Peterborough: Railway Heritage and Museums

Peterborough combines railway history with museums, art and a historic city walk. Those looking for a hotel for a stay here can explore the place from different perspectives: from technical features of the railway system to exhibitions about life in the city.

Railway Heritage in Peterborough

The former railway depot and its workshops now house the Steamtown Heritage Rail Centre, a museum of industrial history. Its technical highlights include Australia’s only operational three-rail turntable. The site therefore showcases both the use of the former railway facilities and a distinctive piece of engineering.

The one-hour Sound and Light Show explores the railway history of Australia and Peterborough. Booking is required for the show; special conditions apply during the off-season from November to March. Check in advance for dates and the conditions that apply during this period.

City History in Museums and Buildings

The Town Carriage Museum presents the city’s past, present and future in a first-class sleeping car from 1916. Through 18 selected artefacts, it tells the story of Peterborough’s cultural diversity and life after the railway. Outside the museum stands Bob the Railway Dog, a bronze sculpture by artist Silvio Apponyi.

A Y-Class steam locomotive stands in the centre of Peterborough beside the rotunda; visitors can climb aboard. The Town Hall adds to the historic buildings in the town: it is heritage-listed and was completed in 1927.

The Peterborough History Group’s printing museum is an original, preserved working museum that has been in existence since the 1880s. The Peterborough Printing Office, in turn, is a historic house where the building and its contents are closely connected. Its thousands of objects include printing presses, type blocks and workbenches. Visitors can thus experience both the working museum and an extensive collection of historic printing equipment.

At the Steamtown Heritage Rail Centre, the Radium Hill Heritage Museum traces the history of Australia’s first uranium mine: from its establishment in 1906 through its period of operation until 1961 and the remains left behind afterward. This broadens the perspective on Peterborough’s railway heritage to include the history of mining.

Art and Hands-on Insights

The papier-mâché and wire art gallery in the Railway Goods Shed displays life-size sculptures of people, animals and imaginary characters. The works are made from wire, paper and glue. Gallery members also demonstrate how sculptures are made from paper, glue and chicken wire. Alongside the finished figures, the materials and the craftwork are also in focus.

Walks and Surroundings

For a city walk, the approximately 1.6-kilometre Peterborough Heritage Walk follows Main Street, Jervois Street and Kitchener Street. Information panels explain the historical significance of each stop. The Heritage Rail Trail offers a different scale: a 400-kilometre relic of the steam age, it runs through Peterborough and follows the remains of the railway line from Broken Hill to Port Pirie. The walk through the streets and the long historic railway route offer two different ways to explore Peterborough’s history.

A Heritage Rail Trail brochure includes a historical timeline of the route’s development and a scavenger hunt to do along the way. Before travelling, check the route conditions and whether the brochure is available.

Near Peterborough, the ten-hectare Greg Duggan Nature Reserve is located on Tank Hill. It is home to rare native South Australian plants; an elevated viewing platform offers views of Peterborough. The plant life and access conditions may change. Check the latest information before visiting.

For the main travel overview: District Council of Peterborough.