Ballarat Tramway Museum — Attraction in Lake Wendouree

The Ballarat Tramway Museum is an operating tramway museum, located in Ballarat, Victoria, Australia. The museum is run by volunteers and has a fleet of trams which operate on part of the original horse tramway around Lake Wendouree and the Botanical Gardens. It has a large research collection, archive of information and more than 3,500 items about the Ballarat tramways. The trams in Ballarat operated on a large network through the city from 1887 until 1971.

The first group to work on saving part of the historic tramway was the Lake Wendouree Tramway Museum Committee which in May 1971 began negotiating with the State Electricity Commission of Victoria (SEC) who was the operator of the trams. The Ballarat Tramway Preservation Society was also formed in 1971 to start, and run, an authentic tramway. In 1978 the society was incorporated, as the Ballarat Tourist Tramway. It was renamed the Ballarat Vintage Tramway in 1981.

The original plan was to keep all the tramway that ran around the shores of Lake Wendouree. However, after discussions with the SEC and the City of Ballarat, only the section of track that was in the Botanical Gardens was kept. This included part of the original horse tramway that opened in 1887, and was electrified in 1905.

A new tram depot was built as the original depot site was sold in June 1972. The City of Ballarat provided land in the South Gardens Reserve. Six Ballarat trams which had been stored in the old depot had to be towed around Lake Wendouree to the new site. An access track was laid and the trams were hand winched into the new shed. In July 1974 a new substation was built to supply DC current to the trams. On 12 October 1974, Tram No. 27 was able to make several trips along the access track. During November and December 1974 a track was laid to join the new depot to existing tram tracks in Wendouree Parade. This was quite a complex operation as the rails had to be bent to a curve by the Melbourne & Metropolitan Tramways Board's South Melbourne workshops and transported to Ballarat. Wendouree Parade had to be dug up and the new track laid.

The first trip on the museum's tramway was on 7 December 1974 when Tram No. 27 tested the connection to the tramway. Tram No. 40 was taken out of the depot and driven along the whole track. No. 40 had been the last tram to run on the SEC network. The track was officially opened on 1...

The Museum was formed to preserve the tramway experience that existed on the streets of Ballarat from 1887 to 1971. Trams are operated along a public road on an original section of the track, using authentic methods of operation such as conductors, paper tickets, uniforms, tram stops, and even original style paperwork.

Our tram depot, at the south end of the Ballarat Botanical Gardens, houses the tramcar collection, a museum display with photographs, videos, tramway memorabilia, trammie stories, souvenirs and book shop. The depot is open for visitors from 11am on operating days (depending on volunteer staff availability). It is also open every afternoon from about 4 pm. A self-guided tour is possible or when volunteers are available; a formal guided tour. A gold coin donation would be appreciated to enable our work to continue.

Our tramcar collection includes Ballarat Horse Tram No. 1 from 1887 and a 1905 Electric Supply Company of Victoria tramcar (under restoration). Our operating fleet consists of many tramcars that initially operated in Melbourne around the time of the World War 1 and were sold to Ballarat in the 1930's and 1950's. Since 1975 the Museum has also acquired a number of historic trams directly...

A beautiful museum rich in historical knowledge! I loved every moment of exploring here, as a complete newbie to tram knowledge, the info here was just enough for me to gain a good understanding but not an overload.

So many models have been kept in great condition - the free tram ride on the old route was especially enjoyable. The one that was left “untouched” and with the old magazines placed there made me especially poignant about the history which these trams saw before their current retirement here.

The staff (all volunteers) were so friendly and I wish I was able to spend more time here but schedule was tight. There is a small entry fee that covers all the activities, and a cafe. It was really quiet on the day I went but it deserves more attention!

Truly a must visit if you’re into...