by a former west coast local, Marc Pricop. Marc is a previous recipient of seed funding from Tasmania’s The Unconformity festival.
Executive Producer of Floating Scores, Frances Butler, “We wanted to create something that was immersive and encouraged the listener to go on a journey of mindfulness and contemplate life as it once was for such an isolated community” she said.
“We’re pleased to have been able to add these stories to the suite of stationary experiences the railway has rolled out over the last few months and enjoyed producing these audio recordings for visitors to the station. Lindon tells a good yarn!” Ms Butler said.
The West Coast Wilderness Railway has temporarily suspended passenger journeys but remains on track to resume passenger experiences in time for the upcoming peak season.
