Railton

Railton Town of Topiary

Railton, located between Latrobe and Sheffield, maintains over 100 imaginative topiary characters along the main street. In ‘Cradle Mountain National Paddock’ visitors can photograph the only `living’ Tasmanian Tiger. Check out www.townoftopiary.com.au for more information on topiary activities happening in Railton. Other Railton visitor attractions include Seven Sheds Brewery, Meadery and Hop Garden, fibre optic lighting and gifts store, delightful country tea room specialising in rabbit pies and a local crafts gallery. The town is equipped with takeaway, service station, pub, hairdresser, post office and newsagency. The Tasmanian Trail can all be accessed at Railton.

Railton, the next largest town in the Kentish municipality, began its life as a rail head. The township was named after the daughter of a pioneering family, not the railhead as commonly thought. The wide main street in Railton indicates the space needed to turn the bullock teams and drays that were responsible for hauling Kentish produce to the railway station. 

Railton is the home of Cement  Australia. Cement Australia began operating in the 1920's producing the world renowned Goliath Cement. Goliath Cement was used to build the Sydney Harbour Bridge. In fact, the construction industry throughout Australia has used cement from Railton since the plants inception. This is a testament to the purity of the limestone lode still being used to produce cement.

A limestone quarry close to town served successive owners of the cement works and the disused quarry can still be seen along the main road to Railton. Early governments milled trees within the surrounding area and shipped the timber across Bass Strait to build the city of Melbourne.