Corner Country Explorer
23 June 2026
21 July 2026
18 August 2026
1 September 2026
22 September 2026

Before moving to her new home in northern NSW with her fellow tour leader husband Duncan, Barbara lived and worked in the Blue Mountains for numerous years and has a solid background in travel, tourism and hospitality. Her career began…

Duncan grew up in South Australia, and in 1977 made the leap from studying Road Design to Theatre at the University of Queensland. He first met Scott McGregor, the founder of Railway Adventures, in 1982 when they co-starred in a…
This great little fully-escorted 6-day private train adventure to the quirky and fun annual Dolly Parton Festival takes you to some well known places and some destinations rarely visited by passenger train. Commencing at Sydney’s grand Central Station, you’ll enjoy a speedy journey on the local XPT service to Orange where you’ll meet our privately-chartered 1960s rail motor 631/731. This nifty little train has windows that open and even a lounge and bar area to relax in while you take in the passing sights. Visiting the larger centres of Parkes, Dubbo and Orange, you’ll also visit smaller, quirkier towns like Nyngan, Cobar, Nevertire and Trangie - rarely visited by tourists, let alone in a private train! Includes VIP tickets with dedicated seating area to the Dolly Parton Festival.
The fun begins early this morning at Sydney’s Central Station when we meet on the Grand Concourse. After check-in, we’ll board our own private carriage on the NSW TrainLink XPT, where we’ll have a tab set up in the Buffet Car for whatever you might like from the breakfast and refreshment offerings, before settling in for the scenic journey over the Blue Mountains and across the central tablelands to Orange. Upon arrival, we’ll store our luggage at the station and head across the road to enjoy a hearty pub lunch and some free time to wander the town before meeting back at the station to board our private heritage train, the 1961 built heritage rail motor 631/731, operated by the Lachlan Valley Railway.
The journey from Orange down to Parkes delivers some lovely views and easy running for our engines through Molong and Manildra, along the line that would end in Perth if you kept going. However for us, Parkes, just a couple of hours away, is an ideal stop to overnight and celebrate the first day of our short musical adventure.
After transferring to the hotel and checking in, there’ll be a bit of downtime before we head out to a local venue for a private dinner and a private show by Donna Campbell, last year’s festival headline act.
Overnight: Henry Parkes Motor Inn, Parkes (B, L, D)
This morning after breakfast and checking out, we’ll return to the station and reboard our private train, travelling through Narromine and Nyngan to the end of the line at Cobar and the heritage listed Cobar Railway Station, a bit over 350 kms away.
This great railway journey unfolds over a number of legs, the first of which takes us past the vast new rail hub and junction of the massive Inland Rail project just west of Parkes. We then continue along the newly built section of the Inland Rail from Goobang Junction to Narromine, to join the original Great Western Railway that once upon a time would’ve taken you all the way to Bourke. After passing Trangie and Nevertire, we’ll stop at the junction town of Nyngan for a pub lunch and visit the museum at the station. The last leg takes us onto the freight-only Cobar branch line all the way to Cobar, the end of the line.
Known affectionately as ‘The Copper City’, Cobar is a fascinating town rich in mining heritage and natural attractions. In the late 1800s, the Great Cobar Copper Mine was Australia’s leading producer of copper, with more than 2,000 workers operating the huge smelters and its 64-metre chimney stack. Today, remains of the smelter foundations are visible and several fine heritage buildings from the late 1880s/early 1900s settlement are still in existence, including the Great Western Hotel (which claims to have the longest pub veranda in New South Wales), the Post Office, the Court House and Court House Hotel, as well as the Cobar Heritage and Visitor Information Centre, located in the former Mines Office. We’ll visit all these significant sites during our time here.
Upon arrival in Cobar, we’ll transfer directly to our hotel and check in before embarking on a special sunset excursion to the unique Cobar Sound Chapel, lovingly referred to as ‘the singing silo’. Opened in 2022, it’s a permanent multi-disciplinary artwork created by composer and sound artist Georges Lentz in collaboration with architect Glenn Murcutt. Created inside a ten-metre-tall disused water tank from 1901, and consisting of a five-metre concrete cube with an oculus in its ceiling and speakers embedded in the walls, it’s the permanent home of Lentz’s digital 24-hour surround-sound ‘String Quartet’, a composition inspired by the outback landscape and its starry night skies. Other artistic influences include an aboriginal dot painting, the art and poetry of William Blake, blue corner windows created by Cobar Indigenous artist Sharron Ohlsen, and the local graffiti on the water tank exterior.
We’ll return to town for dinner at a local pub.
Overnight: Cobar Central Motor Inn , Cobar (B, L, D)
After checking out and breakfast at a local cafe, we’ll embark on a tour of this interesting town, starting at the Cobar Heritage Centre for a wander through the museum to understand Cobar’s history from the time of the local Aboriginal people to the mining and agricultural era. We’ll then head up to the Fort Bourke lookout to view the vast open cut mine and the town beyond.
