Step back in time when you visit these two magical records of history. Loads of photographic inspiration at both venues!

Ashburton Plains Railway is located on Maronon Road on the outskirts of Tinwald at the southern end of Ashburton. It is an operating heritage railway, featuring trains and railcars from the 1870s to the 1950s. 

The former railway station from Chertsey has been restored and is set within a recreated historic village. The village also boasts a historic cottage, the former Waterton Church, an operating blacksmith shop and a splendid fire station museum. There are many other historic buildings that have been transported to the site to help recreate a feeling of days long gone. 

There is a vast historic rural section containing tractors, traction engines and vintage farm machinery from across the wider Canterbury area. Many of these exhibits are in working order and can sometimes be found in use to machine and harvest the surrounding land that is leased from the Ashburton District Council.

Ashburton Aviation Museum, nestled in the heart of Mid Canterbury, boasts one of the largest collections of aircraft in the country. The museum is located on the Ashburton Airfield. 

The walls of the museum are adorned with captivating photos, intricate models, medals and captivating memorabilia. There are aircraft of all descriptions hanging from the roof and on display throughout the large museum.

Exhibits from a “space ball” that descended from the Soviet satellite Cosmos 482 during its breakup over the South Island in 1972, to the breathtaking diorama of the RNZAF Station at Ashburton Airport during 1942-44, towards the end of WW2. There are many compelling stories of aircraft and aviators from the past.