Australia Independent Travel | Melbourne Day Trip | Puffing Billy Railway | Vintage Coal-Fired Steam Train | Transport Info & How to Buy Tickets
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| The most classic photo spot on the Puffing Billy Railway |
Beyond the city centre, Melbourne actually has quite a few interesting attractions out in the suburbs that are well worth a visit if you have time. Apart from the Great Ocean Road or the Phillip Island penguin parade, which require driving or joining a tour, there are several spots you can easily reach on your own by public transport from the city — and the Puffing Billy Railway is one of them.
- Address: 1 Old Monbulk Rd, Belgrave VIC 3160
- Opening hours: 09:00–17:00
- Phone: +61397570700
- Official website: http://www.puffingbilly.com.au/
🚃 Getting There
Getting from the city to the Puffing Billy Railway is actually very simple. Apart from driving yourself, you just take a single train (the blue line towards Belgrave) straight to "Belgrave" station, and it's a three-minute walk from the station to the entrance!
However, when we were checking transport options before setting off for Australia, we unfortunately discovered that part of this rail line was under maintenance, so we couldn't simply take the train the whole way — we had to transfer from train to bus to get there, and the journey time went from the usual 1 hour by direct train to 1.5 hours...
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| An extra half hour of travel time, just like that... |
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| About to board at Flinders Street Railway Station! |
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| You'll need to buy a myki card to use the system |
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| Arriving at Belgrave, the final stop of bus route 693; for the return trip you catch the bus across the road from the same spot |
🎫 Entrance and Tickets
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| Ticket office and ticket collection point |
From other people's write-ups online, it seemed you could just buy tickets on the spot, which also makes it easier to plan around the steam train departure times. But this time, when we were booking online, we noticed a message specially highlighted on the website:
All our visitors are required to pre-book their tickets online. Please
select your preferred experience below to begin.
When we collected our tickets on site, we asked the ticket staff and they confirmed that from now on you must book online first and then pick up the physical tickets at the station!
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| From the intersection you walk along this stretch before reaching the ticket office |
Online booking: https://puffingbilly.com.au/buy-tickets/
You can also buy tickets on KKday or Klook, but if the prices are similar, booking through the official website is still the best option!
Our experience buying on Klook this time wasn't great: when we booked ferry tickets for another part of our trip, we paid and then the next day they told us there were no tickets left and the order had to be cancelled. If you're able to book and pay, shouldn't that mean there are enough tickets? It almost ruined our itinerary... For that reason alone, I really can't recommend Klook.
Booking Online
Booking online isn't difficult either. There are several return-ticket combinations with different departure and destination stations — just decide how far you want to ride, pick your time, pay by card, and you'll receive an e-voucher.
Departure times from Belgrave station (summer and winter times differ slightly):
- 10:00
- 11:15
- 12:35 (weekends and holidays only)
We originally wanted the 10:00 departure, but since we only booked a night or two beforehand, all we could get were 11:15 tickets. On site, the ticket staff also said the 12:35 service no longer runs on weekdays — not sure whether that's because of the pandemic.
As for how far to ride, everyone recommends Lakeside! Even getting to Lakeside already takes an hour one way, and the scenery beyond that looks much the same, plus your schedule gets very rushed. Riding the whole line to the end (the terminus, Gembrook) takes nearly two hours.
🚂 The Vintage Coal-Fired Steam Train
The Puffing Billy Railway has over a century of history and is the only fully preserved, still-operating railway line of its kind in Victoria. Besides its value as a tourist attraction today, it also carries enormous historical significance.
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| You pass through the shop area before entering the station |
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| A locomotive genuinely powered by coal |
The carriages are very simple and open-sided. Remember to sit on the platform side on the outbound trip — that way you'll be able to capture the classic view as the train crosses the Puffing Billy Railway Trestle Bridge!
I'd also suggest sitting in one of the rear carriages, as the photos come out better. That said, this time the carriage was assigned when we collected our tickets, so I'm not sure whether you can request a carriage further back.
The carriages let you sit on the window ledges, though apparently there was an accident back in 2018 that led to this being banned for a time. On our visit (2023) it had been reopened, so visitors can sit on the window ledges and experience what riding a steam train was like in the old days. Before departure, station staff come around to each carriage to briefly explain how to sit safely.
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| Natural scenery along the way |
One special thing about the Puffing Billy Railway is that more than half of the staff here are volunteers, and at every station an elderly stationmaster rings a bell as the train departs.
Lakeside
Lakeside is where most independent travellers get off. It's actually inside Emerald Lake Park, which has a small lake, plus some cafés and lawns nearby — many people choose to have lunch here.
Plenty of write-ups online say Lakeside is beautiful and a great picnic spot, but personally I found the scenery just okay...? The lake is actually quite small — about the size of Drunken Moon Lake at NTU — and there isn't much else around. There are, however, a huge number of wild birds and waterbirds.
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| The moment you sit down to picnic, all sorts of birds come over |
Following the advice online, we also bought some food and had a picnic here. But if picnics aren't really your thing, there's a restaurant inside the Lakeside visitor centre where you can just eat instead~
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| Lakeside visitor centre |
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| The walkway between Lakeside station and the visitor centre |
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| The most classic photo spot on the Puffing Billy Railway |
This day trip on the Puffing Billy Railway was genuinely fun. Besides riding a vintage coal-fired steam train, it was our first time sitting on the window ledge of a train. The woods and meadows along the way weren't especially breathtaking, but every car and passer-by we passed waved at us enthusiastically, making it a relaxing, comfortable and enjoyable journey.
That said, we went in early March when the weather was still on the cool side, and without a jacket the wind on the train is really cold. Also, since they're genuinely burning coal, you'll end up with fine coal specks on you — and the scariest moment is when one flies into your eye. It hurts so much you can't even open your eye 😅. Anyone doing this trip in future, be careful!
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| On special occasions the locomotive is turned into Thomas the Tank Engine... |
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