Ballarat Trams from 1965.

[@leakmasters270]

Great to see the old trams. They must have been a tourist attraction back when the movie was made as there were photos being taken of the trams.

[@tressteleg1]

Obviously tram fans frequented both Ballarat and Bendigo as both were living on borrow time. In those days, I don’t think I’ll trams were too much of a tourist attraction. Certainly Ballarat Council was keen to get them confined to just the Botanical Gardens after closure.

[@chriper77]

Great footage! I don't remember if the trams were still operating when I was a kid. Interesting to see Bridge St before it was a mall. I remember I loved going into the Coles variety store in Bridge St, they seemed to have tons of exciting stuff from my perspective as a 6-7 year old lol Maybe trams would liven up that end of town if they were still running!

[@tressteleg1]

Well the trams ended in Ballarat in 1971 so you can work out how old you were then. I also thought that the Coles of old was full of interesting stuff, no resemblance to the Coles or KMart of today. They were a bit more like a $2 shop. Maybe trams would liven up Bridge St, but a return is unlikely now.

[@chriper77]

@@tressteleg1 I'm glad you remember it as well. Yes, it was nothing like the Coles of today. Thanks for that, I didn't know they were running until that late! I was probably too young to remember seeing them, but I'm sure I remember seeing the tram tracks. Do you know when they were pulled up by any chance?

[@tressteleg1]

No, I don’t know when the tracks were removed. Some may have simply been covered over. After the trams wee removed, there was little need to visit Ballarat any more apart from occasional trips to the tram museum where one of my friends now helps out in the workshop. (Typed while riding Gold Coast tram 01.)

[@chriper77]

@@tressteleg1 Oh nice! Enjoy your trip :) I wasn't aware they had trams on the Gold Coast, I haven't been up there for years Good place to be during winter lol

[@tressteleg1]

Yes, since 2018 they have run from Helensvale railway station to Southport, through the middle of Surfers then down to Broadbeach South where a fast bus goes to the GC airport.

[@RGC198]

Excellent video. Thanks for sharing. I was there in 1967 and managed to travel on both the Ballarat and Bendigo tram systems at the time.

[@tressteleg1]

👍

[@neilmitchell4588]

It would be terrific to see some extension of the small amount of track that remains. All the way around the lake for starters would add a lot to visitors and locals experience.

[@tressteleg1]

I heard once in more recent years that the council now regrets that the museum was confined within the gardens parklands, but whether their line ever gets extended will need more than a good fairy with heaps of money.

[@zzzbbbooo]

Really enjoyed this. Why is Lake Wendouree referred to on the tram as "Twin Lakes" though?

[@tressteleg1]

@@zzzbbbooo I never looked into it deeply but got the impression that Twin Lakes was some sort of Sunday activity on the water.

[@dannymiller7880]

Brilliant footage Should still run from mall up sturt St to lake !!!!!!!!

[@tressteleg1]

In the years leading up to the closure, the trams were very much obsolete, the track was in poor condition, and just about everybody wanted them off the streets. There were no thoughts at all of any tourist benefits from retaining at least some of the City track. Essentially trams were banished to the Botanical Gardens where a little bit of the system still runs as you probably know.

[@dannymiller7880]

@@tressteleg1 that mall is a ghetto these days... Start the tram from there up sturt street...old route into hamilton St around lake to old exit ,ripping st back onto sturt .. I know it would cost in the millions .. But still plenty of room on sturt St to do,,even a route on main Rd to soverign hill It would take years butTourism would pay for it ,,it would be great for Ballarat All it needs is a lot of people power alot of noise ,,and a few high up freinds in the council ,,,

[@tressteleg1]

I have not been in central Ballarat since about 1994 so I will have to take your word. I think that the cost of putting in that much track would be extremely expensive, unfortunately.

