Trolleyology: Ballarat Tramway Museum

Join PTM staff, volunteers, members, and friends of the Museum for our Zoom series, Trolleyology! These programs feature Pennsylvania transit history topics, stories of our collection, and tales of the Trolley Era that you can experience from home. Registration is required but free of charge. Donations support our programming and are welcome and encouraged.

Ballarat Tramway Museum & Trams in Australia
Presented by Paul Nicholson

Ballarat is one of the few tram museums that operates on a section of the original system that closed in 1971 in Victoria, Australia. It and Bendigo (also in Victoria) were two “small town” systems that survived (by an electoral miracle) the general demise of tram systems throughout Australia and in the English-speaking world particularly. Paul will explain the formation of the Ballarat museum 55 years ago and how it’s evolved into what is today one of the area’s major tourist attractions. Ballarat is about one hour from Melbourne that retains what’s described as the world’s biggest tram system in 2026. Paul will also explain the general context of Australian tram systems and their general demise plus the evolution of several modern light rail systems “down under”. Australian tram and traction enthusiasts are among the world’s most travelled per head of population (currently about 27 million).

When: Wednesday, July 8, 2026 at 7 PM ET (or 9 AM on July 9, Australian Eastern Standard Time)

A Zoom link will be sent to you in a confirmation email after registration. For those who have registered by 12 PM on the day of the program, a reminder email will also be sent with an easy-to-click link to join the Zoom.

If you do not receive a confirmation email with the Zoom link, please reach out to Kristen Fredriksen at kfred@patrolley.org.

Note: This program will be recorded and shared at a later date on the Pennsylvania Trolley Museum's YouTube channel.