- Minister for Public Transport
Beulah residents will travel for free on V/Line coaches to help them access other towns after a fire destroyed the Beulah General Store.
Passengers starting or finishing their journey in Beulah are eligible for free travel, including passengers travelling on connecting trains between either Ballarat or Ararat and Melbourne.
The free travel will provide an important opportunity for people to get supplies from local towns or get away for a few days to visit family and friends further afield.
The general store doubled as the local V/Line ticket agent and V/Line has worked to set up the local post office to make bookings and issue tickets.
Passengers can go to the Beulah Post Office at 77 Phillips Street between 9:00am and 5:00pm weekdays to book their free tickets prior to travelling. Free tickets are not able to be booked online or over the phone.
To acknowledge the extra work that goes into booking tickets, V/Line will reimburse the post office the full amount that each ticket would cost.
The free travel will be in place from now until at least Sunday 1 September.
Due to the fire, the coach stop in Beulah has moved to the other side of Phillips Street, across the road from the site of the general store.
Coaches towards Warracknabeal, Ararat and Ballarat depart Beulah at 7:44am Sunday to Friday and return into Beulah at 6:00pm Sunday to Friday, with an additional coach arriving at 11:00pm on Fridays. Evening coaches also continue to Hopetoun and Ouyen.
To plan their journey, passengers can visit the V/Line website vline.com.au.
As stated by Minister for Public Transport Melissa Horne
"This store was the lifeblood of the town and the fire is devastating for the community - we hope that providing free travel goes a little way towards helping locals get around."
"The post office has been a wonderful support for the community during this difficult period and I would like thank them for their willingness to help out."
As noted by Member for Northern Victoria Mark Gepp
"This is a small gesture that will help local residents get around - we're working with community leaders on more permanent solutions to help the community get back on its feet."
