Panda and Billy get together for a puff!
Victorian Minister for Tourism, John Pandazopoulos, aka Panda, relived his childhood dreams yesterday by launching a new Puffing Billy Railway initiative where visitors can drive the 120-year-old steam locomotive.
Mr Pandazopoulos said the Puffing Billy Railway’s Footplate Experience allowed visitors to become a locomotive driver for a day, adding “Visitors, under the supervision of an experienced Puffing Billy Railway driver, are given the chance to learn how a 120-year-old steam locomotive operates before they take charge in the driving seat”.
He added, “The trip takes visitors on a long and winding trip through the Dandenong Ranges and is an added attraction to the already famous Puffing Billy Railway, which just last week celebrated its eight millionth passenger.”
Mr Pandazopoulos launched the Footplate Experience today by climbing aboard and taking charge of the 120-year-old locomotive, with Member for Gembrook, Tammy Lobato, saying that the Yarra Valley and Dandenong Ranges region were some of Victoria’s most significant tourism regions, adding, “The popularity of the Yarra Valley and Dandenong Ranges is evident by the increase of intrastate visitors, up 17% and total domestic overnight visitors up 8% to the region in the year ending June 2006”. He added, “International visitation to the region also grew by 1% in that period, and all visitors are sure to enjoy the unique opportunity of driving a steam train.
Mr Pandazopoulos said that The Bracks Government has provided the Yarra Valley and Dandenong Ranges region with more than $6.5 million in tourism and events funding since 1999, with Mr Pandazopoulos saying that regional Victoria was rated as the best State to tour by car and the leading State or Territory for quality regional food and wine experiences by Australians in the recent national Brand Health Survey – in 1999, Sydney held the lead in most key categories but under the Bracks Government, Victoria has hit the front.
Report by The Mole
John Alwyn-Jones
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