1. Puffing Billy chugging through the forest.
    Photograph: Dean Gifford
  2. Puffing Billy sitting on the sills
    Photograph: David Caird
  3. Puffing Billy Melbourne
    Photograph: Puffing Billy

Puffing Billy

All aboard this historic steam train for a journey you won't forget
  • Things to do
  • Belgrave
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Time Out says

Step back in time when you take a ride on Puffing Billy – a perfectly preserved steam train – as it chugs through the Dandenong Ranges from Belgrave to Lakeside, Gembrook and Menzies Creek. It may not be the speediest journey (once a year you can actually race the train on foot – and win, if you're quick enough), but ol' Billy will take you through the lush forest setting in style.

Puffing Billy offers a range of experiences, including a full-day journey to Lakeside or Gembrook paired with a pre-purchased picnic, to shorter trips to Menzies Creek which comes with morning tea and entry to the Menzies Creek Museum. The museum is home to over 80 exhibition pieces and gives visitors a glimpse of the past including rare operational railway artefacts.

Don't miss the time-honoured tradition of dangling your arms and legs over the sills of the open carriage on a train ride. No matter how old you are, this is a thrill that's hard to top.

To check the train timetable and book your spot, head to the website.

All aboard! Check out our unofficial guide to Melbourne's best (and worst!) train stations.

Details

Address
1 Old Monbulk Rd
Belgrave
Melbourne
3160
Transport:
Nearby stations: Belgrave

What’s on

Puffing Billy's Train of Lights

June 5 update: Surprise! Tickets to this event suddenly went on sale on the morning of June 5. Get in quick to nab yours via the website.  Choo choo! The Train of Lights is back on the tracks for 2025 and ready to captivate passengers with a magical winter journey through the Dandenong Ranges for a fourth year. Australia’s favourite steam train Puffing Billy will be your conductor for this trip that illuminates the natural beauty of the region with thousands of dazzling lights. When is Puffing Billy Train of Lights on for 2025? This enchanting winter journey is only on for just over two weeks from July 4 to July 20.  What to expect for Puffing Billy Train of Lights? The whole experience is a two-and-a-half hour round trip. Departing from Lakeside Station, you’ll be immersed in a spectacle of neon colours as acclaimed lighting specialists Resolution X (White Night, Melbourne Fashion Festival) brighten up the countryside with sparkles, rainbows and hypnotic patterns. The historic train will also be adorned with stunning visual effects, which will light up the trees, tracks and passing towns along the way.  Puffing Billy will chug along the historic narrow-gauge track to Gembrook Station where guests will disembark for a 55-minute stopover. Here, you can warm up by the crackling open firepits with hot chocolate and live acoustic music, and enjoy a sausage sizzle by the Rotary Club of Emerald and District. Make your night even more magical by pre-ordering a Puffing Billy...
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