4 MARCH, 2026
Steam on in for open day
Noah Clancey from Steamrail’s operations department prepares to show off the Newport Railway Workshops at an open days event on the Labour Day long weekend. (Damjan Janevski). 537554_01
A small army of volunteers is busily preparing for the Newport Workshops Open Days on the Labour Day long weekend. The biennial event takes place from 7-9 March showcasing the Newport Railway Workshops, one of Melbourne’s most significant heritage-listed structures and one of only a handful of intact, operational 19th century steam-era railway workshops in the world. As an active rail depot, it is normally off-limits to the public, but thanks to heritage train operator Steamrail Victoria and the other rail preservation groups located in the historic buildings, that will change for the three day event. “Lots of people all over Victoria see our steam trains running on the main line rail network,” said Noah Clancey, who works in Steamrail’s Operations Department. “The open days event is a rare opportunity for people to see these amazing machines up close, to look inside locomotive cabs, or walk through complete trains, as well as seeing the incredible historic workshop buildings where we maintain the heritage rail fleet.”
Powerlines stay By Cade Lucas
12533599-HC07-22
The developers of the West Gate Tunnel have been accused of making excuses for not honouring a commitment to bury temporary overhead powerlines. Temporary powerlines were installed along Watson Street and The Avenue on the border of South Kingsville and Spotswood during construction of the tunnel on the proviso they would be put underground afterwards. But now, the West Gate Tunnel Project (WGTP) and its joint venture (JV) construction partners CPB John
Holland argue that putting the powerlines underground is no longer feasible. In a newsletter sent to local residents last week, WGTP and the JV provided further detail on the decision. “During West Gate Tunnel Project design and construction, CPB John Holland joint venture identified constraints that mean the overhead power lines on Watson Street and The Avenue Reserve need to remain in place – relating to the types of power lines, the high level of disruption involved in trying to remove them, and the fact that some power poles would need to remain above ground even if others might be
removed during high-impact works,” the newsletter read. It’s an explanation that doesn’t wash with Spotswood resident Martin Burns who lives with his young family on the The Avenue, just a short distance from the powerlines. “You can only really interpret it as an excuse because they haven’t provided any justification other than generic reasoning,” Mr Burns said, adding that he was more upset with them reneging on their commitment than having to live near overhead powerlines. “If council told me that I had to do
something while building and I reneged on it, they’d follow up on that,” he said, accusing Hobsons Bay council of not holding the developers to account. A Hobsons Bay spokesperson said while council had continued to advocate for the powerlines to be buried, it had no legal grounds to enforce the commitment. A spokesperson for the WGTP said new open space was being developed near the end of Watson Street for nearby residents to enjoy and the community and council were being consulted on further upgrades. The JV and the state government were contacted for comment.
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