Eighth Wonder Of The Industrial World.

The Denniston Incline was one of the great creations of the Age of Coal and was regarded by many as the Eighth Wonder of the World.

Opened in 1879 to help transport coal from the mines of the famous Coalbrookdale seam on the Denniston plateau on New Zealand's West Coast, the Incline plummeted 1700 feet down grades as steep as 1 in 1 and a quarter. The system operated by gravity with a full wagon of coal going down pulling an empty up. Over the 88 years it operated, there were many runaways and smashes.

In this fascinating documentary we return to the remote and inhospitable Denniston plateau with some of the miners and men who worked on the Incline. As they tell their story, high quality 35mm archive film graphically shows how the coal was taken from the mines high in the hills down to the ships at Westport, including an exiting ride down the Denniston Incline on a "Q" wagon full of coal.

Through the reminiscences of some of the womenfolk we learn about the happiness and hardship of existence on this isolated and rocky cliff top in the clouds where it often snowed and could rain for a fortnight.

And we are left to wonder at a special chapter in New Zealand history - when there was life "On Denniston".

Running Time: 58 minutes

Format: Pal

Region: Region Free