Puffing Billy Railway

Puffing Billy is the day trip that Melbourne families pass down through generations, and it earns that status honestly. The railway opened on 18 December 1900 as a narrow-gauge line hauling goods and passengers through the hills east of the city, closed after a landslide in the 1950s, and was rescued by volunteers who reopened it in stages as a heritage tourist line: Belgrave to Menzies Creek in 1962, on to Lakeside in 1975 and all the way to Gembrook in 1998. In 2025 the railway marked its 125th anniversary, and it is still largely run on the energy of its volunteers. What you get is a real working steam railway rather than a theme-park ride. The locomotives are coal-fired and noisy, the carriages are open at the sides, and the line winds through tall mountain ash, tree ferns and farmland, crossing the much-photographed timber trestle bridge over Monbulk Creek shortly after leaving Belgrave. The signature experience is sitting on the window sills with your legs hanging out over the side. It was banned in 2018 after a level-crossing collision with a minibus, then brought back in February 2022 on Belgrave to Lakeside services, for children aged four to thirteen and for adults. The practical bit matters: every ticket must be booked online in advance, nothing is sold at the station on the day, and tickets are for set return journeys, so your outbound choice fixes your return time. Belgrave to Lakeside runs daily; the longer sections to Menzies Creek and Gembrook run mainly from Friday to Sunday, with exceptions. The railway operates every day except Christmas Day. Belgrave is the last stop on a Metro train line from the city, so you can get there without a car. That makes this one of the few great Victorian day trips you can do entirely on public transport.

Choosing your journey is the main decision. Belgrave to Lakeside and back is the classic: long enough to cross the trestle bridge, climb through the forest and spend time at Lakeside, where there is a cafe at the visitor centre and lawns running down to Emerald Lake Park, but short enough for small children. Belgrave to Menzies Creek is the shortest option, good for toddlers or a morning that also includes the Dandenong villages. Belgrave to Gembrook is the full line, a slow and rewarding day best for steam enthusiasts and older children. Fares rise with distance, infants under four travel free, and family fares are available. Book well ahead for weekends and school holidays, when the most popular departures sell out.

Getting there takes a little planning. Take a Belgrave line train from Flinders Street; the journey takes about an hour, and Puffing Billy's station is a short, signposted walk from the Metro station. Driving takes about the same time, around 40 kilometres east of the city, and car parking near the station fills early on busy days. Arrive in good time before departure, sit on the side facing the valley if you can, and keep belongings secure if you are riding on the sills. In summer, check the official site the day before: on Total Fire Ban days in the Central district the timetable can change and diesel locomotives may replace steam.

Puffing Billy pairs naturally with the rest of the Dandenongs. Combine a morning ride with a walk up the 1000 Steps, lunch in a hill village such as Olinda or Sassafras, and the forest drives of the national park. Several Tiqets-listed bus tours bundle the train with Healesville Sanctuary or a Yarra Valley afternoon, which suits visitors without a car. For a quieter experience, travel on a weekday outside school holidays, when the sills are easier to claim and the platforms are calmer.