Northern Tablelands Express

This morning after breakfast and check out, we’ll return to our private train for a very special treat – a ride on the old Walgett Branch line, now a freight-only line. It’s then a lovely trundle through the farming lands past Wee Waa to the tiny town of Burren Junction, once a booming station servicing steam trains of old. We’ll disembark very near the site of the former station, and walk across the road to our lunch venue, the Junction City Hotel. 

After lunch it’s back onto our rail motor to Narrabri for a visit to the globally-renowned Australia Telescope Compact Array, made up of six identical 22-metre, 270-tonne dish antennas. Among its most high-profile achievements are capturing the first 3D picture of the radiation belts around Jupiter, the first good evidence linking exploding stars with flashes of gamma rays. We’ll be free to do our own self-guided visit here – the centre features indoor and outdoor exhibits and a small cinema, and if you’re lucky, you might even see a change in the configuration of the antennas! 

Returning to Narrabri we’ll check in to our motels and freshen up before enjoying dinner together at the charming Crossing Theatre Cafe, located on the banks of the Namoi River. 

Overnight: Adelong Motel or Club Motor Inn, Narrabri (B, L, D)

It’s an early start today. After checking out, we’ll make our way to the station and our waiting train, where breakfast will be served on board as we return to Gunnedah to explore this historic town and learn about its remarkable history, particularly its connection to Dorothea Mackellar, the famous Australian poet.

Mackellar’s family owned two farming properties near Gunnedah on the Namoi River – ‘Kurrumbede’ and ‘The Rampadells’, and it was these that inspired her iconic poem, ‘My Country’. We’ll stop at the stunning silo art immortalising her and visit the Mackellar Memorial, a life-sized bronze statue of Dorothea, shown sitting side-saddle on her horse, looking out in the distance towards her family’s properties. 

Before returning to the station and our waiting train, we’ll drop in to Gunnedah’s original water reservoir, now a Museum, for a journey through the region’s history. It’s then back on our train for a journey back across the plains to the historic Werris Creek station to visit the remarkable, volunteer-run Rail Journeys Museum, a well-curated collection featuring railway memorabilia, photographs, models, and documents; and the Australian Railway Monument, a memorial to railway workers who have died while on duty. The local Lions Club will be turning on a hearty BBQ lunch on the platform for us – another way you’ll be actively supporting local charitable activities by buying a ticket on this tour. 

Back on our train after lunch, it’s the final leg of the day – to Tamworth, our home for the next three nights. As we approach Tamworth we’ll cross two iconic structures – the enormous Tamworth Railway Viaduct and the 1882 heritage-listed Peel River Railway Bridge, designed by John Whitton, the inspiring Engineer-in-Chief for Railways at the time. 

Upon arrival, we’ll transfer directly to our accommodation and check in. You’ll have a couple of hours of free time before we regroup for dinner – our hotel is right in town, so it’s easy to wander the local shops, or you might like to visit the Country Music Walk of Fame, an easy walk from the hotel.

Dinner this evening is at a local hotel just a short walk from our accommodation. 

Overnight: CH Boutique Hotel, Tamworth (B, L, D)

This morning you’ll enjoy a leisurely breakfast at the Deco Cafe, nestled within the Hotel’s beautifully restored heritage wing before boarding our private coach for our first full day of poking around the region. 

Our first stop is “Bob’s Shed” in Quirindi for a stroll down memory lane where you’ll find an old time General Store stocked with authentic 40s and 50s items, admire the collection of historic pub items in the Railway Hotel and visit Peter Brock’s World – an amazing tribute to an Australian icon. The owner and curator, Bob Kolln, who sadly passed away earlier this year, spent 30 years amassing over 4,000 items of memorabilia from the 1940s and 1950s, turning what started as a personal hobby shed into one of the most significant collections in the country.

We’ll leave Quirindi and head across the plains to the tiny hamlet of Pine Ridge and the iconic Windy Station, established in 1833, for lunch on the lawns of the giant woolshed dominating the property. Currently undergoing careful restoration, we’ll have the chance to have a peek inside and spend some time with the owners to learn about the fascinating history of the station before returning to Quirindi to visit the GrainCorp Silo Art, telling the story of the past, present and future of the Liverpool Plains region. 

It’s then back to Tamworth via the historic Currabubula Pub (The Curra), for a cleansing ale to close out the day. The first slab hut pub on this site opened in 1838 and the current 1910 building operates under one of the oldest continuing licences in NSW. 

Dinner tonight is at leisure.

Overnight: CH Boutique Hotel, Tamworth (B, L)

This morning after breakfast we’ll jump back on our coach for another day of exploration, first heading up to Oxley Lookout, named in honour of John Oxley, Surveyor General and explorer, who passed through the Tamworth area in 1818, before making a short stop at a local attraction that’s a must-do for any visitor to Tamworth – the 12-metre tall, fibreglass and steel Golden Guitar. 

We’ll then continue our journey to the beautiful little town of Nundle, at the foot of the Great Dividing Range, where we’ll be greeted by a local host, who’ll give us a quick history of the town and orient us to all the ‘must do’s’ while we’re there before we head to the nearby historic gold rush pub, the Peel Inn, for lunch. 

After lunch we’ll enjoy a guided tour of the highly recommended Nundle Woollen Mill. Don’t be fooled by the Mill’s modern appearance – the magic lies with the historical machinery housed inside. Here, you’ll learn about the history of the machines, see them in operation and browse the wool shop – if you’re a knitter or crocheter, you may feel like you’re in heaven! A special treat for our group will be a rolling afternoon tea in the grounds with entertainment by a local musician, Geoff Gibson – something you can settle into or keep coming back to in between having free time to wander the village. 

Leaving Nundle in the late afternoon, we’ll venture on to the iconic Goonoo Goonoo Station, established in 1847 at Timbumburi. Along with grazing sheep, the property features the Chefs Hat ‘Glasshouse’ restaurant, our very special farewell dinner venue this evening. We’ll enjoy drinks on the terrace while soaking up the magnificent views of the surrounding pastures and rolling hills before enjoying a shared-plate style menu of some of the restaurant’s seasonal dishes featuring the finest local produce, complimented by drinks on us. 

Overnight: CH Boutique Hotel, Tamworth (B, L, D)

This morning after breakfast and check out, we’ll transfer to the station and board our waiting rail motor for our final day of travel back across the Tamworth Viaduct to retrace our journey back South.

After a brief leg stretch at Muswellbrook, we’ll stop once again at Paterson and enjoy lunch hosted by the Rail Motor Society. Again, you’ll have the chance to again wander the rail motor collection and meet the volunteers. 

It’s then back onto our rail motor for the final leg to Sydney, arriving at Central Station in the mid-evening. 

(B, L)