After having a drive past the significant heritage buildings in town, we’ll reunite with our private train at the station for the journey back down the line, stopping at the Nevertire pub for lunch – it’s an ‘occasion’ for the locals when we pull up, disembark via stairs, and walk across the road to the pub!
Back on board we’ll roll on through Narromine to Dubbo, our home for the next two nights. After checking into our comfortable accommodation and taking some time to freshen up, we’ll head out to the National Trust property of Dundullimal Homestead, constructed around 1842 and widely regarded as the oldest surviving slab hut homestead in Australia, for dinner.
Overnight: Quest, Dubbo (B, L, D)
This morning after enjoying breakfast at a nearby cafe, we’ll reboard our private train and head back to Narromine, arriving in time for the Dolly Parton Festival street parade and party that kicks off the festival in the late morning. As the town then ‘rests’ before the afternoon and evening festivities kick off, we’ll jump back on our train and go a bit further up the line to Trangie for a delightful pub lunch at the historic Imperial Hotel, just a short stroll from the station.
After returning to Narromine by train, we’ll wander over to the main festival area and settle into our VIP area for the afternoon and evening events, and the main concert including the Dolly tribute artists. There’ll be plenty of food options available, so finding some dinner at leisure won’t be a problem. After the conclusion of the main act on stage, our coach will be standing by to take us back to Dubbo.
Overnight: Quest, Dubbo (B, L)
This morning after breakfast and check out, it’s back on our private train for the journey to Katoomba via Orange. Just after leaving Dubbo you’ll spot a railway yard full of red trains – this is the home and maintenance centre for the new ‘R’ sets that will eventually replace the current XPT and Xplorer services in use on long distance routes in NSW.
Along the way, we’ll pass through Stuart Town and cross the Macquarie River at Wellington before arriving in Orange, where our coach will meet us and transfer us to a local culinary institution, the Agrestic Grocer, for lunch.
The local food movement in the central west is all about partnerships and the Agrestic Grocer is a brilliant example of this – local produce is everywhere you look on the menu and in the store. For example – locally roasted coffee by Orange Roasting Co. is paired with the iconic central west family-owned Little Big Dairy Milk company. Little Big is one of the very few single origin, ‘direct-from-farm’ dairies in Australia, so you know your coffee will not only taste better but will also be putting more back into the pockets of the farmers – right where it belongs. You’ll also find Badlands Beers, Second Mouse Cheeses, Agrestic Preserves and a whole host of regional products and fresh produce – everything from unwaxed apples to beer soap to olive oils, cult status salad dressing from Di Ridge, Spencer & Origin Chocolates, free range eggs, freshly milled peanut butter, local wines and much more are at your fingertips.
After reboarding our train, we’ll head back over the Blue Mountains to Katoomba, disembark, say goodbye to our train and wonderful crew, and stroll the short distance to our accommodation – the historic Carrington Hotel. Dating back to the 1880’s, a golden age of tourism in the Blue Mountains, this iconic hotel has been restored in a manner that has virtually retained all of its period features and decoration.
After some time to freshen up, we’ll regroup and transfer to Echo Point and the stunning ‘The Lookout’ restaurant for a celebratory farewell dinner with spectacular views over the surrounding valleys and to the world famous Three Sisters. Drinks will be on us!
Overnight: The Carrington, Katoomba (B, L, D)
Today we’ll enjoy a lazy breakfast and a gentle morning before checking out and embarking on an excursion to the Scenic Railway at Katoomba – officially recognised in the Guinness Book of World Records as the world’s steepest passenger railway. The track features a maximum incline of 52 degrees (a gradient of about 128%), dropping around 310 metres through a cliff-side tunnel and into the lush Jamison Valley rainforest below. The ride is short but intense – taking you from the clifftop escarpment down into ancient Jurassic-era rainforest in just a couple of minutes. At the bottom, you can connect to the 2.4 km elevated Scenic Walkway boardwalk through the rainforest before heading back up via the railway or the nearby Scenic Cableway – you’ll have time to explore it all.
After some free time for lunch at leisure back in town, we’ll board our private coach for a fast transfer back to Sydney’s Central Station arriving in the mid afternoon, heralding the end of our time together.
(B)
5 nights in centrally located, quality accommodation
Breakfast daily, 5 lunches, 4 dinners (two with drinks included)
All transport fares and costs provided for in the itinerary
All meals, drinks excursions provided for in the itinerary
Full-time Railway Adventures Tour Leader(s)
Knowledgeable local guides
Tipping and gratuities where applicable
Accommodation taxes (if applicable)
Travel to tour departure point and from tour end point
Travel insurance (Highly recommended for domestic travel)
Meals and drinks not provided for in the itinerary
Things of a personal nature such as phone calls, laundry, room service, etc
The best train trips possible, private luxury coach for off-train travel, guided walking where suitable, and other appropriate and appealing options to make exploration easy
Hand-picked hotels and resorts based on location, customer feedback, value and atmosphere. Please Note: Hotels of a similar standard may be substituted.
