Mt Dandenong Part 1: Puffing Billy!

Sometime this holiday, our wandering ways took us to Mt Dandenong, where charming little towns can be found along the mountaineous Dandenong Range. 

We kicked off the day early with a visit to Puffing Billy, one of the first steam trains that operated in rural Victoria as a mode of transport over a century ago. Today, it is a tourist hotspot to recreate what it is like to travel aboard such a steam train. It is a part of Victoria's history and was recently awarded Tripadvisor's 2014 Certificate of Excellence. Much of its rich historical value was wasted on me however: I only went for the opportunity to sit on its railings, and perhaps to dangle my feet over the Dandenong Ranges. But regardless of my motivation (or yours!), it was a fruitful trip.

It took a while to find the gravel carpark, which was connivingly located steeply down the road from a roundabout. But parking was ample there, and free to boot, so all was forgiven. 

The road to Puffing Billy was marked with beautiful murals.

We bought our tickets when we got to Belgrave Station (the start of the route of Puffing Billy), and we made our way to the train platform. It's free-seating, so be sure to get there early to grab a good seat. The seats facing the platform have a much more majestic view than the ones facing away, so choose wisely. One thing to note was that several compartments of the train may be reserved and not available to the public, so keep an ear out for whatever the train conductors say. 

And yes! You are highly encouraged to sit on the railings and enjoy the view. I took off my shoes beforehand, because it's only prudent to do so while I'm balancing myself on the railings of a century-old train travelling on tracks hundreds of metre off the ground. No one's climbing down the mountain to get your shoe back for you, Calvin. 

We got off at the next station (Menzies Creek), because we heard that the scenery was mostly the same throughout. Travelling the entire line would take an estimated 3 hours one way, and we didn't have time to spare. We had an hour to relax at Menzies Creek Station while waiting for the returning train, and we made full use of our time to take plenty of pictures. 

We even managed to draw the Station Master out to take a picture with us. 

 We had packed lunch, but there are food available if you are interested.

Puffing Billy's timetable can be found here on their website. All the tables can be a little confusing. There are 4 colour-coded tables, and depending on the day you're going, look at the colour on the calendar for that day to see that day's Puffing Billy schedule. If you're getting off at Menzies Creek like us, there's no other places of interest around the station, so plan your train timings accordingly. If you're colour-blind flip a coin. Or a dice. Depends on how many sides you need. Shit I'm a horrible person. It's the full moon. I'm sorry. 

Check out Part 2: Pies in the Sky!
Don't forget Part 3: Ms Marples Tearoom

*I heard that there is a great churros restaurant somewhere on Mount Dandenong that makes churros fresh on ordering, but I haven't been there.