The Puffing Billy Railway is a heritage steam railway in Victoria’s Dandenong Ranges (approximately 1 hour east of Melbourne). With its open-sided carriages and vintage steam locomotive, Puffing Billy travels alongside Eucalypt forests, lush fern gullies, and rolling farmland. I enjoyed a ride on this narrow gauge railway in January 2021, travelling on Puffing Billy’s complete route from Belgrave to Gembrook. The journey took approximately 1 hour and 50 minutes each way.
Puffing Billy’s Route
The Puffing Billy Railway opened on 18 December 1900, allowing settlers in the Dandenong Ranges to access Melbourne. Originally, Puffing Billy was also used to transport timber and potatoes between upper Ferntree Gully and Gembrook.1 Today, Puffing Billy is operated by the Emerald Tourist Railway Board, in conjunction with the Puffing Billy Preservation Society, and carries approximately 500,000 passengers per year.2
There was much excitement throughout Puffing Billy’s journey. Onlookers, who had gathered at various points along the line to catch a glimpse of the train, waved enthusiastically as Puffing Billy passed. As the train rolled into each station, it was greeted by many photographers, the most dedicated of whom followed the train by car so that they could capture it pulling into each and every station.
Puffing Billy commenced its journey at Belgrave’s Puffing Billy Railway Station (located a short walk from Belgrave’s metro station). After taking some photographs of the train, my travel companion and I boarded Puffing Billy, carefully selecting seats on the right-hand side of the train. My research had informed me that when travelling east from Belgrave, the right-hand side provided the most impressive views. This information turned out to be accurate, although our carriage was empty enough that I was able to easily switch sides throughout the journey.
The train’s restored heritage carriages featured open sides (with protective railings) and large information boards about Puffing Billy’s route. I also had notes from my guidebook – David Bowden’s Great Railway Journeys in Australia and New Zealand. The guidebook recommends that railway enthusiasts ride Puffing Billy at different times of the year to observe dramatic changes in the colours of the Dandenong Ranges’ foliage.3
The highlight of the journey came shortly after the train’s departure from Belgrave Station. Passengers gathered excitedly at the right-hand side of the carriage, leaning out of the train’s open side, to observe Puffing Billy roll across the iconic 15 span Monbulk Creek Trestle Bridge.
Having experienced the Monbulk Creek Trestle from on board Puffing Billy, I also returned to the bridge in December 2023 to capture some pictures of Puffing Billy crossing the impressive structure from outside the train. As can be seen in the below images, passengers are dangling their arms and legs over the sills of Puffing Billy’s open carriages. This has been a unique feature of this train ride for over 100 years of its operation. However, there was unfortunately a temporary ban on this practice when I rode the train in January 2021. This was due to a minibus colliding with Puffing Billy in 2018, which caused one of its carriages to derail.4 After additional safety measures were introduced, the tradition of passengers hanging their limbs out of Puffing Billy’s carriages was reintroduced in 2022.
Let’s return to our 2021 journey on board Puffing Billy. Following the excitement of the Monbulk Creek Trestle Bridge, Puffing Billy continued its journey east, passing Selby Station – the second station en route. Just beyond Selby Station lies the site of the 1953 landslide which closed the Puffing Billy Railway until its reopening in 1962. A section of the original track remains and is visible from the left side of the train.
Approximately 30 minutes into Puffing Billy’s journey, the train pulled into Menzies Creek Station. Passengers who alight at this station can visit the Menzies Creek Museum which exhibits rare steam and diesel locomotives. Unfortunately, passengers with a ticket beyond Menzies Creek Station are not provided with the opportunity to visit the museum, with Puffing Billy promptly resuming its journey east.
There were excellent farmland views out the right-hand side of the train shortly after the departure from Menzies Creek Station. The next station en route – Emerald Station – was the highest on the railway line. My guidebook informed me that Emerald Station is home to the only original station building that remains intact along the line.5
As Puffing Billy continued its journey east, there were picturesque views of rolling green hills on both sides of the train.
At the halfway point of Puffing Billy’s journey, the train passed Nobelius Siding and Nobelius Station. The siding and nearby packing shed formerly served a large nursery which dispatched seedlings and plants by rail to all parts of Australia.6
Shortly after, the train stopped at Lakeside Station for 40 minutes, allowing passengers the opportunity to enjoy some lunch, a swim in Lake Treganowan, or a visit to the Emerald Lake Model Railway. My travel companion and I selected the third option and were impressed to discover the largest model railway in the Southern Hemisphere. The highly detailed display featured mountains, tunnels, lakes, villages, and even an airport. Some pictures of the model railway are included below.
After a pleasant break at Emerald, Puffing Billy continued its journey, with the railway skirting the edges of the Wright State Forest. The train then crossed three timber bridges. The most impressive was the second of these bridges – the 10 span Puffing Billy Bridge No. 8 Wright Trestle. Further east, Puffing Billy crossed the 10 span Cockatoo Creek Trestle Bridge.
Shortly after, Puffing Billy arrived at Cockatoo Station. Cockatoo Creek marks the lowest point on the line between Belgrave and Gembrook.
As Puffing Billy commenced a steep uphill climb to Gembrook, the scenery opened up as the Eucalypt forests were replaced by rolling green hills and farmland.
Gembrook Station
Approximately two hours after Puffing Billy’s departure from Belgrave, the train pulled into Gembrook Station.
The town of Gembrook was first settled in 1873, with its name derived from the discovery of gemstones in the region.7 My travel companion and I enjoyed a picnic in Gembrook and a walking trail through a Eucalypt forest, before it was time to board Puffing Billy once more for the return journey to Belgrave.
The Puffing Billy Railway provided an incredibly enjoyable and informative journey through Victoria’s peaceful countryside. It is hard to disagree with my guidebook’s description of the Railway as ‘one of the finest preserved steam railways in the world.’8
David Bowden, Great Railway Journeys in Australia and New Zealand (John Beaufoy Publishing, 2nd ed, 2020) 42. ↩︎
Ibid. ↩︎
Ibid. ↩︎
Melissa Cunningham, ‘Puffing Billy bans leg dangling as probe begins into minibus collision’, The Age (7 March 2018, online). ↩︎
Bowden (n 1) 42. ↩︎
Puffing Billy Railway, ‘The Journey’. ↩︎
Ibid. ↩︎
Bowden (n 1) 42. ↩︎