Community
23 October, 2024
Iconic venue celebrates 30-year milestone
COBDEN Miniature Railway celebrated a historic 30 years over the weekend, drawing hundreds of visitors from far and wide.
Families flocked to Cob den to celebrate the milestone with the dedicated team of volunteers who had dozens of miniature steam trains running along the busy line.
On Saturday a private event was held for members of miniature railways from around Australia, with a special cake cutting from Cobden Miniature Railway founders Alan Hart and John Wiggins.
On Sunday, the gates swung open for the public to join the celebration with dozens of trains operating and $1 rides throughout the day.
South Western Model Engineers secretary Sharron Howard said there had been 1170 rides along the track taken by visitors.
“Thank you to John and Alan for coming along to celebrate with us, and for their foresight to start the railway 30 years ago,” she said.
“It was wonderful, a really good day with great crowds.
“Everyone was really happy, with anywhere from 500 to 1000 coming along on the day – including a lot of people from out of town.”
Among those who have kept the trains on the track over the years have been Cobden Miniature Railway volunteers Beryl Callaway and Gerrit Bekker, who have both been members for around as long as the track has been open.
“It’s a wonderful thing – for us, for the town and the wider area,” Mr Bekker said.
“They come from far and wide.
“Initially we mostly drew in locals, but now they just come from everywhere.”
Mrs Callaway said it was a point of pride to see how far the railway has come after starting out as a simple backyard idea between two likeminded Cobden Rotarians.
“To think this started from the vision of two men – our local police officer, at the time, Alan ‘Sarge’ Hart and John Wiggins,” she said.
“They got their heads together because John used to have miniature trains at his house, so Alan went and said ‘What are we doing? We could make something out of this.’
“It went from there, and here we are all these years later.”
Mr Bekker said the miniature railway was a feather in the cap of Cobden.
He said he was unable to think of another little country town which boasts a 1.3-kilometre miniature railway traversing scenic views and captivating the respect of likeminded enthusiasts from across the nation – and further abroad.
“We would be the only country town in Australia which has conventions,” Mr Bekker said.
“It’s always Australia wide, and even overseas – we have Americans, Canadians, New Zealanders and more coming to Cobden.
“But we do need younger members to keep it going – we’re not getting any younger.
“We’d love to see new young members to keep it going.”
The ticket prices on Sunday were capped at just $1 per ride, the same price it was when the park had first opened.
Even today, a ride only costs $3 – which Mr Bekker said was designed to ensure any family could enjoy a wonderful day without breaking the bank.
“We keep the price low so it’s affordable for the family,” he said.
“We want families to be able to come along and have a wonderful day without breaking the budget.
“Our rides are just $3 – try to get that anywhere else.
“We’re all volunteers, and the majority of the engines are privately owned.
“We get nothing out of it except the sheer enjoyment.”
Mrs Callaway said while the railway has evolved with the times over its 30 years, ensuring it remains a family-friendly experience was a lingering ethos which would remain in perpetuity.
“We aim to keep it family-friendly,” she said.
“People say you’re mad, it’s much too cheap, but if you have three or four children we want you to be able to have a great day and for the kids to go on three or four rides.
“If they go on the trains four times, that’s just $12 each child, but you may only get one ride in the city for that price.”
