Life Down Under (Part 22): Ballarat, Antipodes Festival, and Puffing Billy

- October 18-23, 2022, Tuesday to Sunday.

- Halfway through my stay in Melbourne, I realized that I hadn't done some of the touristy must-dos. I had been postponing them, thinking that I was staying in Melbourne anyway. I'd sometimes forget that many of these activities need prebooked tickets. With the Australian school holidays around the corner, more and more families are going out apart from the usual tourists.

- On Friday the 21st, I decided to visit Ballarat, which is around 1.5 hours by train from Melbourne. VLine trains such as the Wendouree Line depart regularly from Southern Cross Station, and pass by Ballarat. (Check the screens at the train station or ask the concierge for the next train to Ballarat as there are multiple train lines that pass by Ballarat.) It is easiest to reach Sovereign Hill from Ballarat Railway Station by Uber or cab, or Bus route 21.

I'm here!

Sovereign Hill has a Chinese camp with this small Chinese temple. Many Chinese went to Australia as part of the Gold-Rush Era migrations. The same could be seen in the USA around that time.

Chinese temple interior.

Gold panning and diggings.

These are children on their field trip. They get to wear nice costumes. I'm glad I have my own. HAHA.

Red Hill Mine.

With my squad. (And yes, their staff all wear colonial clothing.)

- Visitors may enter Sovereign Hill by pre-booking a ticket through the official website (click here) or onsite. Once inside, visitors can enjoy various activities, such as digging for gold, going on a mine tour, having a photo taken retro style, and so on. I was really enthusiastic about visiting Sovereign Hill that I knew I had to dress the part!

Metalworking demonstration.

Mhmmm.

Steam and mining precinct.

Inside a church that also functions as a school - with the teacher and headmaster!

Old bowling alley. People back then sure knew how to have fun!

Funeral carriages.

- Ballarat is one of Australia's gold rush cities. This is why Ballarat has an open-air museum called Sovereign Hill. Sovereign Hill was opened in 1970 and is meant to recreate and preserve 19th-century Ballarat. This includes the chance to literally dig and look for tiny nuggets of gold like they used to.

I know I'm in the wrong country, but I am super feeling Hamilton with this view.

Carriage making.

These horses were huge!

Probably the best souvenir from Sovereign Hill! You know how much I love to have my photos taken!

Newspaper publisher.

Old grocery (and the things are really on sale!)

Old town.

Main Street.

Apothecary.

I di'int find no gold! (Also love the costumed staff at the back. Made the photo 10x better.)

- After visiting Sovereign Hill I rode an Uber to Lake Wendouree. It is a man-made lake from the 1800s, and used to be a stream and swamp area. The lake historically provided water to the city. Lake Wendouree may be huge, so I'm letting you know that one of the best spots to go to is the are near the children's playground at the western side. (I actually pinned my location to the children's playground when I booked my Uber.) Alternatively, one can ride bus routes 10, 11, or 26. Bus 10 stops closest to the playground.

Honking swan.

Lake Wendouree.

Just look at that.

Lake Wendouree with Black Hill at the back.

- Apart from the nice view of the lake, Lake Wendouree is also home to many ducks and swans. It was nice to watch them go about their daily lives. Just be careful not to go too near them as they are known to chase people! 

Black swan.

Look at the little swan chicks!

I will follow you.

Trying not to get on its bad side!

With swans and Lake Wendouree.

- I did not have enough time to explore Ballarat, although visiting Sovereign Hill and Lake Wendouree were my priorities. I hope that I'll have the chance to go back to Ballarat again some day to see the places that I missed!

- The following day I was quite bound to my condo because I had to wait for the courier person to pick up my balikbayan box to send back to the Philippines. The person came around early afternoon, so I did not have much time left in the day. Thankfully, my colleague reminded me that the Antipodes Festival was ongoing along Lonsdale Street. Lonsdale Street has historically been Melbourne's Little Greece, although other Greek communities in the suburbs have emerged through the years. The street festival is held annually, and showcases the colorful cultures of Greece.

Greek belly dancing.

With ancient Greeks. (Take note that my shirt is Ethiopian, although it fit in the event really well!)

Greek traditional line dance.

Souvlaki.

