Experience the heart of Australia’s food bowl, stopping at regional towns and attractions throughout the Riverina. You will also travel on rail lines which don’t have scheduled passenger services, making this a real adventure. Discover acclaimed wines, taste gorgeous fresh produce and explore spectacular natural scenery throughout the region.

Only unpack once and enjoy everything that slow rail touring provides. The itinerary is designed so that you only travel during daylight hours.

Highlights include:

• Historic Goulburn
• Coolamon Cheese Factory
• Piccolo Farm
• Emeri De Bortoli’s Private Garden
• Bundawarrah Centre
• Blue Mountains.

• Fully escorted journey
• 5 days / 4 nights aboard the newly restored, iconic 1960’s ex-Southern Aurora Sleeping Train, travelling along rail lines normally closed to the public
• 4 Breakfasts, 2 Lunches, 4 Dinners
• Unpack only once and enjoy everything that slow rail touring provides. The itinerary is designed so that we only travel during daylight hours. We don’t want you to miss any of the spectacular scenery.
• Sleep on the train in restored ex-Southern Aurora Sleeping carriages. Your private cabin converts to a day travel configuration.

The Aurora Australis will be stabled overnight for sleeping and you may elect to sleep on the train in a twinette (twin share cabin) or a roomette (single use only). Twinette cabins have bunk beds and one member of your party will need to be able to climb a ladder up to and down from the top bunk.

• By day, cabins feature lounge chairs for your comfort
• By evening, beds (double bunk or single bed) hinge down over the lounge chairs as your sleeping accommodation
• Twin cabin includes ensuite with shower, toilet, and vanity
• Single cabin includes vanity with two shared ensuite/shower at the end of the carriage
• USB adapter power outlets
• Drinking water in every cabin
• Air-conditioning
• Shelving and hanging closet
• All bedding
• 30kg per person luggage allowance

Please note prices are subject to availability at time of booking and may change without notice.

• Twin / Single - from $4,495 per person
• 05 - 09 March 2023
• 0​2 - 06 April 2023
• 2​7 - 31 August 2023
• 24 - 28 September 2023

Call our local travel team on 1300 414 198 to secure your place on these new rail journeys.

Please note these itineraries is subject to change without notice

Day 1, Sunday: Sydney - Goulburn

Your Riverina adventure starts at Sydney’s Central Station. Once on board the Aurora Australis, you can choose to sit in the lounge or dining carriages, or your private compartment while we travel along the Main South Line to Goulburn.

Lunch will be served onboard the train today as we travel to Goulburn, where you will explore the sights and historic offerings of Australia’s oldest inland city. Off-train experiences include the Goulburn Locomotive Roundhouse (Vintage Rail Journeys’ restoration base); Rocky Hill War Memorial; and the Goulburn Historic Waterworks Museum.

Dinner will be served on-board the train at Goulburn Railway Station where we will be stabled for the night.

Day 2, Monday: Coolamon - Griffith

Enjoy breakfast on board as we leave Goulburn and continue along the Main South Line. We pass many interesting villages and towns today as we travel through the Canola Trail, so keep an eye out for the many grain silos adjacent to the rail line. Today we spend time in Coolamon, stopping at the Coolamon Railway Station dated 1881. Coolamon is named after the Wiradjuri word for a vessel carrying goods, children and water, “Gullaman” and this little town offers us a warm welcome.

Flanked by the Train Station at one end of the street and the Fire Station at the other, we have developed an afternoon experience of ambling the beautifully preserved heritage main street of Coolamon. A stop at the Coolamon Cheese Factory is a must for anyone who likes cheese or is interested in the cheese making process. The Up-To-Date Store, built in 1909 plays host to a variety of museum displays and collections. A stroll through this heritage listed building will bring back memories for some and offer interesting stories for others. The Coolamon Fire Museum hosts a truly amazing private collection of fire fighting equipment, uniforms and memorabilia. Along with heritage museums and buildings, the main street contains many local shops, restaurants and cafes, making this afternoon an unforgettable experience for all.

We will return to Coolamon Railway Station where we will travel by train along the Yanco to Griffith Line. Dinner will be served on-board the train at Murrami Grain Siding, where we will be stabled for the night in the serenity of the Australian bush.

Day 3, Tuesday: Griffith - Temora

We’ll board coaches early this morning to enjoy breakfast at Piccolo Family Farm in Griffith. Peter & Luke will explain their sustainable farming practices before you enjoy breakfast in their new ‘cellar door’. 

