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Venison is the meat from which animal?
Once upon a time
When Graham Russell was four years old, his grandfather gave him a model railway – it become one of his most beloved toys, in fact, he still has it and it still works. Little did four year old Graham know, that a cherished childhood memory, when combined with the creativity of an art teacher and a vivid imagination steeped in fantasy, would spawn a unique tourism attraction that saw visitors from around the world converge on the Penola Fantasy Rail.
All good things must come to an end, though, and for Graham and partner Rose Zemlany, more than a decade of sharing their fantasy kingdom, named Penolaraya, with a steady stream of visitors of all ages, wound up when they sold the Penola property, dismantling the displays at the end of last year but preserving the memories.
A new chapter ensued for the duo but the colour and detail of their passion project will live on as one of the Limestone’ Coast’s most eclectic and loved tourism attractions – its evolution a story they were always happy to share..
“For me, this was a hobby, not a business,” Graham said. After 37 years as an art and design teacher, the model railway and all its resident characters eventually took up all of Graham’s time. “It’s a bit like the Sydney Harbour Bridge,” Graham said. “You start at one end to keep it all maintained and by the time you get to the other end, it’s time to start again.” Rose, who ran the adjoining tea rooms, concurred, given she was the chief gardener and cleaner for the facility.
From the lifesize Dracula and Merlin at the entrance to the fantasy railway land – two popular spots for selfies – visitors were swept away in a world filled with an eclectic mix of storybook and movie characters. Merlin was the character that kickstarted the project for Graham, while Count Dracula also had a prominent sector in the railway land. There was also a rock ‘n’ roll, cartoon character and super heroes sectors.
“Basically everything that I loved ended up as part of Penolaraya,” Graham said.
The Penola Fantasy Rail not only attracted die hard model railway enthusiasts but also hard core collectors, with the display featuring some amazing pieces. It was almost two decades ago that the idea for this unique tourism attraction was born and Graham had been painting, sculpting and constructing the rich fantasy world ever since, officially opening its doors in December 2009.
“When we started construction, we were also spending as much time as possible going around to collectable shops and buying up anything we thought would work,” Graham said. “There’s a lot of limited edition items and many items you just couldn’t source anymore.”
Just walking around the fantasy rail land was an experience not to be missed but when you add it to the flair for the dramatic from Graham, as host, as he led visitors through the display and it was hard not to be caught up in each of the worlds on display. “It truly was an attraction for all ages,” Graham said. “From infants right through to our oldest visitor ever – she was 102 years old.” From families on holidays, to the region’s schools, from aged care facility outings, to the raft of overseas visitors with a penchant for model railway or collectibles, it was one of those rare tourism destinations that really did have something for everyone.
“We had a lot of repeat visitors,” Graham said. “We had some families that visited five or six times over the years.” From the indoor display to the equally rich world outside, it was a display where you would never see or notice every intricate detail on just one visit.
The list of characters that called the Penola Fantasy Rail home was extensive and included the Old Woman Who Lives in A Show, Darth Vader, mermaids, the Flintstones, ET, Spiderman, Barbie and the Munsters. There was even a detective sheet for visitors to fill out, testing them to name all characters in different sectors and turn their observation skills to the intricate displays. “In all the time we’ve been open no one was able to name all the characters at Dracula’s cocktail party display,” Graham said. “Two guys both missed only one but no one named them all. And only three guys were able to name all the rock ‘n’roll characters – you have to have a good knowledge of a wide range of musical genres to be able to do that.”
The world Graham created for his railway boasted magic elevators, an Upside Down Kingdom and even a Thomas the Tank Engine Cupcake Shop. And when he guided visitors through the displays, aside from his infectious stories about each sector, he also told visitors about how the display really comes to life at 1.30am every morning as the characters help with such chores as painting.
“The amount of detail kept people enthralled,” Graham said. The average stay was an hour and a half, but it was not unusual for people to stay up to three hours. “I liked to call it living art,” Graham said. “Everyone walked out of here with a smile on their face and that is really gratifying.”
