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Melbourne’s Puffing Billy
Are you a train enthusiast? Does the idea of boarding a passenger car with a steam engine sound more exciting than another museum or architectural wonder? If so, and if you’re in Melbourne, you may want to seek out Puffing Billy, the last surviving narrow-gauge steam railway that once connected Melbourne to the surrounding countryside in the early part of the 1900s. The effort to restore and maintain Puffing Billy was carried out by volunteers. And anyone who makes the effort to travel to this particular train is in for a treat. The train departs on a regular schedule from Belgrave Station, passing through dells and over wooden trestle bridges, finding their way to the Emerald Lake Park. At night, the trains also act as luxury diners, for the romantic at heart. You can even charter the train, if you like.
Most likely, though, you’ll want to try a day trip, which you can book either at the desk of a hostel or the concierge of a Melbourne luxury hotel. A typical tour fee will include the following: a pick-up as well as a return from and to your accommodation, breakfast and morning tea, the train ride, lunch, as well as the fee to enter the Healesville Sanctuary for animals. You’ll be taken to the Dandenongs mountain range where an Australian style of breakfast will be set up in a picnic area, which will include biscuits and Vegemite, billy tea and lamingtons. You might even see local birds, such as rosellas and lorikeets. Next, you’ll be on your way to Puffing Billy.
The 100-year-old working steam train will travel on wooden tracks past residential and forest areas to Menze’s Creek, where a tour bus will take you through the Yarro Valley vineyards, stopping at a winery for lunch. Afterwards, you’ll have time to purchase some of the local wines and pick up souvenirs. Once back aboard, the train will take you to Healesville Sanctuary, the last stop, where you’ll be able to see a wide range of Australian wildlife — echidnas, koalas, tasmanian devils, platypuses, wombats, kangaroos and wallabies! It’s a great trip and a tour no one should miss.
