 Construction of the Geelong-Ballarat line began in 1858 and took nearly four years to complete.The project employed 3,000 men and cost approximately 1.5 million pounds.The line officially opened in 1862, with the first train running on 10 April—at a rate of 15 miles per hour—taking around four and a half hours to reach Geelong, amid various complications, including the inability to pull up a hill and the lack of firewood.