Gormaston

Two driving hailstorms sandwiched our day in Queenstown so our planned walk to Horseshoe Falls had to be abandoned.

Queenstown was once a thriving and successful mining town, Gormaston (originally Mount Lyell) a nearby mining settlement is now practically a ghost town. Tourism has ensured that Queenstown is the largest settlement on the West Coast - as a gateway to the west coast wilderness, for the west coast railway, and mining history (particularly its devastated landscape - see extras). Also included the famous National Trust staircase in the formerly grand hotel where we ate. The museum was one of those regional cluttered delights, with an exhaustive and wonderful photo collection.