Puffing Billy Railway
Puffing Billy Railway
4.5
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Monday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Tuesday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Wednesday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Thursday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Friday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Saturday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Sunday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
About
PUFFING BILLY OPERATES DAILY (except Christmas Day). Puffing Billy is Australia’s favourite steam train and one of the finest preserved steam railways in the world. This century-old steam train continues to run on its original mountain track from Belgrave to Gembrook in the magnificent Dandenong Ranges 40kms east of Melbourne. Puffing Billy was built to serve at the turn of the century and is a genuine relic of our more leisurely days. The Railway is the major survivor of four experimental lines used to develop rural areas in the early 1900s. Puffing Billy Railway is now a major tourist attraction and operates every day except Christmas Day, thanks to the tireless efforts of more than 600 dedicated volunteers.
Suggested duration
More than 3 hours
Suggest edits to improve what we show.
Improve this listing
What is Travellers’ Choice?
Tripadvisor gives a Travellers’ Choice award to accommodations, attractions and restaurants that consistently earn great reviews from travellers and are ranked within the top 10% of properties on Tripadvisor.
Revenue impacts the experiences featured on this page, learn more.

Top ways to experience nearby attractions

The area
Address
Reach out directly
Detailed Reviews: Reviews order informed by descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as cleanliness, atmosphere, general tips and location information.
Popular mentions

We perform checks on reviews.
Tripadvisor’s approach to reviews
Before posting, each Tripadvisor review goes through an automated tracking system, which collects information, answering the following questions: how, what, where and when. If the system detects something that potentially contradicts our community guidelines, the review is not published.
When the system detects a problem, a review may be automatically rejected, sent to the reviewer for validation, or manually reviewed by our team of content specialists, who work 24/7 to maintain the quality of the reviews on our site.
Our team checks each review posted on the site disputed by our community as not meeting our community guidelines.
Learn more about our review moderation.
4.5
1,860 reviews
Excellent
1,153
Very good
525
Average
130
Poor
33
Terrible
19

Filipa F
United States66 contributions
Nov. 2023 • Couples
I took the Puffing Billy trip in November, and I'm glad I brought a jacket! It's advisable to wear warm clothes during that time as it can get quite cold. The journey was absolutely worth it! I loved traveling by train with my feet out! The train staff is also very friendly. Belgrave is beautiful. I loved it! The best experience I had in Melbourne!
Written 26 November 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Luize S
Dallas, TX4 contributions
Nov. 2023 • Friends
Very interesting concept about being seated with your legs dangling out of the window sill. One way to Lakeside takes about an hour, see lots of nature, eucalyptus trees, country, and some villages.
Written 25 November 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Ellie B
Wellington, New Zealand74 contributions
Sep. 2023 • Family
What a great family trip, everyone in our (adult) group enjoyed it and you don't have to be a fan of steam trains. Being able to sit on the sills with legs hanging out of the side of the carriage is such fun and does not feel dangerous. Everyone gets a sill seat. There is a more expansive view on the right on the way out, and on the left on the way back - we were able to swap with our group as we had seats on both sides. Everyone that you see on the road or at stations waves at the train, I wondered after a while if it was compulsory! There is a genuine enthusiasm for the steam train in the local communities.
The cafe at Lake Side is very new, lots of space and well run with good choices. There is a very small lake and a model railway (extra charge). Superb crimson rosellas visited as we returned to the carriages. Puffing Billy gets very booked up, essential to book well ahead of time.
Parking was a little confusing. The car parks are a maximum of 4 hours, so we parked on Bayview Road along with everyone else. We were glad of the advice to arrive early.
Written 18 September 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Emily M
18 contributions
Sep. 2023 • Family
The most amazing train ride on an old steam train that uses coal to fuel the fire. It journeys through the heart of the magnificent Dandenong Ranges. The best & fun part was dangling our legs while sitted on the window ledge and soak in the amazing sights.

Highly recommended for a fun experience in Melbourne!
Written 15 September 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Jeffry b
Essendon, Australia13,802 contributions
Sep. 2023 • Friends
Puffing Billy is a vintage steam train that runs through the Dandenong Ranges. There's a "man versus machine" race, where the runners attempt to beat Puffing Bill. The "marathon" is 21 km (13 miles) for elite runners. Puffing Billy is a star attraction that lures locals and visitors alike.
Written 10 September 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Alice E
Ballarat, Australia85 contributions
Aug. 2023 • Family
Such a must see when in the area. It has wonderful employees ensuring safety, care and pure fun on the trip!
Its a great way to see untouched natural Victoria's landscape.
Written 31 August 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Chester B
Kingston upon Thames, UK119 contributions
Aug. 2023 • Couples
It’s very cool and a lot of fun! If you love trains as much as we do, you have to do this! The experience where you get to sit on the edge of a carriage and dangle your feet out. The views are scenic from the railway! Not too far out of Melbourne so make a day of it or even just a morning!
Written 30 August 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Abdul Hadi
Seoul, South Korea13 contributions
Aug. 2023 • Couples
A ride not only for the young. Those young at heart must sit on the ledge and hang those feet outside the train! What a thrill!
Written 11 August 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

BF826
Birmingham, UK55 contributions
Aug. 2023 • Couples
Such an amazing experience. The old style trains are a beautiful thing, so interesting to look at and learn about, with the added experience of being able to sit on the ledges of the train with your legs hanging out. It’s such a magical experience for not only kids but the adults too (your inner child is unleashed).
The ledge isn’t the comfiest to sit all the way around because you do travel some distance but even just standing it’s still amazing. I recommend sitting on the right side of the train you get to see a lot more.
It comes across as such a community experience, with the train workers being volunteers and when you are driving by, people in cars, by passers and the people in the houses and schools along the way all stop to wave. Everyone who is involved is so friendly and make the experience even more special.
When you get to the end, the restaurant has some amazing food (recommend going there straight away as there can be a wait on food, we went in the quiet period and we waited a little while for food so could be worse during peak season) then going for a walk around the lake seeing some beautiful birds before making your way back to the train for another relaxing journey back.
Highly recommend this trip.
Written 9 August 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

MsF
Sydney, Australia28 contributions
Jul. 2023 • Family
Unique experience and a good way to enjoy the scenery in the Dandenongs. Friendly staff who are mostly volunteers. The locals were also friendly. It would be good to do a one way train trip to Lakeside then return to Belgrave via bus or car. This would permit more time to visit the history museum, model railway and explore the area more. The day felt a bit rushed with under 2 hours at Lakeside before the return journey. The cafeteria is ok but bringing a packed lunch would save time.
Follow the advice to arrive at Belgrave in plenty of time to find a parking space and printing the parking permit if needed.
Written 14 July 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Showing results 1-10 of 1,731
Revenue impacts the experiences featured on this page, learn more.
Is this your Tripadvisor listing?
Own or manage this property? Claim your listing for free to respond to reviews, update your profile and much more.
Claim your listing

Puffing Billy Railway: All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (with Photos)

Frequently Asked Questions about Puffing Billy Railway

Puffing Billy Railway is open:
  • Sun - Sat 9:00 am - 5:00 pm