News Alert |

The Ballarat Tramway Museum will this Sunday unveil its Floral Tram.

To celebrate the 67th Ballarat Begonia Festival from 9-11 March, the Ballarat Tramway Museum has reimagined the floral trams that took to the rails in Ballarat in 1938 and 1939.

This nod to the past is just one of a range of initiatives shining a spotlight on sustainability at this year’s festival.

More than 120 people have spent the last eight months painting and crafting hundreds of flowers from single-use plastic bags and bottles to recreate Ballarat’s renowned floral tram.

Floral Tram Project Coordinator Pamela Waugh said the project has generated plenty of ‘buzz’ in the community.

“We were looking for a project that could engage our members and create links into the community when we found the photo of the 1939 Floral Tram in the [Ballarat Tramway] Museum’s collection,” Pamela said.

“The response has been simply overwhelming, with so many people giving their time to make flowers, and donating the materials.

“While we had a vision of how it would look, the vividness of the colours when we attached the flowers was amazing. The recycled plastics just glow on the tram.”

Now just two weeks out from this year’s festival, the Ballarat Tramway Museum is preparing to officially launch the recently decorated tram.

The Floral Tram will head out on its maiden voyage this Sunday at 2.15pm.

The Floral Tram will then be one of six trams taking passengers along Wendouree Parade throughout the thee-day Begonia Festival this March long weekend.

Ballarat Mayor Samantha McIntosh said the bold project is a perfect example of how creatives can work together to tell a unique Ballarat story, linking perfectly with the Creative City Strategy.

“The creative industries make an unrivalled contribution to the liveability of our city, and the work of volunteers to recycle and reuse plastic the way they have here just goes to show how creatives can be positioned to play an integral role in driving innovation.

“There is no doubt the Floral Tram will start many conversations and get people talking about reusing plastic in creative ways.”

“I congratulate the Ballarat tramway Museum and its volunteers who have so tastefully paid homage to an important piece of  Begonia Festival history.”

Each year, the Ballarat Tramway Museum runs a free tram service during the Ballarat Begonia Festival to transport people around the much-loved City of Ballarat event.

For more information about this year’s festival visit ballaratbegoniafestival.com.au