Author(s): Nick Anchen

Motor Racing

Nestled deep in the hills of the Great Dividing Range, 140 km east of Melbourne, lies the romantic gold town of Walhalla. Situated in a narrow twisting valley, Walhalla is the very image of a ghost town, with cabins clinging precariously to high cliff walls, and a cascading stream tumbling past immense mullock heaps which tell of past glory days, when the town contained some of the richest gold mines in Victoria, and its population soured into the thousands. The book includes the story of Walhalla - from Stringers Creek shanty town to modern day tourist favourite; the history of the Moe to Walhalla narrow gauge railway, one of Victoria's most ambitious engineering feats, from construction right through to closure of the line in 1954, with fascinating memories from railwaymen who worked the line. A look at the various Walhalla railway preservation attempts - from the efforts of Clement Meadmore and Bill Ferris during the 1950s to the Ron Kain era of the 1960s and 1970s, and finally the great success story that is the Walhalla Goldfields Railway.
Included are a magnificent array of black & white and colour images of Walhalla and its railway, many never before seen, including the outstanding photography of William Lee, Wilf Henty, Peter Ralph and many others, and an illustrated guide to the remains of the Walhalla railway.