King River Gorge Explorer

King for the Day is a full day journey through the lush wilderness of the West Coast's temperate rainforest. This 20 km journey down the King River is Tasmania's only regular one day wilderness rafting trip and a highlight of any visit to Tasmania's West Coast. This trip has it all, from the exhilaration of the swiftly flowing gorge and the adventure of the famous Sailor Jack Rapid portage, to the serenity and stories of the river's tree-lined lower reaches. From Queenstown, our experienced guides will drive you to Newall Creek on the King River, where your rafting experience begins. We will paddle past hundreds of Huon Pine trees, see the Garfield River, traverse the Sailor Jack rapid, spot the Abt Railway, discover West Coast mining history and more. Wildlife in the thick West Coast bush can be hard to see but you may catch a glimpse of a timid platypus or a subtle movement signalling a passing wallaby. The first part of this trip is through the King River Gorge with plenty of rapids, fun and excitement. After the gorge the river quickly flattens out to a wide wilderness river with a few small rapids through a serene forest.

The King River Gorge, Raft and Steam Experience is a collaborative adventure between King River Rafting and the West Coast Wilderness Railway, combining the thrill and adventure of white water rafting and the history and comforts of a heritage steam train experience.ride through wilderness and history. Your rafting experience begins on the King River, surrounded by the mountains of the West Coast Range. From our entry point, we'll navigate through 7km of the King River Gorge's exciting rapids, from Newall Creek to Dubbil Barril, passing through a remote rainforest gorge past thousands of ancient Huon Pine trees. It's an awesome day in the wilderness, mingled with excitement as we pass through some exhilarating raids, including a potential portage around the wild Sailor Jack Rapid, which is an adventure in itself. We'll catch glimpses of the West Coast Wilderness Railway on our journey. Our journey downriver continues until we meet the train at Dubbil Barril Station. The return steam train ride takes us over a steep ridge using the rack and pinion Abt system to move the train out of the gorge and safely down the other side back to Queenstown.