Five Australian railway museums to explore this weekend
If you love road going automobiles, there's a big chance you love the rail going locomotives too! Go exploring this weekend with these railway museums.Young kids love them, the oldies remember them with nostalgia and the rest of us find their size and romance intriguing. Yep, trains have something for everyone and the good news is, Australia is littered with beaut railway museums just ready to explore. Here are five we think you’ll love. Toot, toot!
Spa Country Railway, Daylesford, Victoria
The Daylesford Spa Country Railway museum is fairly low-key in terms of static displays, but that’s to short-sell what is truly a gold-plated attraction for ordinary punters and railway enthusiasts alike. This is a living historic railway: trains run on Sundays along a picturesque nine-kilometre line between the old Daylesford station (also the venue for a Sunday market) and Bullarto, plus Wednesdays during school holidays. The tram-like rail motors that operate are vintage-cute and if you plan ahead, you can get dropped off at the wonderful Passing Clouds Winery for lunch.
NSW Rail Museum, Thirlmere, Southern Highlands
Sydneysiders barely need an excuse to pop down to the Southern Highlands but the NSW Rail Museum is a beauty. Housed in the lovingly refurbished Thirlmere railway workshops, the museum has Australia’s biggest display of rolling stock. That includes a 6040 Garratt steam locomotive (the biggest and most powerful ever seen in Oz), the sumptuous Governor General’s carriage and much more. Open weekends and what’s more you can book a 40 minute steam train ride.
Tasmanian Transport Museum, Glenorchy
It’s not far out of Hobart and on the way to the unmissable MONA so make sure to visit the Transport Museum if you’re down Tassie way. Not just trains, but also vintage trucks, fire engines, buses and trams all in the middle of Glenorchy. On the railway front, there are steam locos, rail cars, carriages even signal houses and many more static displays. A stretch of railway is used for steam train rides and if the kiddies are ready to party, there’s the fixed (and very safe!) Party Carriage for birthdays and the like.
The Workshops Rail Museum, Ipswich, Queensland
Youngsters are definitely going to love the Workshops Museum with its holiday programs, interactive science displays and vast spaces, but adults will be just as impressed. Ipswich was once the epicentre of Queensland railways and the old Boilershop now houses the museum with its beautiful old A10 locomotive, a large model railway, vice-regal carriage, a deconstructed diesel loco and heaps more. Not far from Brisbane, so make a day of it!
Steamtown, Peterborough, South Australia
Peterborough may seem a long way from Adelaide (about 250km north, on the way to Broken Hill) but it was once the hub of South Australian rail activity and Steamtown relives those days in a very special way. Nightly, there’s a spectacular sound and light show that illuminates the heritage aspects in a glittering blaze of glory, with viewers seated in a restored 1916 carriage. During the day, roam the site with its various locomotives, carriages and freight trains.
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