Updated on June 5th, 2023
Culture and heritage always attract human minds, and their roots give blood to our growth. No doubt life moves every moment in the future, but still past plays its role to shape our present and future. Many things of the past can be the reason for making our life more beautiful and worth living.
Puffing Billy’s steam train is one of those things of the past that are worth being preserved forever. I visited this dreamland during my visit to Melbourne in June 2010. As I feel on every travel, you see beautiful things; it was really a wonderful and memorable experience to see the rail preserved in its original look.
It is a railway track of 24 km running through dense and beautiful forest. Volunteers of Puffing Billy Preservation Society are putting their efforts to ensure the continued preservation and operation of the historic narrow-gauge steam railway between Belgrave and Gembrook.
Built in 1900, Puffing Billy is Australia’s oldest steam railway. On the 18th of December 1900, this narrow-gauge railway was opened to serve the farmers in the area to transport their goods to the markets in Melbourne.
…reaching there
Belgrave, the gateway to Dandenong Ranges, is situated 35 km east of Melbourne. You can plan your way to get there. If you are not going in your own car, there is a second option to use public transport. Metro train service is available from Melbourne City to Belgrave via Ringwood. Belgrave is the primary starting point of this railway. It would take approx. One hour to get there. When I visited this place the first time, I used public transport, which is quite easy and cost-effective. After reaching Belgrave Station, take a short walk to puffing billy station.
Open-sided carriages add more fascination to the travel experience as you feel closer to the forest and nature. The whole track passes through many curves, where you can easily get the train’s view captured in your cameras. You can’t ever forget the thrilling sensation when you pass over an iconic wooden bridge. On the train, there are also several enclosed carriages, both saloon and compartment cars.
Menzies Creek, Clematis, Emerald, Nobelius, Lakeside, Wright, Cockatoo, and Fielder are the main railway stations between Belgrave and Gembrook. Neal Menzies Creek station, there is a narrow-gauge railway museum.
Emerald is a good place to stop off and eat and Lakeside to have a walk. Emerald is also the destination as well departure point of many trains of Puffing Billy.
..stop to relax at Lakeside
At Lakeside, there are many café refreshing points, lawns, supervised swimming pools, playgrounds, barbecues, and other picnic facilities, so passengers can alight here for a few pleasant hours and enjoy bushwalking, swimming, or just relaxing in peaceful surroundings. This station is 13.2 Km from Belgrave.
The operations and administration center, main refreshment room (also selling souvenirs), and ticket purchasing are located at Belgrave station.
Most trains start from Belgrave and travel to Lakeside and return. Except for Christmas Day, the railway operates every day of the year. One service each day has the option of first-class carriages and lunch.
..once decided to close, but preserved
This railway track was blocked in 1953 after a heavy landslide but again reopened in 1962 to Menzies Creek and in 1988 at Gembrook Station. A plan was made to close the line and a farewell day was organized. However, when people gathered to say goodbye, a dedicated group of train enthusiasts came together to save the Puffing Billy.
Before you plan your trip, there are a few important things that you need to take care of. You must know the timetable of daily trains that starts from Belgrave. There were four trains daily when I last visited. You must check it while planning to go there. Trains have tickets that you also need to book well in time to avoid any issues later.
Traveling on the Puffing Billy train is like recapturing the romance and charm of the bygone days of the steam engine era. Puffing Billy steam train takes you through the dense and beautiful forest of the Dandenong hill ranges, and you feel like moving in some dreamland. It’s really worth visiting again and again.
Special events train for couples & families
If you are thinking that the puffing train is all about kids, families, picnics, and fast food, you are not very right. Sometimes on some occasions, special carriages are set out for parties with special cuisines, delicious foods, drinks, chocolates, soups, baked chicken, and different desserts. If you are looking for a unique and lifelong experience, you must plan to join special event trains. Puffing Billy is great for families and children, but it is also fantastic for couples, singles, and groups.
The century-old tradition of leg tangling outside train windows is banned
A minibus driver crashed the iconic pugging Billy train in March 2018. One passenger on the bus was injured, but no one was injured on the puffing Billy. The court ended the century-old tradition of children hanging their legs outside the train. Many people protested the court’s decision, but it ended what was a long tradition practice. Safety is more important than anything despite that, people love it as a kid, so they bring their kids, then they bring their grandchildren. Generations of families have done it for years. It would just be so sad to see that tradition disappear forever. Court’s decision is also taken as a complete overreaction by a group of masses.
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I will end my article by saying that traveling always helps us understand the meaning of life, become better people, keep traveling, and keep exploring and never forget to visit once in a lifetime, this beautiful adventure of puffing billy train in Melbourne. Read about more Beautiful Places around Melbourne
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