Take a ride on a piece of history

AUSTRALIA’s oldest operating tram, the Ballarat Horse Tram No. 1, has seen many uses over nearly one hundred and forty years.

It has transported people and bikes, been a bedroom and a garden shed, and in more recent years it has been on permanent display at the Ballarat Tramway Museum.

This Sunday, the tram which dates back to 1887 will be taking passengers at Lake Wendouree, pulled by Clydesdale horses from Sandy Creek.

Peter Waugh, facilities manager at the Ballarat Tramway Museum, said the event is an exciting opportunity to experience what transport was like in the late 1800s.

“I think it’s important that we don’t forget our history,” he said.

“When you ride on the horse tram, it’s a totally different feeling to riding on one of our old trams and totally different to being on a bus.

“It takes you back to a much simpler, quieter time.”

Ballarat Horse Tram No. 1 was first purchased from South Australia in 1887 and operated with other horse trams in Ballarat until 1913, when electric trams were implemented across the city.

It was then used as a trailer behind electric trams to hold more passengers, and for workers’ bikes to be taken from one end of the line to the other.

In the 1930s, the tram was sold to a family who used it as an extra bedroom and garden shed.

“Because it was outside they put a roof over the top of it and the wheels and the metal work got sold off for scrap,” Mr Waugh said.

“It sat in their backyard until the 1980s when one of our members looked up the driveway and said ‘that looks like a horse tram.’

“We said ‘can we have it,’ and they said no because they needed to keep the mower and spades in it.

“The museum said, ‘how about we buy you a new garden shed?’ Which they were delighted with.”

Mr Waugh said it was because the owners put a roof on the tram that it still survives today, although it took seven years to be returned to working condition.

“It is very light timber,” he said.

“There are a couple of other older horse trams in existence, but they are in very fragile condition and will never come out in operation.”

The event will be on Sunday 13 April at the Ballarat Tramway Museum from 11am until 3pm.