You’ll then choose from three optional off-train experiences:

• Calabria Family Wine – Board a coach to take you to the Calabria Family Wine Cellar Door, where you will have a delightful time tasting Calabria’s fine wine, with an accompanying small cheese plate. The coach will then take you to ‘Banna Avenue’ where you can enjoy the remainder of the afternoon. 
• De Bortoli Wine and Il Campo Garden visit – Emeri De Bortoli has transformed a 14 acre plot into a beautifully landscaped memorial garden dedicated to her late husband Deen. Guests take a stroll through the garden as well as experience a wine tasting at the De Bortoli Cellar Door just across the road. The coach will then take you to ‘Banna Avenue’ where you can enjoy the remainder of the afternoon. 
• Morella Grove and Whitton Malt House – Established by the Dal Bon family, Natasha and her Dad, Frank are passionate about their produce and guests will experience a farm visit to Morella Grove. Frank will tell the story of the farm, the water efficient practices and the many processes the olives go through. You’ll then continue on to Whitton Malt House, where you will have a guided tour of the Southern Cotton Gin. You will need good mobility as there is a flight of stairs into the Gin. After your tour you can purchase lunch from the Whitton Malt House Cafe (extra cost). 

Coaches will then take you to Yenda Grain Siding to re-board the train where we will travel on the freight only Lake Cargellico Line. Dinner will be served on-board the train at Temora Grain Siding, where we will be stabled for the night.

Day 4, Wednesday: Temora - Orange

Breakfast this morning is on board the Aurora Australis before experiencing Temora. Today you can choose one of two Temora tours:

1. The coach will take you to the Bundawarrah Centre which houses the Temora Rural Museum. Spend the morning experiencing the history of the region including a cottage of hardwood slabs 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 Ambulance Museum includes ambulance vehicles and conveyances dating back to 1897 and originating from throughout Australia, including NSW, ACT and Victoria.
2. The coach will take you to the Temora Aviation Museum which was built on the site of the biggest and longest lasting RAAF Elementary Flying Training School during World War II. Spend the morning in the three main exhibit buildings, the Museum which is in the original 10 EFTS Guardhouse; the second exhibition area, located in the Engineering Hangar overlooking the aircraft which are currently in maintenance; and the Display Hangar which houses the new exhibitions area along with the aircraft.

Coaches will return you to Temora Station where lunch will be served in the Dining Carriages as we travel on freight only lines via Stockinbingal. There are many freight trains to pass on this single track line, and we are likely to experience substantial delays. Dinner will be served on-board the train as we travel through Parkes and onto the Broken Hill line to Orange Rail Yard at an unknown time (!) where we will be stabled for the night.

Day 5, Thursday: Katoomba - Sydney

Enjoy breakfast as we travel from Orange and towards the Great Dividing Range. On through Lithgow and through the 10 tunnels that replaced the Lithgow Zig-Zag, then cross the Darling Causeway on the way to Mount Victoria.

Stopping at Mount Victoria, you will depart the train and board your Blue Mountains Explorer Bus to see the vibrant Blue Mountains Villages on a guided coach tour. Walk out to the edge at Echo Point, see the majestic Three Sisters, check the waterfalls and the vibrant villages. Take a ‘Scenic World‘ ride (optional extra – tickets may be bought on the train).

Lunch is at your own arrangements in the picturesque Blue Mountains villages.

This afternoon board the train for our return to Central Station. You will have had a truly memorable Vintage Rail Journey!

Fully Escorted:

Your rail holiday will be led by a professional, trained Tour Manager, assisted by onboard crew to ensure you will enjoy a trouble free adventure.

Joining and Departing the Tour:

This Rail Tour commences and ends at Sydney Central Railway Station. Departs at 9:30am and returns at 8pm.

Fitness & Mobility:

The tour requires a reasonable level of fitness and a good level of mobility. Heritage trains are not designed to accommodate wheelchair bound or walker reliant passengers. If booking a twinette room, one member of your party will need to be able to climb a ladder up to and down from the top bunk. You will need to be able to embark and disembark trains, coaches and other methods of transportation without assistance, handle your own luggage, walk moderate distances, stand comfortably and climb steps and stairs.

Luggage:

As a guide, the space for luggage in the Twinette (twin share) cabins is 98cm length x 24cm width x 59cm height. There is also hanging space available in the cabin. In the Roomette (single) cabins, the luggage can be placed on the luggage racks above your footrest. Slim or soft luggage can be stowed under your seat. If this rail tour is part of a longer tour, you will be able to store larger items in our luggage van.

Wine and Alcoholic Drinks:

Water, soft drinks and juices are included. The bar on the Aurora Australis is licensed to sell alcoholic drinks and are an additional cost.