Seven historic train trips through some of Victoria’s best scenery

HISTORIC train lines take tourists through some of Victoria’s most picturesque countryside. Jump aboard for a ride.

Puffing Billy

HISTORIC train lines take tourists through some of Victoria’s most picturesque countryside. Jump aboard for a ride.

Puffing Billy

Our most loved train, Puffing Billy has taken generations of Victorians through the Dandenong Ranges from suburban Belgrave to the intermediate stops at Menzies Creek and Emerald’s Lakeside Park to its final destination at Gembrook. The steam whistle of the century-old locomotive is synonymous with a day in the Dandenongs, as is hanging out the window waving to motorists as Billy crosses the Trestle Bridge.

Victorian Goldfields Railway steam train running from Castlemaine to Maldon

Victorian Goldfields Railway

On Wednesdays and Sundays the Victorian Goldfields Railway clatters along its broad-gauge tracks from Maldon to Castlemaine. The track is a remnant of the branch line which opened for traffic in 1884 and closed in 1976. Today it’s a popular tourist attraction linking the two historic towns and the huff and puff of the engine pulling the wooden carriages up the hills evokes memories of days gone by.

Daylesford Spa Country Railway

Every Sunday the Daylesford Spa Country Railway railmotors pull the restored heritage carriages through the scenic countryside and forests of the Central Highlands to Bullarto, Victoria’s highest railway station. The trip starts and ends at Daylesford Station which also hosts a popular Sunday market.

Children enjoy a day out on the Mornington Railway

Mornington Railway

Steam and diesel heritage broad-gauge locomotives pull the tourists on the Mornington Railway between Moorooduc and Mornington on the first three Sundays of each month. A great day out could involve alighting at Moorooduc, disembarking at Mornington and exploring the coastal town before wandering back to the station for a return journey.

A Bellarine Railway locomotive steams up at Queenscliff station for its 16km trip to Drysdale.

Bellarine Railway

The Bellarine Railway tracks along beautiful Swan Bay for part of its 16km trip between Queenscliff and Drysdale. The line was initially built in 1879 to service the strategically important Fort Queenscliff, the first line of defence for the city of Melbourne. Today the railway carries thousands of visitors each Sunday (plus other days during school holidays). Their regular Day out with Thomas and Friends events draws hundreds of Thomas the Tank Engine fans (next events Jan 2-3 and Jan 16-17). The popular Saturday night Blues Train involves a meal at Queenscliff Station and four musical acts in four different carriages as the train travels.

Yarra Valley Tourist Railway railmotor RM22 motors along the original Healesville railway line.

Yarra Valley Tourist Railway

One of the best ways to see the Yarra Valley is by train. The Yarra Valley Tourist Railway’s historic Walker RM22 Railmotor takes visitors from Healesville to Tunnel Hill, crossing the Watts River, under the Donovan’s Road overbridge and through the historic tunnel at Tarrawarra Winery before returning to Healesville. Trips depart hourly from 10am to 4pm on Sundays, public holidays and Wednesdays during school holidays.

All aboard! The South Gippsland Tourist Railway’s 1956 diesel electric locomotive is prepared at Korumburra Station.

South Gippsland Railway

The heritage brick station at Korumburra is the ideal place to embark on the South Gippsland Railway rail motor or loco hauled service to Leongatha. Trains run on Sundays, with some extra Wednesday services on selected dates during December and January. A further stretch of track from Korumburra to Nyora and Loch is under maintenance with plans to reopen in the future.

The Walhalla Goldfields Railway winds its way through rainforest and over bridges in west Gippsland.

Walhalla Goldfields Railway

It seems entirely appropriate to step on and off a historic train at the gold mining town of Walhalla. The town is seemingly untouched by time and the Walhalla Goldfields Railway gives a feeling for the hardships encountered in this remote settlement. The early stages of the railway ride are almost entirely over six large trestle bridges that criss-cross Stringers Creek Gorge and the journey then follows Stringers Creek to the Thomson River and its spectacular bridge.