Heritage steam

Today I went on an exciting adventure. Me and a whole bunch of kids with mum, dad, grandma, uncle etc. I felt just like a kid setting off on an exciting day trip, and as I was surrounded by exactly that, it really helped set the mood!

I arrived at the heritage Queenscliff station at twenty to eleven in the morning to find the train I was about to catch steaming and puffing away with doors wide open ready to receive travelers. What an adorable cutesie sight!! A glorious sunny day, the chill of the morning worn off to a nice comfortable day and a trip in this old steam train to boot!!

Ticket office at the Queenscliff railway station

Irony abounds in the sight of this old fashioned ticket office. I purchased my ticket for the steam train online with my smart phone, and unable to print it out, the railway man had to read my details off said smart phone to record my journey! So much for doing things in the old way! However I did get a cute old school ticket to carry.

Return ticket to board the Queenscliff to Drysdale steam train

Permission to enter the railway station and wait for the train to depart!

Moving from the ticket office to the railway platform

Queenscliff railway station

Here’s the train waiting to take on passengers and convey them to Drysdale

Steam engine puffing away ready to take off

Steam engine with the engineers getting ready to depart

Carriages waiting with open doors for passengers to board

Finally eleven o’clock!! All aboard!

Time to depart – all aboard!

Time to pick the best place to sit for the best view!

View from the carriage out the door waiting for the station master to shut us in

The station master closing all the doors for departure

And we are off! Following the shore of Swan Bay then crossing inland to Drysdale

Perfection! The view from my seat in the train: blue skies, green grass, trees and through it all the gorgeous Swan Bay

The inside of the 1920s carriage

Some days, life is just perfect! Comfy seat, train doing all the work, view to boot!

First stop, Laker’s Siding

Lakers Siding railway station

Second stop, Suma Park (bad photo!)

Suma Park railway station

Third and final stop, Drysdale. Beautiful station opposite Lake Lorne, home of some great birds!

Behind of Drysdale railway station

Purple Swamphens at the Drysdale railway station

A beautiful Black Swan, a Eurasian Coot and some ducks opposite Drysdale railway station

Cormorants roosting in an old tree in Lake Lorne opposite the Drysdale railway station

What a great trip! I can highly recommend the steam train trip between Queenscliff and Drysdale; if you’re in the area, make sure you take the time to enjoy this old school adventure 🙂

Queenscliff sunset

Yesterday we drove to Queenscliff to spend a few days on holiday by the seaside. Yes, it’s winter. Yes, it’s freezing but it’s whale season!! I really want to see a whale! So I’m hoping that while we stay here on the coast I will somehow be in the right place at the right time and catch a glimpse. I’ve never seen a whale in the wild and it’s one of my bucket list items so here’s hoping.

We arrived in time for a late lunch and a nap for me. Yes I’m still napping but I’d been up early, been to the doctor, driven with the family down here and I was ready for some alone time and rest and relaxation.

I woke up just in time for the sunset.

I walked down to Swan Bay to take some shots over the beautiful water and was met with a fierce cold wind that goes straight to your bones! Wow it was cold! But I had fun taking sunset shots, even though my face went numb, and got a few bonus surprises. All afternoon I’d been hearing a train whistle and couldn’t work out what it was. Turns out it was a gorgeous old steam train! Tomorrow I’m going to take a ride on it; I’m pretty excited!

Here’s my evening’s work.

Stunning sunset over Swan Bay

Sunset over the wind rippled bay

Queenscliff heritage steam train from the 1920s

Queenscliff heritage steam train and the old railway station

Heritage Queenscliff steam train at the siding

Queenscliff railway station in the dusk

Dusk over Swan Bay

A flock of Silver Gulls and one lonely immature Pacific Gull

Quaint old stone waterways in Queenscliff