We drove 2 hours from Melbourne to the Walhalla Goldfields town in the eastern part of Victoria. Unlike the bustling atmosphere of Ballarat’s Sovereign Hill, Walhalla feels like it’s been frozen in time.
Things to do with Kids in Walhalla
Walhalla Goldfields Railway
Probably the most worthwhile experience in the town is the Walhalla Goldfields Railway. At Walhalla Station, there are three departing times: 11 am, 1 pm, and 3 pm. Alternatively, you can choose to board at Thomson Station. You can check the times and book on the official website.
The journey takes you from Walhalla to Thomson, with a 10-20 minute stop. You can take photos near the river bridge or play by the riverbank!
The town isn’t huge, and it takes just about 10 minutes to drive from the entrance at the Walhalla Goldfields Railway station to the Chinese Garden at the top of the hill.
Walhalla Road Bridge
The bridge is very close to the Thomson station, where the return journey of the steam train takes place. You can book the outbound train ticket a bit earlier and then spend some time playing by the river under the bridge before taking the return train.
The Long Tunnel Extended Mine
Besides enjoying the town’s scenery, we want to take our little one to explore The Long Tunnel Extended Mine. Once we had our helmets on, we were able to enter the mine. Our child followed the guide closely throughout the tour, and it was clear that they were quite interested. The guide even let our little one be a helper and demonstrated how the miners used to work under dim lighting. Seeing our child assisting so earnestly, it was truly adorable.
This gold mine used to be one of the largest in Australia, and the guide mentioned that the early development of Collins St in Melbourne was largely funded by the gold extracted from here. Compared to Sovereign Hill’s gold mine, Walhalla’s mine appears more authentic. The guide humorously referred to Sovereign Hill as Disneyland, which was quite interesting.
We had brought our own snacks for lunch, so we didn’t spend money in the town. Additionally, due to the school holidays, we had already booked tickets for the Puffing Billy steam train, so our little one decided not to ride the Walhalla Gold Mine train. But if you enjoy trains, you can definitely give it a try. It seems you can even drive the train yourself, which should be quite fun.
Gold Mine Admission: $25 for adults, free for children under 6 (pets are also allowed). Gold Mine Train: $30 for adults, $25 for children above 3, free for children under 3.
Visit during autumn or good weather as it can get a bit cold up in the hills and inside the mine. There are accommodations with breakfast packages in the area, as well as dinner options. We had dinner in Moe on our way back. The road up the hill can be challenging to drive, so if you’re not staying overnight, it’s safer to descend before 5 PM.
We spent nearly 4 hours exploring, but if you plan to take the train and hike, a whole day would be easily manageable. If you’re not going up the hill, you can push a stroller throughout the trip, and there’s a small playground suitable for younger kids.
Old Walhalla Post Office Museum
Admission is free and used to be the residence for postal workers. You can explore their bedrooms and kitchen, and they display various antique telegraph machines and telephones. It’s a great place to spend a little over two dollars to buy a postcard with a stamp and send it back home as a keepsake!
Ghost Tour
If you’re feeling brave, you can come for the Ghost Tour on Saturday evenings. It’s only available on Saturdays, and someone from the group visiting the mine with us today was planning to go on the Ghost Tour later in the evening – very brave!
How long should you spend here
If you’re planning to visit this town on its own, you can opt for a same-day round trip. It’s approximately a 2-hour drive from Melbourne. If you’re looking for a weekend getaway, you can explore nearby towns and then stay in a larger town like Traralgon.
The town is very small with limited dining options, and there’s no signal so it’s recommended to download offline maps in advance. We had a late lunch in Moe Town on our way back to Melbourne.