School visits to the Sydney Tramway Museum

Schools' page

Bookings: Special line 9542 3604 .. (Student introduction to trams, please click Introduction.)
(Vacation care information, please click Groups.)

Excursion Information

Schools can arrange visits to the Tramway Museum for any day of the week. Our Education Unit volunteers are delighted to attend on these occasions.

Tram rides are always part of the experience for school groups. Two rides, one in a later model, another in an earlier type take them on different lines.

An experienced teacher provides a lesson on syllabus objectives in the display hall. After a brief introduction, the children are taken to the various older Sydney trams models, most of which they can clamber aboard. It's a physically active lesson! Schools will usually ensure that these groups are about the size of a class.

A time-table is prepared allowing different groups to be engaged on different activities at the one time.

For recess and lunch, schools usually base themselves in a large “picnic shed” in a park setting where they can enjoy a brief play afterwards.
The tram rides include one into the Royal National Park and another to Sutherland. The Museum has 3.5 kilometres of track. The children experience travel in a relatively modern tram as well as one in an earlier model.

Located at Loftus, the Museum is reached in reasonable travelling time by schools south of the harbour or in in the Illawarra region. Chartered buses: most companies are familiar with our location.

Schools close to railway stations sometimes use the rail option, especially on the Eastern Suburbs-Illawarra Line where no change of train is required. Further details are shown on our location page.

D.E.T. Risk Assessment now online!

A D.E.T. approved Risk Assessment is now available for NSW Government schools planning a visit to the Museum. Details of this Risk Assessment's location on the Department’s Intranet are shown below. Non-government schools can gain information about this from the Museum.

Risk Assessment: Departmental schools can access this through the D.E.T. Intranet. (Menu prompts are: Administration and Management/Occupational Health & Safety/Excursions/External Venues. Look under S for Sydney Tramway Museum.)

Schools' booking line - 9542 3604 - business hours on weekdays.

Curriculum references: H.S.I.E.
Stage 1 – Transport, p. 47. How “new” trams in the 1880s changed peoples lives.
- The way we were, p. 67. How people travelled in Sydney before cars.
Stage 2 - Then, now and tomorrow, p. 101.
- Who Will Buy, p. 109. Ecological sustainability. Environmental benefits of public transport, relative advantages of electric vehicles such as trams and light rail.
Stage 3 - State and Federal Government, p. 123. While this unit explores the varying roles of Federal and State Governments, the development of a large integrated system of street transport in a growing city over a fifty year period serves as a fascinating case study. The Learning Sequences refer to users of public transport and state corporations.
The unit provides cross-curriculum links to Science as shown below.

Curriculum references: Science.

Stage 3 - Forms of energy, p.11, Circuits as essential for electrical currents; the use of energy system for transport. Circuits and changing forms of energy in trams are easily demonstrated. Various items of (non live) electrical equipment can be shown to Stage 3 students to assist them gain an appreciation of how electricity works for our betterment. An emphasis is placed on electrical safety and how precautions should be taken at home.

Pictured: the large "shelter shed" * and adjoining "playground" handy to toilets.
* (Actually, this building is the historic original Railway Square Railway Waiting Shed.)

Modified: 30th May, 2010. - - - - - - - - - photographs: Martin Pinches (top three) and Josh Dreves (lower).