Good Morning Ararat!
Ballarat - Ararat 1875
Ararat - Portland 1877
Ararat - Serviceton 1887
Ararat - Maryborough 1890
A major regional rail centre with locomotive maintenance facilities. Ararat had a 85' turntable from the late 1930s.

Ararat 1937
The original loco depot was moved to a new location.
This had an 85' turntable with 24 roads around it. There were plans to use H class steam locomotives on The Overland services, but that never eventuated.
https://www.victorianrailways.net/signaling/completedia/ararat37.html

Ararat Locomotive Depot
Weston Langford 10 March 1958
https://www.westonlangford.com/images/photo/133456/

Ararat's unique coal stage with reinforced concrete hopper coaling tower, built in the late 1920s.
Museums Victoria Collections https://collections.museumsvictoria.com.au/items/795908 

ARARAT TURNTABLE WITH STEAM LOCO A2 CLASS 924 - Public Record Office Victoria http://wiki.prov.vic.gov.au/index.php/VPRS_12903_P1_Box_013/03#.X4Y5SfTRQS1.twitter
c. late 1930s. The large turntable length at 85' obvious.
This was the largest turntable size that VR used. Most mainline turntables were 70', branch lines 53' or 50'.

THE RAILWAY STATION ARARAT c. 1880 https://viewer.slv.vic.gov.au/?entity=IE561627 via @Library_Vic
Loco left is F 172, the other loco at the platform appears to be another F class 2-4-0. F class were built in the 1870s most Phoenix Ballarat.

Railway yards and steam train, Ararat, Vic. c. 1913 https://viewer.slv.vic.gov.au/?entity=IE1142102 via @Library_Vic
A2 874

C 17 at Ararat 1928
https://www.slv.vic.gov.au/pictoria/gid/slv-pic-aab65670
C class 2-8-0
Nos. 1 to 26 built Newport Workshops 1918-26.

A2.973 & 865 Special ex Adelaide at Ararat. Christmas traffic. 1928
https://www.slv.vic.gov.au/pictoria/gid/slv-pic-aab65603

Ararat Shunter D3 619
Weston Langford 25 January 1962
https://www.westonlangford.com/images/photo/101190/

Most of the facilities at Ararat were cut back progressively as lines West & South converted to std gauge 1990. Line to Ballarat was closed but reopened 2004. Ararat to Maryborough was reopened in 2018 after a 13 year closure.
The Overland pauses at Ararat January 2020
R Dow

Ararat main platform standard gauge.
The ' Portland dock ' platform 5 3" gauge, this is used by VLine services from and to Ballarat.
R Dow January 2020

VLine service in the dock platform. Has recently arrived from Ballarat. 2008
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ararat_railway_station#/media/File:VLine-Ararart-Station-0628.jpg

Railway Heritage Museum - Ararat
Open Friday and Sunday 1-4pm. Ararat Railway Station.
https://www.ararat.vic.gov.au/railway-heritage-museum
"The museum’s display is a reminder of the important role the railway played in shaping the region."

Film:
Last Steam and Remnants Ararat & Western Victoria August 1967

Video:
'The Overland departing from Ararat 4th January 2020'
I travelled on The Overland from Spencer Street to Ararat during a visit to Melbourne.

@threadreaderapp unroll