Explore the history of trams and the contribution they have made to the place where we live, in the most authentic tramway museum in Australia: the heritage-listed Hawthorn Tram Depot.

VicTrack is the government-owned entity that manages the rail-based property and infrastructure owned by the State of Victoria, including many of its historic rail locations as well as heritage railway and tramway equipment. VicTrack owns the depot building and the majority of the tram exhibits, with the remainder being on loan from other tramway preservation groups.

The museum owns the depot building contents, including the museum archive, photographic and memorabilia collections. Our museum shop was established and is run by museum volunteers.

This iconic building was built for the Hawthorn Tramways Trust (HTT) and opened in 1916. Located at the junction of Power Street and Wallen Road, Hawthorn, it was designed by architect Leonard Flannagan [1] in an American Romanesque style. The depot initially consisted of a three storey building which housed offices, amenities and the electrical substation that provided traction power to the tramway, together with a four road tram shed located behind. It was enlarged in 1917 with a second three road tram shed designed by architects Sydney Smith and Ogg.

For information: https://www.hawthorntramdepot.org.au/visitors.htm