By Mitchell Clarke
A $20 million Puffing Billy Railway discovery centre will be open to the public by Christmas next year.
The state-of-the-art discovery centre is an all-weather facility which aims to provide unique cultural interpretations of the relationship between the Dandenong Ranges and Puffing Billy.
Set to enhance the rail experience, interactive displays and an auditorium are part of the grand plan, with a cafe, function spaces and retail options also on the agenda.
Funded by a number of sources, the state government put forward $8.2 million to the project while the federal government funded $5.5 million and Puffing Billy Railway allocated $6.3 million.
The Emerald Tourist Railway Board (ETRB) finalised and adopted the Puffing Billy Railway Masterplan in 2017, and on Monday 19 August, Cardinia Shire Council announced that over 8000 square metres of land had been sold at Emerald Lake Park to facilitate the development of the centre.
Councillor Leticia Wilmot said the project was important in boosting tourism to the region.
“It’s very important that this goes ahead now, it’s been talked about for a lot of years,” Cr Wilmot said.
“Puffing Billy is certainly one of the most important assets we have as a Shire in the form of tourism, they bring a lot of people to our Shire each and every day.
“They might not necessarily stop in Emerald along the way and spend their dollars there but they pass through Emerald and see our beautiful countryside that we have in our Shire and they may come back another day and visit and spend their money in our townships.”
Making reference to the centre’s wet weather suitability, Cr Wilmot said it’d be a good outcome for Puffing Billy having something for passengers to do on wet, horrible days.
“There’s nothing worse than going to Emerald Lake Park on a wet, rainy day and seeing lots of very soggy wet tourists running around not knowing what to do,” she said.
The Gazette spoke with the Emerald Tourist Railway Board, owner and operator of the Puffing Billy Railway who said they were excited to see the project begin.
“We welcome Cardinia Shire Council’s decision to proceed with the sale of part of Emerald Lake Park to the Emerald Tourist Railway to facilitate the development of the Lakeside Discovery Centre and we are looking forward to commencing the project in the coming weeks,” a spokesperson said.
Kane Constructions have been appointed to complete works, with early stage site preparation commencing from Monday 26 August.
Once complete, the centre will provide an additional 20+ full time jobs.
The proposed site is located adjacent to the existing Puffing Billy Lakeside station and can be accessed by rail or road, via Emerald Park Road.
