Thirlmere Festival of Steam 2015

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Sat 28 Feb 2015 - Sun 01 Mar 2015

Head a little out of Sydney at the end of February and you will get to enjoy an event you probably won't be likely to see anywhere inside the city, one that's all about steam trains. The venue is Thirlmere, and the event is the Festival of Steam , which happens to be New South Wales's premier steam event.

The main festival days fall on one weekend, Saturday February 28 and Sunday March 1, with Sunday being the bigger day. There will also be a ball on Saturday February 14 in the main hall of the town's railway museum, Trainworks .

On both days of the festival you can take short steam train rides to nearby towns, or trips on vintage buses. On Sunday local streets will be filled with markets and there will be carnival rides at Thirlmere Public School and amusements like an animal farm and segways. A parade will run at 1.00pm and the Music in the Park entertainment program from 9.30am to 4.00pm.

Trainworks in particular will host many activities across Saturday and Sunday, however to enjoy these ones you will have to pay an entry fee to the museum ($19.00 for adults, $11.00 for children). Here you can see all sorts of vintage machines, including the Sheffield Trike, which will be pumped along a track. Kids can ride on mini trains and enjoy craft activities, while everyone can make a wooden toy train. A photography exhibition by Tony Mott will be in the midst of its run too. Additional events running on Sunday include a live band and the child-oriented Cogs Steam Show.

Thirlmere is located an hour from Sydney and in the spirit of the festival, you may want to get to the event by train. There is of course the option of taking the normal service, which stops at nearby Tahmoor or Picton, where you will be able to get a free shuttle bus over to the event (it will run from 10.00am to 4.00pm). However, there will also be a steam train carrying guests on both Saturday and Sunday, picking up from Sydney, Revesby, Glenfield or Campbelltown ( details here ). It will arrive at the event shortly after midday.

Driving is another option; just head to Picton and follow the signs.

#escape_the_city
#family
#festivals
#free
#fun_things_to_do
#near_sydney
#nsw
#february
#march
!date 28/02/2015 -- 01/03/2015
%wnsydney