A trip amongst the Passing Clouds
On the King's Birthday long weekend (anyone else still getting their heads around that one)? , Janelle and I headed for Daylesford for a few days of fresh country air.
It was a bit over 12 months since our last visit, and, as we did last time, we included a trip on the Daylesford Spa Country Railway.
Running out of Daylesford in Victoria's Central Highlands through farming, and then forest country, it's a pleasant excursion, bouncing along the lightly laid branch line in a vintage rail motor to Victoria's current highest railway station at Bullarto.
Sunday at Daylesford railway station also coincides with the extremely popular weekly market, which has assisted in bringing a steady stream of revenue to the railway for years.
The Daylesford station entrance, lined with rugged up stall owners and visitors.
We'd booked on line a few weeks ago, our plan being to catch the 12:15 train to Bullarto, and on the return journey, alight at Passing Clouds station to visit the winery of the same name for a wine tasing. It gives the best of both worlds, travelling the full length of the line, and visiting a winery without needing a designated driver.
After breakfast, and jacketed up in the cool weather, we had a wander of the shops, and ended up at the station early enough to catch the 11:00, the second of four services.
There was no worries with making the change, and we were issued with nice ye olde style Edmonson cardboard tickets, something that's now being phased out on tourist railways due to a lack of appropriate card stock.
It was close to 11 when we got on board, so most of the seats were taken, but we found a pair in first class facing the direction of travel, so no problems there.
I should say, being the long weekend, the Sunday market, and Daylesford itself was heaving with visitors, so the largest rail motor in the fleet, Walker RM 91, a 280 hp unit with 38 first class, and 56 second class seats, separated by an independently housed engine unit with a pair of Gardiner 140hp engines was running the service.
The Walkers are a something of a bitsa machine, with the engine and control units supplied from Walkers LTD. in the UK, frames from Thompsons in Castlemaine, and bodies from Martin & King in Armadale. The components were then assembled at the Victorian Railways at the Newport railway workshops.
A post war initiative delivered from 1948, the Walkers were designed with a 10 year lifespan in mind, but in true VR fashion, lasted well beyond that, into the 1980s.
While the 280s the biggest of the three types of these rail motors, the collection at Daylesford also has examples of the two smaller models, a 153 hp unit which is also in service, and the last remaining 102 hp one, 7RM which is a longer term restoration project.
Departing out of Daylesford, the railway heads past some impressive sheds where the operating equipment, and restoration projects are housed out of the Central Highlands weather.
To quote one of my friends who's spent many years in the Tourist and Heritage sector, the most valuable thing in any collection is a shed to house it!
The next notable thing is the faint remains of a railway formation swinging across the paddocks to the right, the connection through the Wombat Forest to Newlyn and North Creswick where it joined the Ballarat - Maryborough railway.
With the Ballarat goldmines hungry for firewood and timber props, this line was extremely busy in its day.
If you're interested in the history of the saw milling and tramways that supplied them - and moved the sawn timber to the Victorian Railways network, I'd highly recommend reading a copy of Wombat Woodsmen by Norm Houghton OAM, a comprehensive look at the industry that once existed.
Click clacking on over the 22' 6" length rails - 6.6 metre in current terms, we travel out through open farm country for a while, before entering light forest country. The next point of interest on the line is the intermediate station of Musk, now little more than an open shed on the platform, but once a busy staton with sidings off the main line to the south.
Shortly after leaving Musk, the relatively new station of Passing Clouds is reached. Passing Clouds was constructed to give direct access to the winery of the same name - as mentioned earlier, we've taken advantage of the service previously, and were doing so again today.
Passing Clouds station is six years old this month, but looks the part on the railway with its authentic platform construction, and small, but appropriately painted waiting shelter.
Surprisingly, we didn't stop at the station, but continued on towards Bullarto.
It's pretty clear when you book to alight at Passing Clouds that you need to make the booking office aware that's your intention, so the crew know to stop there, so it was interesting to find that on arrival there were a few people who had a wine tasting booked, and were now late due to the express run through the station! Unfortunately the message hadn't made it from the booking office to the train.