- I spent a good hour or two mingling with the Greeks and enjoying Greek food, music, and dancing. Melbourne truly has endless cultural festivals that let people understand the other cultures of the world. This is something that I appreciate a lot about Melbourne.

- The next day I rose rise and early for a very special train ride - the Puffing Billy railway! Going to Puffing Billy is very convenient. Just ride a train from Flinders Station to Belgrave Station (Belgrave Line, terminal station), and follow the arrows from there. However, trains are not too frequent on Sundays, so I just had to ride a train from Flinders to Glen Waverly, then ride an Uber from there. It was the only way I could get to Puffing Billy on time. The Puffing Billy railway was opened in 1900 and transported harvest, animals, and timber on its trains. Today it serves as a tourist attraction that lets people feel how train travel was like in the 1900s across the Dandenong Ranges.

Just follow the arrow signs from Belgrave train station.

Belgrave Station for Puffing Billy Railway. (The actual Belgrave Station for the modern trains is different from this one.)

Our train!

Here we go!

Bye train conductor!

- People would need to book a ticket through the official website (click here), and has three different routes. The Menzies Creek is the most sought after as it stops at the train museum. That was what I was after, but I ran out of tickets. The next available ticket for Menzies Creek, I think, is right after I leave Melbourne. Instead, I took the longest route to Gembrook as I wanted to spend some time on the train. The Gembrook route takes around 2 hours each way, with some time to eat in between. The Gembrook routes then would take a total of 5-6 hours. The Lakeside and Menzies Creek routes are a lot shorter (and appear to be more popular because of the shorter duration and activities available for each route.) The Gembrook line, probably, is for those who really really like to ride on trains. 

- The Gembrook route takes passengers through Sherbrooke Forest, Write State Forest and several trestle bridges. I also gives astounding views of the hills and valleys, and the infinite number of sheep on those hills.  

Trestle Bridge.

Mountain ash trees in Sherbrooke Forest. This is said to be the tallest flowering plant. 

Probably my favorite photo from my Puffing Billy experience! See the happy kid? Oh, there's also another happy kid beside me. HAHA.

Just look at the view. The clouds were also quite low since the train was high up the hills!

Monbulk Trestle Bridge. My heart would drop whenever we're pass through these trestle bridges because of the long way down. Also, they're made of wood which makes me fear that the bridge might collapse from the weight of the train (the didn't, and they don't.)

The hills are alive!

- Once we stopped at Gembrook Station, I quickly looked for a place to have lunch. There are some restaurants and cafeterias around the station. My tip is to get some quick takeaway as lines can get pretty long. There are other hungry people from your train too! The reason why I strongly suggest a quick-to-get lunch is because it'd be great to spend the rest of the time in Gembrook to take more photos of the train, get a stretch from the long train ride, and maybe take a stroll in the park.

See all that steam?

With the nice train drivers.

Inspecting the train after a long journey to Gembrook.

Taking a look.

This is the steam locomotive.

On the railroad tracks. (Had to do this very very quickly.)

Passenger carriage interior.

- After maybe an hour in Gembrook, we all headed back to Belgrave through the same route. To make things interesting, I sat at the opposite side, so I could get a different view on the way back. I guess that makes the long trip a lot more interesting than seeing the same thing. I also mustered the courage to sit on the window sills, as it is the traditional way to ride the Puffing Billy trains! It was safe, but I had to REALLY hold on to my phone so I wouldn't drop it. It was one hell of a ride! (I mean that in the best way possible.)

Monbulk Trestle Bridge.

I might be smiling but I'm really nervous deep down.

Traditional way of riding the Puffing Billy trains. Yes, it is totally safe, and yes, many people were also doing it. The windows still are really built for people to sit on.

Finally back!

That's our train, seen from the path going back to Belgrave Station (the station for the modern trains going back to the city.)

- I arrived in Belgrave in the mid-afternoon and rode back to Flinders Station. It was a tiring day, so much so that I think I even napped inside the train for a while. (Thank goodness Melbourne is generally safe.) Experiencing Puffing Billy was definitely the best way to end my weekend! While I am happy to have all these immersive experiences in Melbourne during the weekend, my adventures in Australia are far from over!