Belgrave's most notable attraction is the heritage narrow gauge, steam-operated Puffing Billy Railway, which was reopened in 1962 - after four years of restoration by volunteers - and travels to Gembrook. The restored Puffing Billy Steam Train takes travellers on a memorable journey through the Dandenong Ranges, through 24 kilometres of cool temperate rainforest, lush ferns and towering timbers, semi-urban development and rural farmland.
This century-old steam train runs on its original mountain track from Belgrave to Gembrook that was built to serve at the turn of the century. The Railway is the major survivor of four experimental lines used to develop rural areas in the early 1900s.
Special Lunch, Afternoon Tea and Dinner trains run from time to time, see website for schedules. Travel charges apply.
Hours: Roughly 10 AM - 4 PM, but check the website for precise schedules from each point on the line
Contact: (03) 9757-0700.
Location: All Puffing Billy trips depart from and return to Belgrave station in the Dandenong Ranges, 40 km east of Melbourne.
Getting There:
By rail, take the train from Flinders St, or any city station, to Belgrave station on the Belgrave line (70 min.). The Puffing Billy platform is close to Belgrave Railway Station.
By car, drive to the end of Burwood Hwy to Belgrave (Melway Map 75 F10) and park near the station. Alternatively, take Wellington Road to Clematis, then turn left toward Menzies Creek or Right toward Emerald, Lakeside and Gembrook. Car parking is available near these stations.
By coach tour, operators offer Day Trips to the Dandenong Ranges which include a ride on Puffing Billy in their itineraries. Tours leave from Southern Cross station bus terminal, Spencer Street, city.
The Great Train Race: The Great Train Race is an annual fun run from Belgrave to Emerald Lake in which participants attempt to beat Puffing Billy to the finish line and is organised by volunteers of the Puffing Billy Preservation Society.
Belgrave, the gateway to the Dandenong Ranges and terminus of the Puffing Billy Railway, offers a dynamic mix of mainstream and alternate options for its visitors. Attracting tourists from far and wide as well as providing for a thriving local community, Belgrave's shopping precinct is a vibrant hub for shopping and cafe lifestyle with all the major services anyone could need, all nestled in the beautiful surroundings of the Sherbrooke forest. Belgrave is a suburb of Melbourne, located 35 km east from Melbourne s central business district in the southern Dandenong Ranges.
Belgrave Station is the headquarters of the Railway, with both operating and administrative facilities. Most Puffing Billy trains commence their journeys here. The Locomotive Running Shed and Workshop is where storage, maintenance and restorations take place on the Puffing Billy family of locomotives.
Selby hosts the second station on the narrow-gauge railway to Gembrook. The settlement of Selby occurred in conjunction with Menzies Creek, a short distance to the east. After the narrow-gauge railway opened in 1900, the provision of a station in May 1904 required a name. Selby was chosen, as a compliment to a local landowner and councillor, George Selby. The land around Selby is particularly hilly, as evidenced by the curves in both the road and the railway. The eastern side of the township is dominated by the steep Black Hill, on which there is a reserve. Whilst the topography put restraints on farming it attracted tourists and weekenders.
Following a landslide beyond Selby in 1953, the narrow-gauge railway fell into disuse as a regular railway and was closed the following year, only to be re-opened in 1962 as the current Puffing Billy Railway. Regular trains only stop at Selby if required, but this is rare.
Menzies Creek railway station opened on 18 December 1900 with the opening of the Gembrook line to service farms and orchards in the area. The station name was changed to Aura on 5 December 1904 while the Post Office remained Menzies Creek but reverted to Menzies Creek on 4 July 1947.
The Puffing Billy Steam Museum is located behind the Menzies Creek station. It houses a collection of Australian and overseas narrow-gauge locomotives, rolling stock and steam machinery. During the working week it is only open for a limited time, as it is intended for those aboard the luncheon train, although anyone else may visit it at that time. It is also open on Sundays and public holidays from 10.30 am. Passengers may break their journey at Menzies Creek to visit the Museum and then continue or return on a later train.
Set at the top of a ridge with fine views, Emerald is an attractive town located 55 km south-east of Melbourne in the Dandenong Ranges, at an altitude of 318 metres. It was the first settlement in the Dandenongs. The Puffing Billy tourist steam train runs between Belgrave, the station at Emerald Lakeside Park and Gembrook.
Solo One, a TV series screened in 1976, was set in Emerald, about a local (fictional) policeman dealing with crime in the town. Filming of A Country Practice in the fictional town of Wandin Valley was moved to Emerald when the show moved to Network Ten in 1994.
At Lakeside, the intermediate stop of the railway is inside the beautiful Emerald Lake Park (some services terminate here). Passengers can alight here for a few pleasant hours of bushwalking, swimming or just relaxing in the peaceful country setting and catch the return train for their return journey. Emerald Lake Park features old exotic tree species and expanses of lawn, amenities such as picnic and barbecue facilities, an Environment Centre (Ph. 03-5968 5095), free trout fishing opportunities for those with a licence (children under 16 do not require a licence if accompanied by an adult), a free and supervised swimming pool, children's playground, electric barbecues and picnic facilities.
At Emerald Lake Park there is the largest HO scale model display in the southern hemisphere. It features 2 km of track, detailed scenery, 370 working engines, 450 cars and trucks, 250 houses and buildings, street and platform lights, 1100 trees, 1500 people, and push-button participation. It is open from 11.30 a.m. mainly on weekends plus all school and public holidays and is located adjacent Lakeside train station. Ph (03) 5968 3455.
Cockatoo was named after Cockatoo Creek. It was first settled in the 1870s but progress was tardy as the land was difficult to clear. Timbergetting was the major source of employment and this industry received a considerable boost when the narrow-gauge railway from Upper Ferntree Gully to Gembrook was completed in 1900. Moreover, the railway brought leisure-seeking Melburnians into the area and a market for subdivision arose.
Gembrook is a small town of about 500 people located 12 km east of Emerald, at the eastern terminus of the Puffing Billy railroad line. It was named after the Gembrook Mining Company which extracted gemstones from the area during the mid-19th century. Gembrook became associated with scouting in the 1920s and Italian settlers arrived from 1935, becoming involved in vegetable cultivation. Today Gembrook is largely a commuter area.
Bunyip State Park (16 600 ha), just to the east of the town, features a diversity of flora and fauna and high landscape values, it is ideal for bushwalking, picnicking, horseriding, mountain bike riding, camping, 4WD and trail bike riding (seasonal closures of the relevant trails occur from mid-June to the end of October). Four Brothers Rocks are a group of granite rocks offering sweeping views across the park. Camping sites are varied and dispersed throughout the Park. Facilities at the designated camping/picnic areas include tent sites (non-powered), drinking water, toilets, fireplaces and picnic tables. However, camping at picnic grounds will be slowly phased out. Bush camping is permitted at more remote locations although there are no facilities at these sites.
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