The compact Ballaarat is one of the oldest surviving steam locomotives in Australia — built in 1871 by Hudswell, Clarke & Co. of Leeds and shipped out to haul timber on the Lockeville Tramway, which then ran along the line of the present jetty. It worked for nearly fifty years before retiring to display.
The engine sits on a short stretch of track at the southern end of Queen Street, sheltered under a wooden canopy. It is small enough to photograph from any angle and has the unhurried look of a piece of frontier industrial machinery still proud of itself.