This journey takes you along the scenic North Coast Line through the Central Coast, the Mid-North Coast and Northern Rivers regions of New South Wales. You’ll discover the beautiful Hastings River at Port Macquarie, the breathtaking hinterland rainforest and eclectic community of Byron Bay, the crystal clear creeks and the uncrowded surf beaches of the Mackay Valley Coast, and the history and heritage of Maitland & Morpeth. Unpack Only once and enjoy everything that slow rail touring provides.
Welcome to Grand Southern Loop, an incredible 17-day journey offering an unparalleled in-depth exploration of three states by rail and road. With a mixture of must see sights and exclusive experiences, you’ll find virtually everything is included, allowing you to relax and truly immerse yourself in each destination. Unlike many tours, we head far away from main roads and the average inclusions. In several cases we will stop for two or three nights, allowing you to see more of each destination with free time to explore on your own.
If you're looking to capture a classic photo of an Aussie country town, look no further than Trundle (population 332). Picture yourself here, standing on New South Wales' widest main street, next to the Trundle Hotel with the second longest wooden verandah in Australia, with an ABBA soundtrack playing in the background! This normally sleepy community explodes in October when the community frocks up, puts on their dancing shoes and hosts the Trundle Abba Festival. Even its old railway line, kept open for the occasional grain train, comes alive with the arrival of the special “Waterloo Express”, a vintage passenger train full of revellers to join the fun.
Rail travel really is the most relaxed way to enjoy Australia, so we hope you’ll join us on board our private Aurora Australis train for the Elvis Special adventure in regional NSW.
Experience the heart of Australia’s food bowl, stopping at regional towns and attractions throughout the Riverina. You will also travel on rail lines that don’t have scheduled passenger services, making this a real adventure. Come with us to discover acclaimed wines, taste gorgeous fresh produce and explore the natural scenery throughout the region.
New South Wales is blessed with a number of interesting ‘cross country’ railways, linking the main lines radiating out from Sydney and allowing trains to follow a circular path in different regions of the state. One of these is the ‘Sandy Hollow line’, started in 1937 and completed in part, in 1985. This normally freight-only line is open to special trains from time to time and on this occasion our privately chartered nifty little Rail Motor has specific accreditation to traverse this scenic run. The interesting route of this cross-country link has allowed us to create a special Railway Adventure, looping around the captivating highlights of the Central West of NSW.
From the coast to the inland plains, volcanic ranges, and classic country towns this adventure celebrates the variety that the northern regions of NSW have to offer the Railway Adventurer. From the window of your trains and coaches, an ever-changing vista of our coastal and country landscapes will be on show. Using regular regional express trains on morning departures is an ideal way to see the landscape and to cap off the adventure we have a privately chartered rail motor to travel on the rarely visited freight only ‘Sandy Hollow’ line down the scenic Bylong and Goulburn River Valleys. This comfortable classic 1960’s heritage double-ended Railmotor is the pride of the fleet at the volunteer-run Rail Motor Society at Paterson in the Hunter Valley. We will visit them at their depot along with a wonderful long list of special museums, homesteads, and observatories together with charming country cities, towns and villages.
This journey takes you along the scenic North Coast Line through the Central Coast, the Mid-North Coast and Northern Rivers regions of New South Wales. You’ll discover the beautiful Hastings River at Port Macquarie, the breathtaking hinterland rainforest and eclectic community of Byron Bay, the crystal clear creeks and the uncrowded surf beaches of the Mackay Valley Coast, and the history and heritage of Maitland & Morpeth. Unpack Only once and enjoy everything that slow rail touring provides.
The 1880’s saw a number of Nation building events that are the inspiration for this adventure across Southern Queensland and Northern NSW, notably the linking of states by rail in 1888 at the border town of Wallangarra. Not long after that, Sir Henry Parkes arrived by special train to Tenterfield and marched up to the School of Arts where he delivered his famous ‘Tenterfield Oration’, paving the way for the states to push ahead with Federation. Nation building, railway revolutions, and the borderlands of NSW and Queensland are pivotal themes in this exciting adventure. Travel from Brisbane to Ipswich, Toowoomba, and Warwick, before taking the rare chance to travel by steam to the border at Goondiwindi. Further explorations around the border country and the New England by privately chartered railmotor expand your horizons before we return by specially chartered steam train on the Great Northern Railway, the original Sydney to Brisbane line across the Granite Belt to Stanthorpe and Warwick, and our final hurrah back in Toowoomba.
Subscribe to our newsletter and get exlusive first minute offers straight into your inbox.
