ATHRA Australia Awards 2023 announced

The 2023 ATHRA Awards were announced at the Australasian Heritage Railway Conference held at Puffing Billy Railway’s Lakeside Conference Centre on Friday 21 July 2023.

The ATHRA Awards recognise excellence by individuals and organisations operating in the railway and tramway tourist and heritage sector.

This is the first time the Awards have been held since 2009. Nominations opened in February 2023 and closed 31 March.

ATHRA were delighted to receive 18 nominations received across 9 Award categories (2 nominations were excluded as they didn’t meet the Award criteria):

Organisation and People awards

• Excellence Award
  • Winner:
    • Peter Winspur, Ballarat Tramway Museum Inc
  • Highly commended:
    • Tracey Harris, Vintage Rail Journeys
• Graeme Breydon Rail Safety Award
  • Winner:
    • Puffing Billy Railway, Sitting on the Sills
  • About Graeme Breydon
• Tourism Promotion Award
  • Winner:
    • Seven-O-Seven Operations Inc, Slow Railway Journeys
  • Highly commended:
    • Vintage Rail Journeys
    • Pichi Richi Railway Preservation Society
• Engagement Excellence Award
  • No award in 2023
• Training Excellence Award
  • No award in 2023

Restoration awards

• Passenger Vehicle Restoration Award
  • Winners:
    • Victorian Goldfields Railway, V&SAR Sleeping Car — Acheron
    • Vintage Rail Journeys, NSWGR Sleeping Car — NAM 2330
  • Highly commended:
    • Canberra Railway Museum, NSWGR second class sitting car — FS 2023
    • Daylesford Spa Country Railway, Brill Railmotor Trailer — 200MT
      
• Diesel / Petrol / Electric Locomotive Restoration Award
  • Winner:
    • Milang Railway Museum, Simplex Diesel Locomotive 21575
• Infrastructure Restoration Award
  • No award in 2023
• Steam Locomotive Restoration Award
  • Winners:
    • Australian Sugar Cane Railway, Orenstein and Koppel 0-4-0 steam locomotive — Germany
    • Atherton-Herberton Historic Railway Inc, Peckett steam locomotive, B/N 1069 — ‘Donald R. Walker‘
    • DownsSteam, QR C16 steam locomotive B/N 106 — The Pride of Toowoomba
    • Rail Heritage WA, WAGR steam locomotive G233 — Leschenault