It opened as the outer terminus of the line in 1896, at which point the building was erected including tea rooms, bake house, fish store and seasonal living quarters for the staff.

The station area has, in the time since the building was erected, been fenced and landscaped in a sympathetic way to blend with the environs and this is an ongoing task by the volunteers who operate the railway.

Since 2002 a tea room and souvenir outlet has operated at the station, which also houses historical displays and an indoor seating area.

A rocky inlet was dammed off to create a living environment for sea lions, and cages were constructed to house polar bears; and it was these attractions that gave the railway's locomotives their names.

At various points during the zoo's life there were also brown bear cubs (which for a small fee could be taken for a walk around the cliffs), and an aviary with tropical birds, and it has also been reported that there were penguins, though no evidence has come to light to support this.

The site was used during the filming of an episode from the first series of the popular television drama Lovejoy in 1986 entitled Friends, Romans & Enemies.