A relatively early start this morning Skypeing our parents was then followed by a tram and an hours modern train ride out to a little town just outside Melbourne called Belgrave. The railway line used to continue further until closed by a landslip in 1958. At this point local volunteers rallied together and managed, over a period of years, to reopen the line as a preserved railway called The Puffing Billy (which we very quickly renamed The Windy William).

So, we boarded the train and, like good poms sat down on our seats ready to go. Very quickly, however, the conductor came along and told us off as the Aussie way (on the Puffing Billy at least) is to get up, sit on the open-sided window cill and dangle your legs out of the side of the carriage!

Off we went and proceeded to chug along at a leisurely pace through the beautiful Dandenong Ranges – gorgeous forests and beautiful views. At one point, we went over a 140 year old wooden trestle bridge – with our legs hanging in mid-air! Today, over 900 volunteers contribute to the running of the railway one of whom, Joan, was in our carriage and gave us a really informative talk about the  area that we went through.

William made friends with two other little children on the train and had great discussions with the little boy about Mike the Knight! After an hour on the train, we had a short break next to a beautiful lake before returning to Belgrave and then back into the city.

The rest of the day we spent poodling around the Melbourne Lanes, a little bit more time at the Children’s Garden and then a nice meal.

Melbourne has been a city that is a bit of a grower – initially we were a little bit disappointed – probably after having landed from the warm, sunny and pristine West Coast, Melbourne felt a bit more gritty without any major sights to see. However, over the couple of days we’ve been here we’ve come to really like it – the overall feel is one of a very vibrant and trendy city.