Puffer Nut

Puffer Nut

Host

West Coast Wilderness Railway

Location

Queenstown, Tasmania

Highlights

• Join the Locomotive Crew for their journey through the rugged Tasmanian wilderness.
• Warm your hands over the firebox and ride through Tasmania’s wintry west coast.

Your new Odd Job

Bring your enthusiasm to the West Coast Wilderness Railway in your role as Puffer Nut. Join the Locomotive Crew on the Lynchford Express, before riding alongside the Fireman and Driver as you chug through the rugged Tasmanian wilderness from Carswell Park to Queenstown station and then onto Lynchford Stations on an ABT steam locomotive with passenger carriages in tow. This is the ideal role to embrace the charm of the cooler months, surrounded by the untamed beauty of Tasmania’s winter.

Responsibilities

• Don your overalls and join the Loco Crew performing their checks of the locomotive.
• Roll up your sleeves and get hands-on with general train tinkering.
• Warm your hands over the firebox, riding shotgun in the cab alongside the Driver and Fireman.
• Kick back in the Wilderness Carriage and soak up magical views on the return journey.

Skills and attitude

• A penchant for puffers and a love for all things steam trains.
• A zeal for the work that keeps heritage engines chugging along.
• A sharp wit and solid banter with the crew to keep spirits high as you wind your way through Queenstown towards Lynchford, once home to gold fever, now a sleepy station stop on the edge of incredible wilderness.

In return

• A unique, one-day volunteer experience where you will spend the day aboard the West Coast Wilderness Rail chugging through the Tasmanian west coast. Take a break from your regular routine and get into the nuts and bolts, oil and grease of heritage trains. The ideal Odd Job for any enthusiast.
• The successful applicant will be compensated with flights to Tasmania, car hire, two nights’ accommodation, and a bounty of local artisanal goods for their time.

About Odd Jobs

Ever hit those mid-year months and long for something different? Do you crave a break from the rinse and repeat of the daily grind? Well, a change is even better than the rest, so switch it up this Off Season.

Swap your day job for an Odd Job: a uniquely Tasmanian experience designed to shake you by the shoulders and wake you up to the wonders of winter.

Each job has been designed to give you what you might miss in your regular life: creative stimulation; connection to local communities, culture, and nature; and making things with your own two hands. The stuff that makes us feel alive. So what are you waiting for? Apply now.

By applying for this Odd Job you agree to the terms and conditions of this Odd Job.

Please note that for your own safety during an emergency, you must be able to climb off the carriage independently and walk a short distance along uneven ground.

Submit application