Riding on a Steam Train: Hotham Valley Railway

 I had such a great weekend this past weekend, and as an added bonus it was a long weekend (for WA day). It was full of friends both old and new and just some funny and silly family time with my boys, which we all were in need of. I really cherished this weekend, because I know that soon enough there is going to be a little bit more chaos thrown into the mix, and it was so nice just to really take advantage of not having a newborn just yet.

On Monday Joel convinced me to take a train ride. It really wasn't for us, it was for Ezra (maybe it was for Joel a little bit). He is a pretty big fan, like most boys his age, of trains, and it isn't that common to have the opportunity to go for a ride in a classic steam engine. His face lit up when we first spotted the train and he was desperate to get on board the carriage. He loved running up and down the carriages and looking out the windows. He was amazed when we stopped and he got to watch the train changing to the other end of the carriages. All of my lack of enthusiasm went out the window when I saw just how excited my little boy was, it makes all the effort worthwhile. 
It was a two hour round trip, mostly because the train does not move that fast, and there is a 20 minute break in between to turn around. It may have been just a tad bit long for a boy who does not like to sit still. I had a really relaxing time, just sitting and enjoying the passing nature. Joel spent most of the ride chasing a toddler up and down the train. We forked out and bought him a mini train, that was worth the $5 price tag just to have him sit in his seat and play with it for 15 minutes. He also had to take the train to bed with him that night, so, so cute! 
If you live in Perth and you have thought about heading out to check out the Hotham Valley Railway in Dwellingup, it is definitely worth the trip. If you don't want to pay the money to ride the train, you can watch it leave, or come back, which is pretty exciting for kids on its own. I also noticed they have a dinner train, for the adults of course, with a 5 course meal. Sounds rather old timey and romantic to me!