By Shiloh Thurrowgood
Winter school holidays need not stump families on things to do that work with all age ranges, that’s where Yarra Valley Railway (YVR) comes in.
The not-for-profit organisation run by volunteers offering 1948 heritage train rides every Sunday has expanded the initiative for a two week period.
YVR secretary Rachael Cottle said the group’s school holiday days will run on Sundays and Wednesday between 25 June and 9 July,
“It’s a perfect activity to do over winter because our train is fully enclosed. Our platform is under cover so it’s a great weather activity if it’s raining. It’s about 35 minutes, so it’s a perfect length for people with younger children,” Ms Cottle said.
For the first time, the Railway will be hosting an event for Book Week on 27 August with the aim to encourage children to experience the heritage rail while dressing up as their favourite character.
“We want to see everyone’s wonderful costumes that they’re going to make for book week,” Ms Cottle said.
“We’d like everyone to get dressed up in them, come down to the railway and ride the train in them and we’ll be giving out prizes on every train for our favourite costumes.”
YVR is run by volunteers who are passionate about “keeping history alive,” Ms Cottle said.
“It’s really nice to show how the Victorian railways used to operate and what sort of trains were run,” she said.
The Yarra Valley railway line used to start at Lilydale, with trains taking passengers to Healesville via Yarra Glen.
The railway opened on 1 March 1889, with the final passenger train service running in December 1980.
The railway was officially closed to the public on 10 March 1983.
For more information visit the Yarra Valley Railway website yvr.org.au.
