Workshops Rail Museum

History comes alive at the Workshops Rail Museum—affectionately known as The Workshops in Ipswich, Queensland. The site from which the state’s very first train ran over 145 years ago, The Workshops celebrates its heritage with a living museum.
Opening as a rail museum in 2002, The Workshops combines hands-on exhibits with the experience of witnessing the oldest continually running railway workshop in Australia. The museum features 15 permanent exhibits, depicting subjects from the introduction of diesel trains, to the great Australian rail journeys, to a children’s interactive railway, and more. The Workshops boasts such drawcards as the largest model railway in Australia, the Vice Regal Carriage—the most expensive built in its time—and the country’s oldest working steam locomotive. 

Practical Info

The Workshops Rail Museum is located in Ipswich, itself a historic town. It’s located about a 40-minute drive from Brisbane and just over an hour by train. The museum is open from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily but is closed on Good Friday, ANZAC Day and Christmas Day. Entry costs $20 for adults and $11.50 for children up to the age of 15.