Murtoa will play host to a special weekend tour as part of the township's 150th birthday celebrations.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
A special service by the Seymour Railway Heritage Centre will allow passengers to visit the past with train rides from Melbourne to Beluah.
Yarriambiack Shire councillor and Murtoa resident Tom Hamilton said the whole town was behind the event.
"It's just great to have a passenger train run on the branch line; they haven't ran since the late seventies," Cr Hamilton said.
The train will be composed of vintage carries from the 1937 Spirt of Progress, however they have also been fitted to be air-conditioned.
READ MORE:
An enjoyable weekend away to take in the Silo Art located on the branch line to Warracknabeal, a line normally only available to freight services.
On Saturday, May 21, the train will take passengers from Melbourne to Murtoa arriving about 12.30pm.
Passengers are then allowed to disembark and take in the festivities for the 150th Anniversary event of the town.
As part of the event, both the Stick Shed and the Dunmunkle Sumpoilers Historic Engines Museum will be opening their doors to the public.
"Passengers can get off here in Murtoa and we'll let them through the Stick Shed and the Sumpoilers museum," Cr Hamilton said.
MORE NEWS:
"The Sumpoilers museum is open to the public that day, and it's not normally open, that's a fair get."
On Sunday May 22 an 8am train will take passengers further up the line to Warracknabeal and Beulah.
Passengers can enjoy lunch in Warracknabeal, at the Creekside Hotel, or in Beulah, where the Country Womens Association have set up a special lunch that can accomodate up to 60 people.
Cr Hamilton said tickets were still available for this leg of the journey, and encouraged Wimmera residents take part in the journey.
"There's about fifty or sixty tickets available, which is really good because it's a Sunday afternoon," he said.
OTHER NEWS:
"Some people from Melbourne will disembark at Warracknabeal and have lunch there, and that opens seats for people to go from Warracknabeal to Beulah."
Cr Hamilton expects there will be jostling for seats.
"The Murtoa leg sold out in days, but there's a little bit of confusion with people not knowing they can get on the train at Warracknabeal and go to Beulah and back."
On return to Murtoa at about 3.20pm, the train will then continue back to Melbourne.
Murtoa's 150th celebrations will continue later in the year.
Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can continue to access our trusted content:
- Bookmark www.mailtimes.com.au/
- Make sure you are signed up for our breaking and regular headlines newsletters
- Follow us on Twitter: twitter.com/Wim_Mail_Times
- Follow us on Instagram www.instagram.com/wimmeramailtimes/