Ballarat Tramway Museum
The museum is accredited under the Victorian Museum Accreditation Program. It operates along part of the original Ballarat Tramway system within the Botanical Gardens Reserve. Its aims are to conserve, display and maintain the various tramway artefacts in order to create a living reminder of Ballarat's past. The operating collection consists of 16 trams. A display and sales area are located at the depot, which also houses the museum's archives and collection. Access to the collection can be arranged during opening hours. School visits, supported by an educational program document are available by arrangement. The tram collection consists of an 1887 horse tram (No.1), an Electric Supply Co. of Victoria tramcar built in 1905, which incorporates the saloon portion of a Sydney cable tram trailer built in 1892, eleven trams operated by the State Electricity Commission, all of which commenced their lives in Melbourne between 1912 and 1918 and three Melbourne tramcars of 1930's vintage. The tramcars are presented in the various operating colour scheme. Another historic vehicle is the overhead service truck, which is built on a 1948 Bedford chassis and operated for the Sydney tranways until 1961.
Collections
16 Tramcars, 3800 other items. Prime items are the tramcars. Also associated equipment, photographs and documentation of tram operations in Ballarat 1887-1971 and of Ballarat Tramway Museum. Also small collections of photographs and some documents of Bendigo & Geelong and Melbourne tramways. Photographic and postcard collection has an excellent range of Ballarat streetscapes from 1900 to 1970.