Central Victoria was honeycombed with small goldmines during the last half of the nineteenth century. As the trunk lines to Ballaarat and Bendigo were completed, a network of branch line was consructed, serving the smaller centres. The line from Castlemaine to Maldon opened in 1884 and closed in 1976. It was acquired by the Castlemaine and Maldon Railway Preservation Society, and is now marketed as the Victorian Goldfields Railway.
The initial 1 km run on re-opening in 1986 was gradually extended, reaching Muckleford in 1996; the final 8 km into Castlemaine opened in 2004. It is a nearperfect example of a Victorian branch line of the late twentieth century, with steam and diesel locomotives and a selection of typical VR rollingstock.
All sound used in this DVD was recorded on location, using professional-quality microphones. Sound on the final production is Dolby 2.0 (AC-3). Voice-overs are confined to stills and diagrams. There is no dubbed-in music. The voice-over commentary can be switched off or on as required.
This material was filmed in November 2000 and October 2006, using 3-CCD Mini-DV cameras. All footage has been digitally edited.
Approximate run time: 108 minutes.