Railway House – Ballaarat Room
4.5 (162 Google reviews)
Busselton Jetty Inc. is installing an exciting new Marine Discovery Centre in Railway House.
If you are not able to access the Ballaarat Room due to works, you can still learn about the Ballaarat Engine through a new AR Experience.
A QR Code will be present at the Railway House allowing you to check out the workings of the 3D Ballaarat Engine by scanning the QR DCode with your device's camera.
You can also:
Immerse yourself in an interactive and educational glimpse into this iconic piece of machinery
View photographs of it's facinating history and the resortation efforts by the community
Listed to stories about the difficulties of setting up the timber mill in 1871
The AR Ballaarat is also downloadable from the website from any place at any time
Railway House – Ballaarat Room
The room may be closed to the public due to the new display works being completed in the room.
Open 7 days (except Christmas Day) from 9am to 5pm.
The Ballaarat Engine is attached to the Busselton Visitor Centre, located inside Railway House on the Busselton Foreshore.
Speak to a local expert
Railway House is home to two of Busselton's most visited attractions - the Busselton Visitor Centre and the historic Ballaarat Steam Engine, sharing stories of the engine's connection to Busselton, the Busselton Jetty and the timber industry.
Museum, exhibition and interpretive space by day
Built over 150 years ago, the Ballaarat Engine was the first railway steam engine manufactured in the southern hemisphere and the first locomotive to operate in Western Australia. It was name after the original spelling of the town where it was built in Ballarat, Victoria. The locomotive underwent a full restoration as part of its final move to Railway House, now housed inside the Visitor Centre as a showcase piece to the history of the timber railway and its connection to Busselton.
The Busselton Visitor Centre is housed in the original Busselton Railway Station, built in 1894 and originally located in Stanley Street. It served the community for over 90 years before being decommissioned. In 1987 the station was relocated to the public open space at the town's entrance, then moved to the Busselton Foreshore in 2016 and skillfully incorporated into the magnificent Railway House.
Railway House is one of the first stops on the Busselton Heritage Trail and nearby is the northern terminus of the Wadandi Track, a path open to walkers and cyclists following the rail alignment of the original Busselton to Flinders Bay Rail Line, stretching from Busselton via Cowaramup and Margaret River to Augusta (sections still to be completed).