[@TheDemocrab]

@@tressteleg1 The main problem I heard was the cost of fixing up the track. A cost which is nothing compared to how much we've spent and continue to spend trying to improve the roads only to wind up with ever worsening congestion or to keep the CBD alive as people hate going there due to parking issues which have existed almost ever since the trams went...speaking as someone who lives in Ballarat now, we really should have just fixed the tracks up.

[@brucewilliams8714]

Thanks for this. The tram stop indicator was the same in Geelong, except during the war, when they were all painted over grey. This was, I assume, so that the invaders wouldn't know where to catch a tram! The twin red band is end of section. I grew up with Geelong trams, but remember the Ballarat ones well. I'd quite forgotten their bumpy ride.

[@tressteleg1]

Bruce Williams 😊👍

[@jessesands4099]

Great images of Central Ballarat in the mid 1960s so sad the Trans stopped running at least these films remain!🙂🚉🚋⛏️⚖️🥇🇦🇺

[@tressteleg1]

Jesse Sands 😊👍

[@lewisstephens56]

Great Film. Would be 1966 as there are HR Holdens and a VC Valiant, none released until 1966.

[@tressteleg1]

Thanks. The video is titled “...From 1965...” and that is most definitely when the first scenes were taken. Other scenes were taken in following years, and the scenes have been put together in geographical order, not chronological order.

[@peterwhelan6144]

Yes I spotted the Valiant also

[@1040melbtram]

Lovely stuff Richard. The road to Sebastopol has changed a little since then. Quite a few photographers around as well.

[@tressteleg1]

Thanks for your kind words. From satellite maps the road through Sebastopol looks much more like a busy highway these days. Bendigo and Adelaide will follow one day.

[@jessesands4099]

Young people would have no idea that Trams once ran in Ballarat!😒🚉🚋🏙️⛏️⚖️🇦🇺

[@christopherlovelock9104]

Another of your lovely 'snippets' of the past. Considering they were at the twilight of their operating life they all look from your film to be in very good order (at least paint-wise). I must say the level crossing method looked unusual in that the 'main line' tracks did not appear to have a gap in them. As the wheels seemed to have cut their own shallow groove, especially the first inside view one could "feel" the 'lurch' in the film as the tram crossed them. Mind you trams, light rail, - (call it what you like) - crossing railways by that method isn't very common anyhow, especially nowadays.

[@tressteleg1]

I’m pleased you liked it. The threat of closure had been hanging over Ballarat and Bendigo for many years so with a closure date undecided, staff just carried on as though nothing was going to go wrong and consequently the trams were kept looking good as nobody knew how long they would have to last. The rail crossing, as you may have guessed did interest me. My observations at the time were that grooves for the tram flanges had been cut into the railway rails and a path for the trams was made of short sections of rail dropped between the railway rails to sort of form a pathway across. To me, it looked like the four wheelers simply Tippy toed across the railway rails. Improvised crossings like that would not be tolerated now, but at least the Ballarat one did work.

[@christopherlovelock9104]

Thank-you for that very interesting reply.

[@TheDemocrab]

@@tressteleg1 There's actually still an old tram square still existing in Ballarat, albeit on the sidewalk on Sturt Streets median near Armstrong St, across the road from the Westpac bank. It's the tram square from the former route that ran to the Phoenix Foundry which was where Central Square is now, apparently they never got rid of the train rails inside the tram rails and when the tramways were ripped up that section was kept for heritages sake.

[@tressteleg1]

Thanks. I will check it out.

[@gregscally5119]

The captions refer to Main Street a number of times. This is incorrect. The correct name is Main Road.

[@tressteleg1]

😊

[@jessesands4099]

Have you go have a look at the Ballarat Tramways Museum when they reopen hopefully not in the too distant future! 🤔🚉🚋⛏️⚖️🇦🇺

[@tressteleg1]

Jesse Sands I was there on a Wednesday end of February. I have been friends with one of the workers since the 1960s 😊 Get back there as soon as they open!