An astonishing number of people turned out to mark the 30th anniversary of the Maitland Toyota Hunter Valley Steamfest at the weekend.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Early estimates from organisers indicate that as many as 80,000 people attended the celebration of all things steam-powered on Saturday and Sunday.
It wasn’t just Hunter residents who enjoyed the weekend – organisers said some people made an international journey to Maitland for this year’s Steamfest.
Markets, locomotive displays, a show and shine, miniature train rides and model railway displays were among the many things to see and do across Maitland during the event.
Maitland City Council events coordinator Adam Franks said it was the largest Steamfest attendance in recent memory.
This year’s high attendance didn’t cement Steamfest’s place as a landmark event in the Hunter – because it had already earned that reputation over the past three decades.
But it’s a credit to all involved that, after 30 years, an event revolving around displays of machinery from a bygone era has such pulling power year after year.
That’s testament to the hard-working organisers and 100 or so volunteers who run Steamfest each year.
“The community really gets behind it,” Mr Franks said.
The Mercury expected that the attendance figure was going to be high when its photographer and reporter saw streams of people in their hundreds crossing the footbridge over the New England Highway, near Maitland Station, on Sunday morning.
Maitland Park was packed with people strolling to and from the rally ground and train station, and others who were taking a break for a picnic with family and friends.
One of the event highlights, the Great Train Race, didn’t disappoint in its spectacle.
For the first time in history, four Tiger Moth planes took to the sky to race four steam trains through Maitland.
The Garratt 6029, the largest operating locomotive in the Southern Hemisphere, rolled across the finish line in first place, to the delight of thousands of spectators.
Many people clearly have an enduring love for steam engines and the history of Hunter railways.
If the estimate of 80,000 attendees proves anywhere near close to correct, the Steamfest anniversary can’t be seen as anything other than a raging success.