Robert "Smokey" Dawson was born and raised in the Dandenong Ranges and has been a passionate follower of the Puffing Billy railway service since he was a boy. You could say he almost has steam coming out his ears.
He proceeded to tell us about the history of the trains in the area. The line was opened in 1900 and trains operated over 29km between Upper Ferntree Gully and Gembrook carrying mainly timber and potatoes. Then, in 1953, a landslide caused the line to close.
Public interest resulted in the reformation of the line. It was progressively reopened - Belgrave to Menzies Creek in 1962, then to Emerald in 1965, Lakeside in 1975 and finally to Gembrook in 1998.
Puffing Billy has now become one of Victoria's major attractions for local and overseas visitors. Robert proudly states that it carries over 500,000 passengers each year through the forests, fern gullies and farmlands of the magnificent Dandenong Ranges. And the popularity is continuing to increase. They even run private tours catering for special functions such as weddings, dining and dancing, murder mystery functions, jazz and blues trips and a Santa ride.
Smokey signed off by saying "see you down the track".
