Victorian Railway Adventure

We’ll depart Melbourne this morning, travelling by regional express train to the quaint goldfield town of Castlemaine. On arrival we’ll store our luggage at the railway station, before embarking on a steam-hauled tour on the Victorian Goldfields Railway along the old branch line. 

Once on board, you’ll return to the Golden Age of railways and enjoy “Ales On Rails”, the Ultimate Beer, Food and Railway Experience, whilst travelling in first class 1920’s era club and parlour carriages. As your heritage steam train chugs along the countryside from Castlemaine to Maldon, take in the sights and smells of this magnificent bush setting, and sharpen your senses with beer tastings from the central Victorian region’s finest craft brewers. Starting with an easy drinking wheat beer you’ll get to sample a tapestry of specialty beers culminating in a rich chocolate porter. Tasting notes will be provided and light snacks will be served. For those who are not beer enthusiasts; local wines, ciders and soft drinks will be included as an alternative.

We’ll disembark in Maldon, an iconic gold rush town awarded the ‘most intact townscape’ by the National Trust, for a convivial lunch at the Kangaroo Hotel. There’ll be time to wander past old weatherboard homes, solid stone buildings and decorative shop fronts in this lovingly preserved gold mining town, before reboarding our train and doing it all again with different beers on the return journey.

On arrival back in Castlemaine, we’ll pay a visit Buda House, a classic, beautifully preserved Victoria Goldfields Villa set on 8 acres of tranquil gardens, followed by an early dinner at the popular Railway Hotel before continuing by private coach to Bendigo later in the evening to check into our hotel, our home for the next three nights. 

Overnight: Shamrock Hotel, Bendigo (B, L, D)

We’ll depart Bendigo this morning, travelling by regional train to Echuca. Watch the landscape whip past your window as we pass Huntly, Goornong and Elmore.

Once in Echuca, we’ll board our Paddlesteamer and enjoy a light lunch while the steamer rolls down the Murray River from the historic Port of Echuca and back again. Back on shore, we’ll learn about the Port of Echuca’s colourful history with a guided town tour, before boarding our coach back to Bendigo, travelling along Victoria’s Silo Art Trail with stops in the towns of Rochester and  Colbinabbin to marvel at some of the magnificent art works. 

There’ll be a bit of time to relax before regrouping to head off for dinner at a local restaurant.

Overnight: Shamrock Hotel, Bendigo (B, L, D)

This morning we delve into the intriguing history and unique character of the city of Bendigo, an iconic gold rush town. Starting with a very special town tour on a vintage tram, showcasing the main sights and attractions of Bendigo, we’ll finish up at the Central Deborah Gold Mine where we’ll enjoy a surface tour – if you’re interested, there’ll be the opportunity to don a hard-hat, grab a miners’ lamp and descend 61m to walk in the footsteps of past miners.  

The rest of the afternoon is free to explore the city at leisure, with your Talking Tram ticket allowing you to hop on and hop off at will. Places of interest you may wish to explore include Lake Weeroona and the stunning Bendigo Art Gallery.

Your evening is free to enjoy the many dining options around the city.

Overnight: Shamrock Hotel, Bendigo (B)

It’s a lazy start today, with some free time after checking out of our hotel to continue exploring Bendigo at your own pace, before boarding our private coach for the journey to Maryborough. On arrival, we’ll spend some time in the town centre for lunch at leisure, before heading to one of Australia’s grandest regional Victorian era buildings, the Maryborough Railway Station, which Mark Twain famously referred to as “A Railway Station with a town attached”. After a privately guided tour of this historic station, we’ll leave our luggage to travel with the coach and  board the local V-Line train for a short cross-country run to the fair city of Ballarat, our base for the next two nights. 

Upon arrival in Ballarat, our coach and luggage will be waiting to transfer us to our gold rush era grand hotel, located on historic Lydiard Street in the heart of Ballarat .  After some time to freshen up and relax, we’ll head out to a local bistro for dinner.

Overnight:  Craig’s Royal Hotel, Ballarat (B, D)

This morning after breakfast, we’ll board our coach and travel to Daylesford, a little town in the foothills of the Great Dividing Range. Here we’ll take a privately chartered DERM railcar for the scenic round trip journey to Bullarto and back, taking some time to enjoy lunch at leisure in this gorgeous town before heading back to Ballarat.

