Created by filmmaker, photographer and explorer Frank Hurley, and narrated by him, “Isle of Many Waters” is a documentary travelogue of the island of Tasmania, Australia. The film, like many made in this era, focuses on the region’s natural resources. It also shows the attractions of the garden island including apple orchards and groves (1:30), New Norfolk, port of Hobart (2:00) and Mt. Wellington, the Huon Valley, Queenstown (5:20) and its mining industry at Mount Lyell, Port Arthur (2:55) and the ruins of the penal settlement, formal hunting party with dogs (4:10), grave of composer and author of “D’ye ken John Peel”, John Woodcock Graves (4:35), the Abt rack railway (6:06) — better known as the Mount Lyell Mining and Railway Company — operating between Queenstown and Regatta Point, Strahan. The film also shows the rainforest rivers of the West Coast including the Gordon (8:00) with its beautiful, peaceful mirrored passages. The film dates to 1939 and was released by British Foundation Pictures Limited, London.

The Abt system used on the Mount Lyell Railway was devised by Carl Roman Abt, a Swiss locomotive engineer. The steepest gradient on the rack section was 1 in 12 (8.33%). Today the railroad operates for tourists as the West Coast Wilderness Railway.

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This film is part of the Periscope Film LLC archive, one of the largest historic military, transportation, and aviation stock footage collections in the USA. Entirely film backed, this material is available for licensing in 24p HD, 2k and 4k. For more information visit http://www.PeriscopeFilm.com