Page 68 - Port Douglas Magazine 33

BALLY HOOLEY COMES

HOME TO THE STATION

CHOO CHOOS @ THE MARINA STEAMS AHEAD

The much-loved Bally Hooley steam trains that have been a With poor or non-existent roads, this network of ‘two-foot’ rail gauge
part of the Douglas Shire since 1897 are taking on a new life also became the way people moved about, with the ‘tramway’
that will share the remarkable part they have played in the extending from Mowbray Valley to North Mossman. In the year of 1900,
region’s history with a new generation of locals and visitors. 23,000 passengers were carried. 35 years later, the last passenger
They are about to become a very trendy – yet traditional – was carried on Christmas Eve.
dining experience at the Marina Station.
Sugar remained key but from 1958, it was transported by road direct
Purchased from Mossman Mill in 2002, the John Morris family have to Cairns and the population of Port dwindled then down to as low
owned and maintained the trains, as well as the tracks with a core as 100 in 1960. Over the next 20 years, Port was rediscovered by
team including a dedicated group of volunteers allowing it to operate an eclectic mix of artists, entrepreneurs and adventurers, and by the
over many years in Port Douglas between the Marina and St Crispins. 1980s it became the place to holiday for everyone from celebrities and
movie stars to US presidents.
At 93, John Morris has been keen to ensure that these historic trains
remain forever within the shire, and over the last couple of years, has
sought in vain to find a committed group to continue its operation. RECENT HISTORY

Approaches were made to several organisations, including the Tourism took off and in 1987 Mossman Mill re-laid tracks and put in
Douglas Community Sports Club and the Douglas Shire Council, but place a passenger service from Port to the mill so that visitors could
none were able to commit to the long-term future of the trains. tour a working sugar mill. Over the years the trip was reduced back
to just the 4km Port Douglas component, eventually only running on
Unable to operate over the last 18 months due to Covid, the trains Sundays supported by a team of enthusiastic staff and volunteers.
have been stored and maintained at the depot. During this time a new In 2002, with the mill in some financial difficulty, the Bally Hooley was
vision emerged, one that would ensure they remain in the Douglas bought by John Morris. Over the last 20 years, the mill’s original steam
Shire in the future. With the help of designer Sofia Goncalves, plus trains, Speedy and Bundy, have operated several days a week in the
artisan carpenters and builders Peter and Frank Goncalves, the trains season, or just Sundays in quiet periods, enthralling kids and ‘kids at
have been quietly undergoing a transformation that reflects both their heart’ as it rollicked back and forth past Mirage Country Club between
history and creates a whole new way to take a step back in time. St Crispins and the Marina.
Some of the earliest photographs of the trains in action will be on
display, dating back before 1900. By late September, steam engines Speedy and Nelson will have
completed their transformation allowing for everyone to be able to
TIMELINE OF THE TRAINS access and experience the operating controls in a safe way. Along
The trains’ history is woven throughout the Douglas Shire. Originally, with totally refurbished carriages, they will be relocated to their new
Port was established in 1877 to service the booming goldfields and home at the Marina Station, surrounded by newly created native
growing agriculture with access over the Bump Track. The thriving tropical gardens. With lead lighting windows, iron ware, tables and
township with 27 hotels and a population of 12,000 was the regional seating that will reflect a bygone era, the Douglas Shire will provide an
centre until a rail route from Cairns to Kuranda was established to entirely new historical dining experience.
service the goldfields.
Luckily, sugar boomed at the same time and with it, Mossman Mill was
established in 1897 with cane trains being used to transport from the
mill to the lighters (a type of barge), originally on the Mossman River choochoosatthemarina.com.au
and then in 1900 to Port Douglas for transport to Cairns.

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