Of course, a trip to the Puffing Billy Railway is a must if you are visiting Melbourne. It is a century old steam train that runs from Belgrave to Gembrook at the Dandenong Ranges.

They also offer themed train rides in addition to the normal ones. If only we had the opportunity!
Nevertheless, I was still hyped even though it was not my first time on a steam train.





We boarded at Belgrave.




AND WE'RE OFF!
Conductor was really friendly though. Waved goodbye to everyone.

Met some Aussies who were quite unfriendly and racist during my two trips (airport arrival hall officers were terribly rude on this trip) but good to know that it was just a small group and not the majority... right?



I don't know. I just like the composition of the blurry tree. So it's up on this post.



And my subtle blue hair (not that subtle actually).
It was a hot summer day but we were sheltered by the trees and greens so it wasn't that bad.

Did I mention that you're allowed to sit with your legs dangling outside the train carriages? I was surprised at first when people started sitting that way but the train conductor assured us that it was cool if you want to do that despite being an adult with responsibilities.
I mean, how often could you leave your legs out on a train ride, or any other ride for that matter?




Look at the number of legs hanging out of the carriages when we cross the Monbulk Creek trestle bridge.

It was pretty scary at first as there was nothing much to support the whole train and we were quite high above ground. Of course, there were also people on the ground who stopped by to take photos of the Puffing Billy and its passengers.
We saw this same guy thrice taking photographs at three different locations, in the middle of nowhere. Talk about dedication.



Menzies Creek, one of the train stops.



We stopped at Lakeside (approx 1hr from Belgrave station) and had lunch at a small store there. Apparently it was a nice place for picnics and BBQ's too but it was just too hot for lakeside activities so we opted out and headed back to Belgrave. It was quite an experience, really.

*Travelling tip: Get carriages at the front or at the rear of the train to get good photos during the journey.


For ticketing and other information on Puffing Billy, visit their website.




(click on the image above for more posts on my Melbourne trip!)