While at present the line travels from Burnie to Melba Flats, it previously ran through to Zeehan carrying minerals and passengers as an essential service for the West Coast community.

In the 1870s, the Van Diemen's Land Company engaged John C. Climie to undertake a survey of a line from near Burnie to Mount Bischoff.

[1] On 1 February 1878, a 71 kilometres (44 mi), horse-drawn wooden tramway opened from Emu Bay (Burnie) to Rouse's Camp, near Waratah to serve the Mount Bischoff tin mines.

[6] After being sold in 1967 to EZ Industries, the line was upgraded to carry heavier trains and reopened in January 1970 from Rosebery to Melba Flats.

The Melba Line was included in the October 1984 sale of EZ Industries to North Broken Hill Peko, which merged with CRA Limited to form Pasminco in 1988.