The crew shortened up the stay at Bullarto to win back a bit of time for the group, which, given the cool weather wasn't unappreciated.
I'd mentioned earlier that Bullarto is currently the highest railway station in Victoria at 747 metres above sea level, the title previously being held by Shelley on the Wodonga to Cudgewa railway in northeast Victoria, which was at 781 metres.
Both are / were high enough to see snow reasonably regularly, Bullarto getting a decent dusting usually once or twice a year.
I've been lucky enough for a chilly snap to occur on a Sunday a couple of years ago, and managed to get photos of the train arriving in the snow, after having to deal with road closures on the way.
August 2019, and after a very decent snowfall, 63RM is arriving at Bullarto.
No snow this time, but there was still an opportunity to admire the recently finished railway station building, a fantastically accurate replica of the building that once stood on the site, something that this railway does particularly well.
The return journey to Passing Clouds had us back in the first class end, bumping along once again through the forest.
It was interesting to pass through an area that if you didn't know better looks like it has been logged, but in fact was the subject of a violent storm that uprooted trees, dropping power lines, and closing roads - and the railway.
Reopening the roads and restoring power took a while, and the railway even longer, the damage far beyond the resources of the volunteer railway.
Fortunately local businesses, and government assistance saw it reopen again, but it's a reminder to get out and support the tourist railways when they are operating to help see them through bad patches.
Once into the more open country, we slowed and stopped at Passing Clouds. Unfortunately our end of the rail motor wasn't on the platform, so we made a quick scramble through the engine section to the second class end to alight.
No harm done, but a note to visitors intending to alight at Passing Clouds, sit near the front in both directions so you can easily get off!
Departing Passing Clouds, with the home signal for Musk just up ahead.
A couple of shots of the departing rail motor, then the short walk up the driveway to the winery.
About to arrive - or pass through Musk.
The group with the booking for a tasting and lunch were just in front of us, and quickly settled in, we weren't in a hurry being a train ahead of where we had planned to be.
Passing Clouds is celebrating its 50th birthday, not all of which has been at the Musk site, which is reflected in their wine list showcasing several wines from their original region northwest of Bendigo.
We tasted the premium list - not having to drive made that an easy decision to make!
I can certainly endorse a tasting there, and if you have longer, lunch is also highly recommended.
Last time we visited there was a shower of snow, this time there was a few passing showers, and a rainbow over the vines - and plenty of passing clouds!
Passing clouds, and a rainbow from Passing Clouds winery
Keeping an eye on the time, we left with a couple of bottles to take away, and walked down to the station. The train turned up early - apparently the same thing had happened on this trip, meaning the winery restaurant was also 20 minutes out of whack with the bookings, not helpful for them, or the customers.
A yell to the conductor saw the train held, until we were safely on board again.
We were seated in the second class compartment section this time, which, to be honest was more comfortable than the first class end!
Back at Daylesford, the market was slightly less chaotic than it had been earlier, so once the passengers disembarked, I took a couple of photos before we headed back into town to find some lunch. The town was busy - it is on most weekends, but the long weekend crowd added to the numbers, with considerable queues outside some of the cafes.
Looking back from the end of the line at Daylesford station.
We were fortunate to snag a table outside at Winespeake
After lunch we continued our afternoon wandering around the shops picking up some bits and pieces we'd seen earlier, but didn't want to lug around.
We went back to the Lakehouse where we were staying to relax for a bit, before going for a wander around Lake Daylesford, before dinner.
Lake Daylesford, and the Lakehouse apartments with some Autumn colour still hanging on.
A great relaxing weekend away in this beautiful part of the world!
While we, and I'd suggest most visitors arrive by private car, there is a Vline bus service from Woodend, essentially the bus that replaced the train service when that was removed, which gives an alternate way to visit the area.
Not something that I'd thought of, but a couple of people at Passing Clouds had come that way.
Thanks for reading!
Scott