General News
19 May, 2026
Local author releases book
Local author Greg Gardiner’s TRAM is a combination of history, memoir and imagina-tion, detailing the beginnings of Melbourne’s trams in the 1880s, up until today.
The former tram driver, then head of research at the Victorian Parliamentary Library, to now a member of Talbot Writers Group, describes the book as a ‘love letter to Melbourne’, that unintentionally came about when he embarked on research deep into the early history of Melbourne’s trams.
“I didn’t set out to write a work of creative non-fiction. Initially, I was interested in researching Mel-bourne’s tramway history. I had been a tram driver in the 1970s, so I knew our system had a long history, but not how it started, who were its key figures and how it developed,” Mr Gardiner said.
“But as the project got going, it broadened out. I was travelling on the system, reading, remembering childhood journeys with my mother, and talking to people about trams and their stories. Gradually the form it now has took shape, and it was actually my daughter, a historian, who told me I’d created a work of creative non-fiction.”
The story follows a variety of tram travellers from different walks of life on various routes while the narrator recalls his own childhood journey with his mother.
As a result of his research, Mr Gardiner said all of the book’s characters are based on his findings, in addition to real people he has met throughout his career.
“They are similar, different and actually the same, and represented faithfully and factually,” he said.
“But the book has a whole cast of other characters; stories from former trammies, friends, people en-countered across the project, including on trams, and of course my mother.
“There’s also some imaginative work too, which is also where the creative non-fiction comes in, where the narrator delves into the past, taking rides on cable trams, and W class trams. These are all faithful to the history of trams.”
Mr Gardiner said Melbourne’s unique tram network is a result of its longevity, continuing beyond most others in Victoria.
“Our tramways had a magnificent start with highly talented people building, developing and maintaining it. So many other systems in Australia and around the world were closed, against all reason, in the 1960s and 70s, including the regional tramways in Geelong, Ballarat and Bendigo,” he said.
“We kept our’s because people fought to keep it, and thankfully, following some missteps along the way, it has stayed modern and relevant.
“So now, it is the largest, most integrated system in the world.”
Designed for people with a shared love of trams, the book explores how they have threaded their way through Melbourne’s history, and how central they have been to its development.
TRAM also recognises Mel-bourne’s Indigenous history, and how the system traverses the traditional lands of First Nations’ peoples, the Wurundjeri-Woi-wurrung and the Bunurong with many of today’s tram tracks following the contours of the original Indigenous tracks.
“My favourite route at the moment is the number 19 to Coburg. The first cable tram to run up Sydney Road was in 1887, so it’s a route with a long history. I love the theatre that is 19th century Sydney Road, the wide expanse of Princes Park, the footy ground, the Queen Vic market, Elizabeth Street and the terminus at Flinders Street with its iconic clock tower,” Mr Gardiner said.
“There was always interesting folk on this tram, day and night, the trams can be noisy but they get you there.
“There are 500 trams in Melbourne and nearly five million cars, with the rate of car growth outstripping the rate of population growth. If the city wants to avoid a congestion trap and retain its title of most ‘liveable’ city it needs to invest in more and better public transport.”
For those keen to learn more about Melbourne’s iconic tram system, they can hear more at Mr Gardiner’s author talk at Maryborough Library on Wednesday, May 20 from 2.30 to 3.30 pm.
The event is free, with food provided. Bookings are not required.