Vintage Rail Journeys: Riverina Rail Tour (Tour code: 14668)

Your Riverina adventure starts at Sydney’s Central Station. Once onboard the Aurora Australis, either choose to relax in the lounge carriage, or settle into your cabin while the train travels south from Sydney. Lunch will be served onboard the train today as you travel to Goulburn, where you will have the choice from two
off-train experiences.

Option 1: Retford Park National Trust
Built in 1887 by the Hordern family and lavishly redesigned by James Fairfax in the 1960s, Retford Park is a place of great heritage significance located in the heart of Bowral, Gundungurra Country.Be amazed by the ‘Portuguese Pink’ mansion while wandering the pristine gardens dotted with sculptures and artworks. With 60,000 artefacts, textiles, and furniture within its collection, here enjoy a guided house tour and a stroll around the stunning gardens.

Option 2: Fairground Follies
The Fairground Follies at the Antique Mechanical Music Museum features a most exciting and unique collection of fairground and mechanical music. “Where good times of the past, make great times for today”. An interactive experience featuring cultural music, folk art, a 100-year-old carousel and much more. This is an enchanting attraction, a magical place filled with music, entertainment and history of antique mechanical music. Enjoy a
guided tour and afternoon-tea.

Following your first day of touring, rejoin the train in Moss Vale and enjoy dinner onboard as you travel to Goulburn and stable for the evening.

Bowral

Start the day with breakfast onboard while travelling along the Main South Line, passing through charming villages and towns along the Canola Trail. Keep an eye out for the many grain silos lining the rail route. Upon arriving in Junee, take the opportunity to witness the Loco Runaround movement.

The first stop is the Historical Railway Museum, home to a rare 100-foot turntable and a collection of steam and diesel locomotives. The Junee Roundhouse, one of the few operational roundhouses in the Southern Hemisphere, remains a working facility for diesel locomotive maintenance.

Next, visit the Junee Licorice & Chocolate Factory, where the delightful aroma of licorice and chocolate greets you upon arrival. Learn about the production process from expert chocolatiers and see it in action.

A short drive takes you to Coolamon for a lunch experience with an artisan cheese maker, renowned for crafting innovative, handcrafted cheeses in the heart of the Riverina. Afterward, enjoy free time to explore the town before continuing to Murrami. End the day with a special stargazing experience after dinner.

Start the day with breakfast onboard before embarking on one of the following off-train experiences.

Option 1: Meet the Producers – Morella Grove Farm, Southern Cotton Gin, and Whitton Malt House
Discover Morella Grove, nestled in the lush Riverina, where sustainability meets award-winning olive oil production. The family-run farm embraces a paddock-to-plate philosophy with minimal intervention to nurture the natural environment. Next, visit Southern Cotton, an independently owned ginning facility in Whitton, renowned as one of Australia’s top gins. The tour concludes with a delightful lunch at Whitton Malt House.

Optional Upgrade: Whisky Tasting at Whitton Malt House
Savour a curated selection of fine whiskies (limited availability).

Option 2: Farm and Vines – Murray Cod Farm and Calabria Family Wines
Explore the Murray Cod Farm, dedicated to sustainable practices and premium pond-grown Murray Cod. Continue to Calabria Family Wines, where Italian heritage and hospitality shine. Experience a wine tasting, an Italian shared platter lunch, and explore the café bar, museum, and sensory wall, all showcasing the family’s rich traditions and exceptional wines.

After the day’s excursions, rejoin the train in Yenda and travel to Temora, where the evening concludes with a delectable onboard dinner as the train stables overnight. 

Begin the day with breakfast onboard before exploring Temora, with a choice of two fascinating tours.

Option 1: Bundawarrah Centre
Discover the Bundawarrah Centre, home to the Temora Rural Museum. Step back in time as you explore a hardwood slab cottage that was Sir Donald Bradman’s first home, a one-room public school, bush church, country dance hall, printery, flour mill and ambulance station. The tour also includes the Ambulance Museum, showcasing a collection of vehicles and conveyances dating back to 1897.

Option 2: Temora Aviation Museum
Alternatively, delve into aviation history at the Temora Aviation Museum, located on the site of the longest-running RAAF Elementary Flying Training School from World War II. The museum features three main exhibits: the original 10 EFTS Guardhouse, the Engineering Hangar where aircraft maintenance can be observed, and the Display Hangar, which houses exhibitions and a stunning collection of aircraft.

Coaches will return you to Temora Station, where lunch will be served in the dining carriage. The journey continues along freight-only lines via Stockinbingal, offering a unique rail experience, though potential delays are possible due to passing freight trains. The day concludes with dinner onboard as the train travels through Parkes and along the Broken Hill line to Orange Rail Yard. 

Savour breakfast onboard as the train journeys from Orange towards the majestic Great Dividing Range. Travel through Lithgow and the iconic ten tunnels that replaced the original Lithgow Zig-Zag, before crossing the Darling Causeway en route to Mount Victoria. Here, disembark for an unforgettable experience on the historic Zig Zag Railway. Established in 1869, this nostalgic steam locomotive adventure offers breathtaking sights, sounds, and scenery. Enjoy a grazing boxed lunch before exploring Leura and Katoomba at your leisure. Reboard the train for the final leg of this memorable rail journey, returning to Sydney Central Station.

Katoomba