Back in Ballarat we’ll go directly to the Eureka Centre, a museum dedicated to the social history of the colonial days on the goldfields, and home to the Eureka flag. After a visit here, we’ll continue to Sovereign Hill, the award-winning living museum presenting the story of Ballarat as a gold rush boomtown for a truly immersive experience. Gold was discovered here in 1851, triggering the greatest alluvial gold rush the world has ever known. This magnificent ‘town’ showcases rare trades, working machinery, exhibits, and costumed interpreters.

The remainder of the afternoon is at leisure to explore more of Ballarat. In the evening we’ll regroup for dinner in the hotel restaurant.

Overnight: Craig’s Royal Hotel, Ballarat (B, D)

This morning after breakfast and check out, we’ll visit the Ballarat Tramway Museum for a look at their impressive collection of vintage trams, some of which are over 100 years old. Once the city’s main form of public transport, the museum showcases a bygone era of transport that existed on Ballarat’s streets from 1887 to 1971. A special treat will be a privately chartered run on the quaint Ballarat 4-wheel tram!   Back in town we’ll have some free time to enjoy lunch at leisure before a quick look at the excellent regional gallery and botanical gardens.

In the afternoon we’ll travel by coach to Halls Gap via Dunkeld through the southern part of the Grampians on what is considered to be one of Australia’s most scenic road journeys. Upon arrival in Halls Gap, it’s straight to our hotel to settle in. Dinner tonight is hosted at a charming local pub just a short walk away.

Overnight: Country Plaza, Halls Gap (B, D)

This morning we’ll take some time to ‘smell the roses’ in this dramatic Aussie bush setting with a special coach trip deep into the heart of the spectacular Grampians National Park. Known for its rugged sandstone mountains, dramatic cliffs and plummeting waterfalls, you’ll see why it deserves its reputation as one of Victoria’s (and Australia’s) greatest natural wonders. 

Upon our return to Halls Gap, we’ll enjoy lunch at a local restaurant before heading to a historic winery for an underground cellar tour and tasting.  With full tummies, it’s on to the Ararat railway station to board the V/Line train to Melbourne. On arrival we’ll take a short stroll to our hotel and enjoy the rest of the evening at leisure. 

Overnight: The Savoy Hotel on Little Collins, Melbourne (B, L)

After breakfast this morning, we’ll head back to Southern Cross Station and jump on a metro train to Belgrave, the departure point for the legendary Puffing Billy, Australia’s most popular heritage railway situated in the foothills of the Dandenong Ranges. Originally built in the early 1900’s as a low-cost 2’6” gauge line to service the local communities and timber industry, a staged closure of the line began in the 1950’s.  However, like so many great stories of heritage rail, it was saved by a group of dedicated volunteers and rail fans who worked to restore the line and the rolling stock. Since the 1960’s it has been one of Victoria’s most popular tourist attractions.  We’ll get to experience a very special steam-hauled trip along the length of the character-filled narrow-gauge line, and have the chance to have a look around the new Lakeside Visitor Centre and enjoy some lunch at the cafe. 

We’ll return to Melbourne in the late afternoon for an evening at leisure.

Overnight: The Savoy Hotel on Little Collins, Melbourne (B,L)

This morning, after a gentle start to the day, we’ll walk down to Docklands to catch a ferry to Queenscliff and a transfer to Drysdale for a very special date with the Q Train, Australia’s premier rail restaurant, and the perfect venue for our last meal together as travelling companions. This award-winning rolling restaurant travels along the historic Bellarine Railway between Drysdale and Queenscliff in brilliantly restored carriages that originally formed part of the Queensland Railways Sunlander train. The rural and coastal scenery rolls by while you dine on fresh local produce – a fitting finale to our journey across Victoria. 

We’ll return to Melbourne later in the afternoon for an evening at leisure on your last night in this dynamic city.  

Overnight: The Savoy Hotel on Little Collins, Melbourne (B, L)

Your tour concludes after breakfast in the hotel.