When in Tasmania you have to go White Water rafting with King River Rafting, it will definitely be the highlight of your trip!
I wanted to finish our 12 night trip to Tasmania with an amazing adventure, one that we would remember forever, and I found just what I was looking for with King River Rafting!. Cruising through the internet I came across a company that combines a White Water Rafting adventure with a trip on a heritage train, I knew right away that the Raft and Steam trip with King River Rafting was the experience I had been looking for! This collaboration between the West Coast Wilderness Railway and King River Rafting leaves from Queenstown on the West Coast of Tasmania and is the perfect way to combine two uniquely Tasmanian experiences!
After staying the night at Queenstown Cabin and Tourist Park we woke up early to get ourselves to the West Coast Wilderness Train Station, ready to embark on our adventure on the King River. There was a buzz of excitement in the air as groups of family and friends arrived at the station and before long we had all gathered around our guides who introduced themselves and instructed us on our days events. Busily we gathered our clothing for the day. There was no time for shyness as we all stripped down to our swimming costumes (or underwear) before layering on Thermals, wetsuits, all weather jackets, all provided to help keep us warm for the day. After a short trip on a mini bus we unloaded on the rivers edge, catching sight of our transport for the day.. large red rafts. We split up into groups and after some more important safety instructions, we made our way to board our rafts. We found ourselves with a group of three friends and a guide and grabbing our paddles we all began on our adventure down the King River together.
Soon enough we found ourselves floating through ancient forests filled with rare Huon Pines and learning all about the area from our guide. As lovely as this was, we didn’t sign up for a cruisey day floating down the river, so we had to have all our wits as we tackled the onslaught of rapids that came our way. Our guide was awesome at instructing us in what we had to do and we successfully conquered every rapid…. except for one. Lucky we had all listened carefully when we had been instructed on what to do if we got tossed out of the raft, because this knowledge came in handy as we found ourselves thrown into the water. Quick thinking from our guide and with the help of the other rafters we found ourselves pulled out and to safety very swiftly. Our nerves had been shaken a little but that didn’t stop us from continuing to head down river, cheering each time as we successfully came out the other side of a rapid. Reaching the Sailor Jack rapid meant that we had to vacate our rafts and climb up a series of ladders and ropes to get to the other side…watching our rafts get tossed around as they went down the rapids, we were all grateful that we weren’t aboard them!
Before long we could hear the steam whistle of our ride back to Queenstown as it came down the track. We paddled to the shore and after carrying our rafts up the hill we reached the station, just as the train pulled in. Changing into our dry clothes, which we had packed back at Queenstown, we found our designated seats ready for the ride back home. A slow meandering trip on the train was such a contrast on how we got there and it gave us time to chat to our fellow rafters and exchange stories. It also gave us an opportunity to view the photos that our guide had taken and for us to watch the Go Pro footage of us being tossed out. The scenery as we passed through the forrest was spectacular and passing by we peered out the window at the river we had just tackled a little while ago, we were in awe that we had conquered it! A coffee and slice at the Rinadenna station was the treat we were all needed and after a little while longer we found ourselves meandering through Queenstown, waving at the local children who watched us go by, knowing that our day with King River Rafting was coming to an end. There were lots of goodbyes to our guides and fellow rafters, before going our separate ways, filled with amazing memories from a great day. Definitely how I wanted to spend our last day in Tasmania!
What: King River Raft and River Experience.
Where: Queenstown, Tasmania, Australia
How Much: $300 Adults $240 children (11 to 17years)
Need to know: This experience is for children 11years and up, it is recommended that you are a competent swimmer, the tour is approximately 6 hours long leaving at 8am and returning around 2pm, snacks and water are provided on the raft as well as free coffee and slice at the Rinadenna station, everything is provided for you to wear on the raft – you just wear cosies / underwear for under the wetsuit and pack a change of clothes in a bag as they arranged for it to be at the station for when you arrive, and lastly.. be prepared that you might get tossed out!
Safe Travels
Kerrie
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