Santa to ride the rails at Portarlington

THE Portalington Miniature Railway is gearing up for a festive family day, with Santa tipped to drop in for an afternoon of rides, picnics and fun.

The railway will host a family-friendly Christmas event this Sunday, December 21, with Santa riding the miniature trains and handing out gifts to children.

Railway secretary, Brian Coleman, said the day was one of the railway’s favourite events and always a highlight for local families.

“The kids are overwhelmed by seeing Santa on the train. He drives one of our trains from the storage containers, rides into the station and distributes gifts.

“We’re going to do that at midday and at 2pm.

“We get a great delight by seeing the kids thrilled to pieces seeing Santa on the train.”

Mr Coleman said the event offered an affordable option for families during the busy Christmas period, with the railway’s foreshore location adding to its appeal.

“Not a lot of people have the dollars to throw away for kids entertainment, but we overcome that by offering an economic, family-friendly day for them,” he said.

“A price of our ticket is normally four dollars a ride, so people find that quite cost-effective.

“Of course, the added attraction is the foreshore right beside our railway.

“We’re the only railway in Australia that has the foreshore beside us, so that’s something unique for us – we’re lucky.”

The Portarlington Miniature Railway will be open from 11am to 4pm, with regular miniature train rides operating throughout the day.

For more information, head to miniaturerailway.com.au