It has been a very big couple of weeks for the Gympie region’s iconic tourism attraction, the Mary Valley Rattler.
Firstly, the heritage steam train service was included in the Best of Queensland Experiences Program for 2022, a program that “identifies and recognises experiences that best bring the Queensland story to life and consistently deliver an exceptional customer experience.”
The industry-leading program aims to promote excellence in service delivery by the Queensland tourism industry. It was developed by Tourism & Events Queensland in partnership with the state’s Regional Tourism Organisations, the Queensland Tourism Industry Council and the Department of Tourism, Innovation and Sport.
The program is based on an independent set of criteria that incorporates online customer reviews, responds to consumer expectations, and reflects industry best practice.
With the Best of Queensland Experiences Program an important guide for the international steam train driver Adrian Hurley, who industry, the Rattler’s starring role in the new season of UK Channel 5’s massively popular World’s Most Scenic Railway Journeys couldn’t have been better timed.
The Rattler received a high profile in the Bill Nighy narrated documentary that followed a rail journey along the Queensland coast.
The TV crew spent over two days filming the historic Rattler and the surrounding Gympie and Mary Valley region, including the village of Amamoor. The episode featured an interview with Rattler steam train driver, Adrian Hurley, who also assists the organisation with training, assessments and coaching.
The Mary Valley Rattler joins many of the world’s most famous rail journeys and was selected because of its rich history, and the spectacular landscape the train traverses.
The program synopsis says: “It’s a chance to stop off and travel back in time. It was gold that brought the railways to Gympie, and the Mary Valley Rattler offers a chance to experience Queensland as it was in the pioneering days, as we join a train pulled by a 1920’s C17 loco, No967, one of 182 built in Queensland. It will pull us high into the Amamoor National Park where we’ll spend some time with one of Australia’s strangest beasts: the Duck Billed Platypus – a mammal that lays eggs.”
Episodes of the World’s Most Scenic Railway Journeys attract over 1.7 million viewers in the UK alone, and the show will be broadcast throughout the world later in the year. SBS has broadcast previous series of the program in Australia.
General Manager of the Mary Valley Rattler, Linda Barry, said the recognition of the Rattler in the Best of Queensland Experiences Program and then on prime-time TV in the UK was important for promoting the attraction and the region to consumers and the travel industry both in Australia and internationally.
“We are fortunate that by being a volunteer-based organisation there is massive passion in the way we deliver our tourism experience, and that was reflected in the World’s Most Scenic Railway Journeys episode,” said Ms Barry.
“We don’t take the ‘Best of Queensland’ accreditation for granted. We are continually reviewing and upgrading our services to meet changing consumer demands, and this is precisely what the Best of Queensland Experiences Program assesses.
“After the impact of floods and pandemic, the recognition and profile we have received over the past few weeks will play an important role in rebuilding the Mary Valley Rattler’s business as well as providing exposure for the Gympie region’s tourism attractions.”
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