Hear from some of our adventurers that have already ridden the rails with us.
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Reserve your place on this exciting exploration of The Dolly Parton Express.

Train traveller, well known TV personality and travel company owner, Scott McGregor, has travelled on some of the world’s most inspiring railway tours and led the most exclusive group adventures to numerous exotic destinations over the years.
“Rustic, character-filled, zig-zagging railways of Burma, opulent hotels on wheels in India South Africa and Sri Lanka, steam-hauled heritage trains in some of the most staggeringly scenic parts of the world, dinky little rail-cars in outback Queensland, bullet trains in Japan, cliff-hugging lines in Switzerland and Norway—if it travels on a rail track, I’m there!”, exclaims self-confessed train travel tragic, Scott McGregor. “In my mind, travelling by rail is still the most wonderful way to immerse yourself in the country you’re visiting. It’s romantic, relaxing and about as much fun as you can have!”.
Aa a child of the last days of steam trains in the busy junction town of Orange, NSW; trains heading in all directions offering temptations and dreams of faraway places, left an indelible impression on a young, inquisitive boy and Scott has been riding the rails in one form or another ever since. While Scott’s acting career of 30 years kept him busy starring in numerous TV shows and stage plays and then as an on-air presenter on programs such as Better Homes and Gardens, Room for Improvement and various pay-TV programs, his passion for railway tours was ever-present. “Presenting a series of Railway Adventure travel programs for Channel 7 was a career highlight”, he says with as much enthusiasm now as he had then.
In 2012 Scott decided to combine three of his passions; travel, trains and presenting, and launched Railway Adventures. Not only does he get to expand his own horizons and indulge his love of train travel, he gets to use his extensive hosting experience and love of people to lead other like-minded travellers on escorted train tours around the world. Since then, Railway Adventures has mounted more than 50 tours from Sweden to Sri Lanka, Tasmania to Transylvania, Britain to Burma and Venice to Vietnam, thrilling over 1,000 travellers. New tours are launched regularly, inspired by new trains, new routes and the growing interest in taking a train to some of the world’s most fascinating places. But you don’t have to be a train ‘nut’ to enjoy a Railway Adventures tour – there’s something for everyone!
Just one example of how Scott finds inspiration for a tour can be found in Outback Queensland. “There you find some of Australia’s most eccentric and appealing trains and together with a mail-plane flight over the Gulf and some interesting local coach and boat trips you have the essence of a quintessential Aussie outback adventure. The sleeper train, The Spirit of the Outback, the Savannahlander and the Gulflander (which has been running on the same timetable for more than 125 years!) are all iconic trains that traverse various parts of the wild Outback, Savannah and tropical rainforest landscapes of the vast state of Queensland. Along with some other special treats not available to the ordinary traveller, Railway Adventures passengers get to do it all!.
One of his favourite journey’s is by private train in Sri Lanka. For 2 weeks every year Scott charters the Viceroy Special heritage train to tour the island on a gentle rail cruise with a lucky group of travellers. Staying in luxury resorts and hotels along the way, his special train travels to almost every corner of the scenic island. “Having a private train at your disposal for an adventure around this magic island is a rare treat and a great way to immerse yourself in the scenery and culture of the country.”, he enthuses. “Our Vietnam tour makes use of private carriages attached to regular trains to explore that great country in comfort and in South Africa we use a variety of trains including the luxurious Rovos Rail and the Royal Livingstone steam train to move from one incredible adventure to another”.
Apart from the obvious joy of seeing a country by train, travelling in a small group of like-minded travellers with a dedicated, experienced tour leader and knowledgeable, English-speaking local guides is what really sets Railway Adventures apart. “The camaraderie that comes from both shared purpose and shared experiences on tour is an important aspect of the journey” Scott adds. “We’ve seen many people become life-long friends from the time they shared together along the line. The best feeling in the world is when I welcome these same people on repeat journeys”.
Along with popular destinations like Switzerland, Scandinavia, Outback Queensland and Sri Lanka, a new breed of more unusual destinations has gained great interest. Java, Cuba, Southern Africa, India and the New England region of NSW are just some of the newer adventures on offer. As for Scott’s next escape, it’s most likely some quality time at Ruwenzori Retreat, his own personal train on the Great Dividing Range near Mudgee, Central NSW. Built from a collection of vintage railway carriages it’s now a boutique tourist accommodation, comprising exclusive Orient Express style comfort for up to 13 guests. “When the travels are done, coming back to my own train in the beautiful Mudgee mountains is the most restorative and magical time for this committed rail romantic”, Scott says.