The historic Bellarine Railway which winds its way from Drysdale to Queenscliff through a scenic rural landscape with views of Swan Bay is one of the Geelong region’s top tourist attractions. Whether you’re having a jolly time with toddlers and Sir Topham Hatt onboard Thomas, enjoying dining or music experiences on the Q Train or the Blues Train or simply hopping onboard the heritage steam engine service or travelling one way and cycling the rail train the other, there really is something for everyone!
With major investment in the railway set to open up even more experiences, we caught up with two long-term volunteers who have dedicated their free time over decades to managing and operating the steam and diesel tourist railway.
Jan Tribe says that she and her family joined the Bellarine Railway team way back when her children – twin boys, Scott and Dale – were four years old. Now, with the family still heavily involved, her sons are 45.
After stumbling across the historic railway station on a day out to Queenscliff, Jan and her husband Doug got chatting to the crew and before they new it they were hooked.
While Jan worked in the shop initially, Doug joined the maintenance crew and her boys followed people around and learnt the ropes by watching and talking to everyone. When they were old enough they trained to become firemen and drivers on the steam and diesel trains.
Fast forward and Jan’s sons are now employed by the railway to do painting, maintenance and trackwork as well as driving the trains. She said that doesn’t stop them volunteering on the railway on weekends.
I’m very proud of them. It makes me very happy that they enjoy it so much. They loved it as soon as we joined. When they were at school, they talked about trains all the time, said Jan.
Jan met Steve Dalton in the early days before he disappeared for a time to pursue education, work and family. She lost track a little bit but four years ago her boys said that someone at the railway was asking after her. She finally realised who it was. Steve’s mum would drop him off at the railway when he was a child and Jan would keep an eye on him.
He tells everyone I’m his second mum. It’s pretty special, she said.
Steve, who stayed in touch with founding members of the railway and has dedicated his life to railways, he returned to the Bellarine Railway in early 2017 and came back with 30+ years of railway experience he became the President and Chairman in 2019, and can be seen working around the railway most weekends, Steve says he has always had a soft spot for the railway:
A couple of the members – Jan and also Col Jackson (dec)- used to look after me as a teenager, got me involved and took me under their wing, said Steve.
Steve says that Jan has been a very long-term volunteer who constantly dedicates her time to help others and sometimes gives the President some sound advice.
Jan has been with the railway from day one. In fact to call it her railway would not be an overstatement.
Steve and Jan have seen a lot of change over the years. As the railway grew, the railway had to buy equipment which included locomotives and rollingstock while it was still available – with the age of the equipment there isn’t much left anymore.
Jan talks about how they used to run pancake trains in the 1980s which she says were hugely popular and great fun. After starting with making pancakes available for sale on the platform, they moved to serving them on board.
You’ve got to start somewhere. When we ran those pancake trains it was an absolute joy,’ said Jan.
When asked what they love about their association with the railway, Steve and Jan both said it is the people. The people make it all worthwhile, the volunteers, passengers and visitors.
It’s a fantastic bunch of people down there. One of the best ever organisations I’ve come across. There’s a really good vibe, said Steve.
Jan said that it is not only the railway itself that she loves, but the people you meet:
The volunteers come from all sorts of backgrounds – professional railway people, doctors – lots of great characters all the time. We’ve built up wonderful friendships over the years.
Steve, who volunteers with his wife Sheena and their dog Casper – a Jack Russell who sports his own duty manager’s vest – says that the volunteers work in a variety of roles including carpentry, welding and boiler-making, leatherwork and gardening. In one shed, volunteers are restoring an old 1800s carriage to its original form and also a dedicated group are restoring Australia’s only remaining ASG type narrow-gauge Garret locomotive in the world. A new member who is a diesel mechanic is now looking after the diesels.
Asked about the best views from the train, Jan says:
From Suma park looking back at Queenscliff – you can see Swan Bay and right around the coast on a nice day.
The railway’s humble beginnings come from the Belmont Common days in Geelong with the formation of the Geelong Steam Preservation Society, our aim was and is to restore the original Fyansford collection when the Victorian railways abandoned the South Geelong to Queenscliff branch line in 1976 the GSPS were able to take over a portion of the line from Drysdale to Queenscliff.
The original track, which was used to cart supplies to Fort Queenscliff and shell grit from the area, and weekend beach goers has its own very interesting history, the railway line was Victorian gauge and as we were focused on the Fyansford collection the volunteers had to change it to narrow gauge – one of many changes over the years. This then resulted in obtaining and purchasing trains from all over Australia including some of the original Tasman Limited and the locomotive that hauled the very last prestige Tasman Limited service.
The difference between back then and now is unbelievable. The changes are fantastic. It is still connected to the heritage but we need to make sure it is good for the future – we need to keep the history alive, there are so many choices of activities that people can do now. Everyone involved from way back when to today deserve a really good pat on the back, said Jan.
Steve says that the infrastructure funding means they can lay new sleepers and ballast that will be regulated and tamped properly.
This is good news for the existing services like the Q Train, the Blues Train, the Thomas the Tank Engine weekends, the heritage services and future experiences that will come along.
Steve, who was involved in the tragic 2002 level-crossing accident from Yarrawonga to Melbourne in Victoria’s Nth East at Benalla because of this he is passionate about level crossing safety and would love to create opportunities for rail safety education in the future, for local schools and community groups.
Steve says that the group welcomes new members and offers on-the-job training for the specialty work that they do. So if you’ve every fancied yourself as a train driver or crew member or working behind the scenes, you would be made very welcome.
Earlier this year, the Bellarine Railway received a $3.53 million investment from the Victorian Government from the Stimulus Round of the Regional Tourism Investment Fund.
Stage one includes the development of the turntable paddock at Drysdale Railway Station and improvements to community access.
Stage two is an upgrade of 16.5 kilometres of track between Drysdale and Queenscliff that will benefit The Blues Train, Q Train, Day Out with Thomas events, heritage services and train driver experiences as well as group charters, family and special events.
Tourism Greater Geelong and the Bellarine, in collaboration with the volunteers who manage the heritage line as well as businesses which use it, are guiding the exploration of new and innovative tourism opportunities for the Bellarine Railway to build on the already much-loved experiences on offer.
To learn more about becoming a volunteer and joining the Bellarine Railway community, visit the Bellarine Railway website or contact the administration office on 5258 2069 during business hours.
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