Retired tram to find new home on the Bellarine

ONE of Victoria’s retired W-Class trams will be given a new lease of life on the Bellarine.

The state government has announced it will restore the tram, which will go to local winery Terindah Estate for visitor enjoyment.

Member for Bellarine Lisa Neville said Terindah Estate was successful with their application to give the iconic W-Class trams a new home.

“We’re proud to have found such a deserving home on the Bellarine for one of our state’s retired trams,” Ms Neville said.

“I am delighted to see these iconic trams come to the Bellarine and thank Terindah for all their hard work in putting together such a great applications.

“The tram is sure to be a hit with both locals and visitors alike and will become a focal point for our local area.”

The tram has been allocated following the Expression of Interest process run by VicTrack over recent months. The tram has been retired from network operations over the past 30 years.

As part of the expression of interest process, more than 1,500 applications were received from across Australia and overseas, with many great ideas on how to bring a tram back to life.

Applicants had to demonstrate that their tram would benefit the community, be accessible to the public or promote the state.

They were also asked to outline how they would repurpose and maintain the tram to ensure it remained in a good condition.