AS CARRUAGENS PUXADAS A CAVALO DE VICTOR HARBOR
A cidade de Victor Harbor está localizado na costa da Península Fleurieu, cerca de 80 km ao sul de Adelaide, no sul da Austrália. Victor Harbor era originalmente a casa do povo aborígenes australianos, que caçavam e se reuniram nas terras férteis, antes que os europeus descobriram que 1802. Hoje é um destino turístico popular, e uma das atividades preferidas para os visitantes aqui é pegar uma carona em o bonde puxado a cavalo sobre uma calçada de madeira de 630 metros de comprimento que liga o Granite Island nas proximidades. Esta pequena ilha é o lar de uma grande colônia de pinguins pequenos, que são uma atração popular na ilha. Estes pinguins abrigo na ilha durante a noite, saindo de manhã para caçar peixes antes de retornar ao pôr do sol.
Uma equipe de cavalos Clydesdale puxar as carruagens, fazendo um par de turnos por semana cada um, e os bondes operam em rolamentos de rolos para torná-lo agradável e fácil para eles. Fundada em 1894, os bondes puxados a cavalo transportar cerca de 180 mil passageiros por ano levando 50 passageiros por vez. O serviço de eléctrico é fornecido pelo Eléctrico Drawn Victor Harbor Cavalo, uma das poucas rotas de bonde puxado a cavalos restantes no serviço de transporte público.
Texto: Português / Inglês
Fonte: Amusing Planet
Horse Drawn Trams of Victor Harbor
The town of Victor Harbor is located on the coast of the
Fleurieu Peninsula, about 80 km south of Adelaide, in South Australia.
Victor Harbor was originally home to the Australian aboriginal people,
who hunted and gathered in the fertile lands, before the Europeans
discovered it 1802. Today it is a popular tourist destination, and one
of the favorite activities for visitors here is to hitch a ride on the
horse-drawn tram over a 630-meter long wooden causeway connecting the
nearby Granite Island. This little island is home to a large colony of
Little Penguins which are a popular attraction on the island. These
penguins shelter on the island during the night, departing in the
morning to hunt for fish before returning at sunset.
A team of
Clydesdale horses pull the carriages, doing a couple of shifts a week
each, and the trams run on roller bearings to make it nice and easy for
them. Established in 1894, the horse drawn trams carry approximately
180,000 passengers per year taking 50 passengers at a time. The tram
service is provided by the Victor Harbor Horse Drawn Tram, one of the
very few horse-drawn tram routes remaining in public transit service. 
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After South Australia was colonized in 1826, the peninsula started exporting whale oil, where the produce was exported by sea. But as navigating the Murray Mouth became difficult and dangerous for steamers, a decision was made to build a railway. Work on the railway commenced in 1851 and the line reached Victor Harbor in 1864. In 1867 this pier was extended to reach Granite Island, and the resulting link become known as "The Causeway".
For many years goods were conveyed between the mainland and the island on railway trucks drawn by horses. At that time, horses were used instead of steam engines to contain costs. As the Causeway became popular, the South Australian Railways decided to utilize one of the their unused horse-drawn passenger trams to offer a service to the island, and in 1894 the passenger horse tramway was established.
The horse tramway operated until 1954, when a dispute between the operators and the local council resulted in the Causeway being reconstructed but without rails. The service continued to operate on Granite Island itself until 1956, when the cars were disposed of. Between 1956 and 1986, a rubber tyred train provided service across the causeway.
1986 marked the 150th Jubilee of South Australia, and plans for special projects, events and celebrations were laid out. One of the projects was to reinstate the horse tramway and the bid was successful. Replica tram cars were built, tracks were relaid and service recommenced on 14 June 1986.
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