WHAT TIME DOES THE BLUES TRAIN START AND FINISH
The Blues Train T-Bar opens at 6.30pm. The event begins at 7:00pm and concludes at 11:30pm
The Blues Train travels on 16 kilometres of fully restored track from Queenscliff to Drysdale return. As we wind our way around the picturesque Swan Bay and chug into the hills of the Bellarine Peninsula, we stop halfway to Drysdale, at the historic Suma Park homestead on Marcus Hill twice.
The Bellarine Railway is fully run by committed volunteers. Volunteer workers are the lifeblood of the Bellarine Railway. Voluntary efforts of interested persons maintain the tracks, crew the trains, restore and paint the carriages, serve refreshments, sell the tickets. Maintaining the railway is a big task, but the work can be fun and interesting, and you can learn new skills and make new friends.
No matter what qualifications the member may bring to the society, it is certain they can find work that is both rewarding and of tremendous value to the society. Even where the society already has someone performing some unique or specialised task, no offer of assistance would ever be rejected.
Visit the Bellarine Railway website for more information: www.bpr.org.au
If there are problems with the steam engine, subject to the discretion of the Bellarine Railway, we may have to use a diesel engine for the evening.
We also have to run the train with a diesel engine if its a total fire ban.
The timetable and all other details of the show remain the same. Obviously we prefer to run the steam train, but sometimes things happen that are out of our control.
Check the Dates page for all upcoming Blues Trains.
The Blues Train runs in the months between August and May.
Shows are held in the months of January, February, March, April and May. Then, August, September, October, November and December. All dates are for Saturday night shows, we also run Friday night shows in December (due to Christmas functions).
The Blues Train is also available for private and corporate at other times, such as weddings, conferences, birthdays and so on. Some people choose to book their functions on existing dates, or you can Contact Us to enquire about booking your own Blues Train for your special occasion.
The Blues Train Pty Ltd and Bellarine Peninsula Railway are businesses independent from the Queenscliff Music Festival, which is a non-profit organisation.
The Blues Train is an independent, locally run business that has been running now for 15 years.
From 1999 to 2005 the Queenscliff Music Festival incorporated a Blues Train showcase as part of their program. Over that time, thousands of festival patrons have ridden the Blues Train showcase at the QMF.
During the festival weekend, the train is run by the festival as an unlicenced family train ride as part of the festival ticket. The QMF Express is fun for all ages and music lovers and runs for the Festival weekend only. The QMF Express incorporates a diverse range of music from country to comedy.
However, many people have not experienced the full dinner-and-show that is the Blues Train. You will see four acts and experience the entire journey through the Bellarine Peninsula while listening to Australia's best blues musicians and sipping on a nice glass of vino or whatever else takes your fancy.
The Blues Train starts and ends at Queenscliff Railway Station. If you are on an evening Blues Train, you will probably want to keep on partying. Just 5 minutes walk away is the Esplanade Hotel, open until 1am. There are often live bands playing.
There is a nightclub at the Barwon Heads Hotel, about 15 km away. And Geelong also has many nightclubs and bars open until the wee hours of the morning, 30 minutes drive away.
Can it possibly get more fun? We don't think so, but we have plenty of plans for the future that involve more blues music and more good times!
We have been adding extra shows. In 2007 we added extra shows in December because of demand for our Christmas parties and April shows for 2008.
Our Train Trax volume 2 compilation CD was released mid-2007. To follow up from that, we are planning a double disk, which will include some live recordings made on the Blues Train.
We regularly offer special deals to our Blues Train members so make sure you subscribe to our website.
The Bellarine Peninsula Railway also has plans to restore some of the old rolling stock. Hopefully in the future a couple of their engines will be restored (new boilers are needed) and a new Blues Train carriage will come into service.