Whiteman Park

Bub has this incredible fetish for trains. Not any train, but steam trains in particular. This fetish was stemmed from his favourite Thomas & Friends, which he faithfully watches everyday on ABC4Kids. He is also fascinated with cars, planes, and helicopters. Typical boys stuff.

When my aunt's family came to visit us from Singapore in June, we brought them to Caversham Park, and saw Whiteman Park. I have heard of Whiteman Park before, but was always under the impression that it was just the same like all the other parks. I decided to do a little research on Whiteman Park, and found that it has train rides! In fact, Whiteman Park is home to several museums, and it is like a mini village with quaint little shops selling humble treasures like posters, lollies, etc.

We arrived at the park at 11.30am, and had a hard time navigating our way to the Bennett Brook Railway, where the train rides depart from. The park has so many winding paths that you can easily get lost. Hence, we decided to look for the visitor's centre and ask for directions. By the time we found our way to the railway, it was 12.05 and the train had just choo choo-ed off. There were only three timings for the train, and it runs by the hour: 11am, 12pm and 1pm. Determined not to miss the last train, we crossed the train tracks to the museum opposite the railway, and decided to spend the 45 minutes exploring the Revolutions Transport museum.

At the entrance of the museum. Entry is by gold coin donation.

The Bennett Brook Railway just across from the museum

A beautifully restored tram

Sitting in one of the tram's coaches

Luggage storage compartment at the top

Bub on a tram for the first time

Can you imagine that the raw meat was stored with the bicycles in the past? talk about quality control...

A little play area with different types of transportation toys

Keeping an eye on the train to ensure that we don't miss it again :)

One of Australia's first cars - the Holden

Look at the petrol pumps in the olden days!

The buses used to look like this. Notice that the bus-stop stand  is similar to present day?

A train puzzle

Royal Mail

Instructions on how to pump petrol on the top right

Bub's first attempt at 'driving'

History and name behind Whiteman Park

Going back to the Bennett Brook Railway to wait for the train

Here, at last!

We were joined by students from Kalamunda Christian School~

The ride lasted about 20-25 minutes, and it took us around the park - we spotted kangaroos, ducks, and heaps of wildlife!

Paying for our ticket - we only paid $10 in total ($5 per adult) - Neil kindly gave us discounts. Normally, it's $8 per adult and $2 per toddler.

Washing our hands as we exit the Bennett Brook Railway

Soon it was bub's lunch time, so we had to go home. On our way to the carpark, we stopped at some shops. We wanted to go to the lolly shop, but it was closed that day :(

There is an outdoor water playground too, but it was closed. It's only open from (I think) end of September or October when summer commences.

Whiteman Park has lots more other activities, like The Children's Forest, Whiteman Explorer, Motor Museum of WA, etc. However, do note that not all the attractions/rides/shops are available everyday. For example, the Whiteman Explorer, only operates on Monday; and the tram on Tuesday/Friday/Weekends. We were there on a Wednesday, so we missed several rides and attractions. If you have a specific interest, it is good to plan in advance.


Whiteman Park
Lord Street
Whiteman
Tel (08) 9209 6000
http://www.whitemanpark.com.au/