Australia's iconic Puffing Billy experience is once again running through the magnificent landscapes and lush greenery of the Dandenong Ranges in Victoria. The railway has also recently announced that it is bringing back the popular experience of sitting on the carriage sills.
COVID-19 had put a hold on Puffing Billy, but once more it is steaming away. While many aspects of everyday life are the same as they were pre-COVID-19, a few things have changed on the Puffing Billy Railway.
Guided by the health advice of the Victorian Government, a set of safety measures are in place to keep passengers, staff, and volunteers safe. However, the safety measures won't affect the fun and adventure of a day on the railway.
Since 1900, the Puffing Billy Railway, just one-hour east of Melbourne, has transported over 11 million passengers through the magnificent landscapes and lush greenery of the Dandenong Ranges. The experience is something that cannot be found anywhere else in the world, where passengers can on the sill of open-side carriages with their legs hanging out.
The railway was built in 1900 to serve the local communities that lived in the hills, carrying anything from passengers to timber, livestock, potatoes, and plants. The railway is now a major tourist attraction that is open every day of the year, except Christmas Day, thanks to the efforts of more than 300 volunteers.
Almost every Melbourne resident has a special memory of Puffing Billy, chugging through the forest, rolling hills, and open farmland with legs hanging over the side as they marvelled over soaring wooden bridges and quaint historic stations. Parents, grandparents, friends, and families with fond memories of sitting on the carriage sills can now experience it again with a whole new generation.
Tickets can be booked online at http://www.puffingbilly.com.au. To ensure visitors have an experience that is both safe and fun, the railway has issued safety instructions which intending passengers need to know about first and can be found at http://www.puffingbilly.com.au/…/sitting-on-our…/
While I have no qualms about the safety of passengers, I do wonder how many flip-flops or sliders are lost off feet and how many mobile phones get dropped?