Railton, Tasmania: Travel guide and things to do

Railton is a quiet country town located 79 km north west of Launceston and 23 km south of Devonport. While it is a service centre for the surrounding area - which is characterised by mixed farming and timber - its real raison d'etre is the Goliath Portland Cement Works which exist a short distance outside the town.

The town was marked out in 1853 by the surveyor, J. M. Dooley. The area developed slowly with the first railway line not reaching the town until 1914. It wasn't until 1928, when the Goliath Portland Cement Company took over the small enterprise Tasmanian Cement Pty Ltd, that the town really began to prosper. It has been estimated that the quarry which supplies the raw material for the cement has a total reserve of nearly 120 million tonnes.

The company employs about 190 people and is the lifeblood of Railton. It is now owned by Australian Cement Holdings Pty Ltd which, in turn, is owned jointly by CSR and Pioneer International. The current capacity is 1.1 million tonnes.

Things to see

Tours of Cement Australia
It is possible to inspect the cement works. The tours cater for individual needs. Contact (03) 6491 0111 for details before arriving at the works. Goliath produces a number of different kinds of cement which is produced from the material at the quarry, a vast open cut operation near the works, which produces 1.1 million tonnes each year. Among the company's most famous contributions to the Australian architectural environment are the Sydney Cricket ground's modern concrete stand and the MLC centre in Sydney.

Scenic Tours
This is a particularly attractive area of Tasmania and there are a number of scenic drives around the town. The most popular one being to Sunnyside and Stoodley to the south of Railton. There are a number of walking tracks and the area includes picnic and barbecue facilities.