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…
Bernadette is a trained actor, psychologist, businesswoman, and writer. Passionate about the arts, culture, and how others live, Bernadette’s travel experiences are many and varied. She’s explored every state and territory in Australia and has the greatest fondness for those…
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…
SCOTT MCGREGOR has been involved in the media for over 30 years as an actor, presenter, writer and producer, but sharing his love of travel, and particularly railway travel, is where his passion now lies. Graduating from NIDA in 1979, he appeared in…
This 6-day private vintage rail charter to one of Australia’s most historic, appealing, and intriguing regions is one of our most popular tours. Your 1960’s rail motor will take you on an enchanting loop around the heart of NSW, enjoying the best of the region’s heritage towns, food, wine, entertainment, accommodation, including a private event at Scott McGregor’s private unique train retreat, ‘Ruwenzori’.
Meet your hosts and train crew at Sydney’s Central Station bright and early for the departure of our adventure by special train. Initially, the line takes us north out of the city and over the Hawkesbury River, skirting around Newcastle and into the Hunter Valley. After pausing for a lunch break at our first pub of the journey, the aptly named Railway Hotel in Muswellbrook, our train swings onto the cross-country line through Denman and Sandy Hollow. We then follow the course of the Goulburn River on a very scenic run on this unique freight-only line, crossing the Great Dividing Range just before arriving in Gulgong in the late afternoon.
Our coach will be standing by for the transfer to your accommodation in Mudgee where you have time to freshen up prior to heading out for dinner at The Pavilion at Lowe Winery, one of Mudgee’s premier cellar doors and restaurants.
Overnight: Parklands Resort, Mudgee (L, D)
After a hearty breakfast at the hotel, we gather to begin a series of local explorations. First up are a couple of short tours, one of the history and heritage of Mudgee and another of the surrounding wine growing area. You’ll then have some time for a wander around town and a coffee break before heading out for lunch at a popular winery located in the scenic Mudgee Hills, before venturing into the town of Gulgong.
Gulgong is home to a rich collection of museums and gold rush heritage buildings, including the new Gulgong Holtermann Photographic Museum, and the vast Gulgong Pioneer’s Museum. You’ll have a guided tour of this classic gold-rush town and enjoy some special viewings of the numerous collections and venues, including the Prince of Wales Opera House, the oldest operating entertainment venue in Australia.
In the late afternoon we’ll take a short excursion north to Cooks Gap on the Great Dividing Range for a sunset soiree reception at Scott McGregor’s private and unique railway themed retreat, Ruwenzori, hosted by him and his partner Bernadette Eichner. Perched high on the mountains overlooking the valleys below, Ruwenzori is a collection of vintage railway carriages, restored in the Orient-express style, set amongst themed gardens and memorabilia. Featured in many travel articles and TV shows, it’s a place Scott and Bernie love to share with special friends. Here, on top of the mountain, you’ll enjoy a Mudgee sunset with canapés and local beer and wine before heading back to your hotel, or if you’re interested to kick on, go into town and enjoy the atmosphere at one of the many venues in Mudgee’s main street.
Overnight: Parklands Resort, Mudgee (B, L, D)
This morning after breakfast and checking out of our hotel, we return to Gulgong Station to board our train for the next leg of our regional rail cruise taking in the cross country freight railways across the fertile slopes to Dubbo, our final destination for the day. The regional town of Dunedoo is our first stop with its stunning silo art and grand old country pubs, after which we shunt our train onto another branch line at the junction of Merrygoen. A little further along the line is the village of Ballimore which is blessed with a classic Aussie pub right beside the line – our venue for today’s lunch.
After lunch you have the option to travel by train to Narromine to visit the wonderful Aviation Museum there, or go by coach to take a tour of the Dubbo Western Plains Zoo. Both tours will have you back in time to check in and freshen up at our hotel in Dubbo before heading out to dinner at the Savannah Lounge at the Western Plains Zoo for dinner.
Overnight: Quest, Dubbo (B, L, D)
This morning is a little different with a private picnic-style breakfast hosted on the grounds of the Old Dubbo Gaol. You’ll have time to explore this interesting historic site right in the heart of town while enjoying breakfast offerings from the popular local bakery.
After breakfast, we board our train and depart Dubbo, heading south over the Macquarie River at Wellington and on to Stuart Town where we pause at the historic little station for a leg stretch around the village, formerly known as Iron Bark, inspiring Henry Lawson’s famous poem about the ‘Man from IronBark’.
Back on the train we open up the engines to ascend the tablelands where the scenery explodes to reveal expansive views of the valleys below and the looming geographical landmark of the ancient volcano, Mt Canobolas. Passing through Orange, our lunch stop is a short distance further on at Millthorpe. This historic village is home to an excellent rural and heritage museum, where the amazing team of volunteers will host a lunch and share the story of Australia’s most famous inventions. The last leg of our train journey today takes us through Blayney and down the famous Tumulla Bank to the Macquarie River flats and Bathurst. We check into our hotel situated right on the perimeter of the famous Panorama race Track and you can enjoy some time to relax.
Later in the evening we’ll head out to the astounding Abercrombie House for a sunset viewing of this veritable Scottish castle in the Aussie bush followed by a lavish dinner in the grand ballroom.
Overnight: Rydges Mount Panorama, Bathurst (B, L, D)
After breakfast and checking out, we return to Bathurst station and board our train. We’ll pause at Wallerawang to stretch our legs and have a look around before we strike off onto the Mudgee branch line and a journey that skirts the magnificent Capertee Valley, the second largest canyon in the world. We’ll take our train all the way to the end of the line at the beautifully preserved historic village of Rylstone, where you’ll have some time to wander the delightful streets and shops of this colonial town. We then head back down the line to Kandos, to the welcoming sight of lunch set up on the platform, hosted by the Kandos Museum at the Kandos Museum Annex.. There’ll be time to visit the excellent museum dedicated to the crucial cement industry that sustained the town for many years, providing the concrete used to build the Sydney Harbour Bridge.
Our train will be standing by to take us back down the Capertee Valley to the junction of the main western line at Wallerawang and onto Lithgow, after which it begins the big climb up the heights of Katoomba for our last night of the tour. We stroll a short distance from the station to check into the historic Carrington Hotel which dates from the 1880’s, a golden age of tourism in the Blue Mountains.
Our farewell dinner together tonight in the hotel’s grand dining room. Cigars and port in the drawing room anyone?
Overnight: The Carrington, Katoomba (B, L, D)
Today we’ll enjoy a gentle morning in the hotel before checking out and taking an excursion to the Scenic Railway at Katoomba. After some free time for coffee and snacks back in town, we’ll board the regular Express train taking us on a fast direct service to Central stopping at Penrith, Westmead and Parramatta and in the mid afternoon the end of our adventure around the wonderful Golden West of NSW.
(B)
Private rail travel with tea and coffee included
Five nights’ accommodation in quality hotels
Breakfast daily, 5 lunches and 5 dinners
Comfortable, privately chartered coaches
Winery, Museum and Heritage tours as mentioned in the itinerary
Transfers to and from Central Station in Sydney
Meals and services not mentioned in itinerary
Personal expenses such as drinks, phone calls, laundry services, etc.
Travel insurance
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 Central West Autumn Explorer.
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We acknowledge the traditional owners of country throughout Australia and their continuing connection to land, sea and community. We pay our respects to them, their cultures, and to the Elders both past and present.
