The Borderlands Steam Adventure 2026

After breakfast and check out, we board our private coach for the journey to Toowoomba.  We do this leg by coach so that we can make some stops, the first being a visit to the Ipswich Workshops Rail Museum, one of Australia’s premier museums, built around the living history of one of the country’s great industrial complexes. Here you have time on your own to explore the world-class collection and tour the restoration work in progress. We’ll enjoy lunch in the cafeteria before reboarding our coach. 

Our journey this afternoon will take you across the wide flood plain via numerous historic towns like Grandchester, Laidley and Gatton before ascending the ranges and winding our way up the escarpment. Here, we’ll pause at the iconic and charming railway halt, Spring Bluff, to stretch our legs and smell the roses before taking the last dramatic leg into the grand city of Toowoomba in the afternoon. 

After checking into our hotel, you’ll have some free time to enjoy its central location before heading to dinner in the hotel’s own restaurant.

Overnight: Burke and Wills Hotel, Toowoomba (B, L, D)

It’s an early start this morning as we head out to Warwick to meet our special steam train for the run to Goondiwindi. Once every few years, the Southern Downs Steam Railway volunteers gather to explore this region by train, and while it’s open to regular travellers too, we’ll have our own dedicated heritage carriages and attendants. 

Shortly after leaving the yard, our train branches out onto the western line, and morning tea is served on board as we travel west via Karara to Inglewood. Here, on the platform of the classic timber station, we’ll enjoy a BBQ lunch, admirably catered by the local Lions Club. With a full stomach, we’ll continue on to marvel at the spectacular painted silos at Yelarbon, a vibrant beacon set amongst a backdrop of spinifex country.  

Upon our late afternoon arrival in Goondiwindi, we’ll check into our downtown motel for some time to relax before heading out to a special wholesome heritage-themed dinner at the Customs House Museum, a National Trust property on the banks of the river run by local volunteers. 

Overnight: Various Motels, Goondiwindi (B, L, D)

Today, the choice of activity is yours! You can stay in Goondiwindi for a day at leisure, or you can explore the region further afield as our guests on our special train or by private coach. There is also an opportunity to participate in an afternoon tour of the Goondiwindi Cotton Farm for those who will be in town.

Option 1: Board our special steam train for a rail journey further west, about 50km along the line to the quintessential outback village of Toobeah (pronounced “Two Beer”). You’ll have time to explore this tiny town while the train is repositioned for the return journey back down the line to ‘Gundy’. You’ll be back in Goondiwindi in time for lunch and the afternoon at leisure.  

Option 2: Journey two hours by private coach to the end of the existing operational railway line at Thallon, located on the Moonie River. Here, you’ll have some time to wander the town (check out the William the Wombat statue by artist David Joffe) and get some lunch at leisure before exploring the fabulous silo art titled “The Watering Hole” by artists Joel Fergie (The Zookeeper) and Travis Vinson (Drapl) and returning to Goondiwindi.  For lunch we recommend Francis Hotel, the heart of Thallon’s social scene, and a bit of homage to the local history, displaying historic photographs, artefacts, and local history booklets where lunch can be had at the local pub at Thallon. After lunch, you’ll explore the marvellous painted silos and the surrounding region before returning to Goondiwindi around 4pm in the afternoon.  

Both of these activities will allow enough time to head out to the popular Goondiwindi show, where all the local displays, ring events, and sideshows are in full swing up until 8:00 pm when the event is capped off with a fireworks display. Our private coach will be on hand to get you there and bring you back.

Dinner tonight is a relaxed and hearty pub meal at O’Shea’s Royal Hotel, hosted from 6 pm until the last of you are fed. Just come along when it suits your schedule!

Overnight: Various Motels, Goondiwindi (B, D)

This morning we’ll have a cuppa in our rooms before hitting the road early and heading south to Moree in NSW for a day of train travel on the lines of northern NSW. 

A hearty breakfast will be waiting for us in Moree, after which we’ll leave our luggage on the coach and board the regular Explorer train service unencumbered, for the trip down the line to Armidale. Travelling through the great country towns of Narrabri, Boggabri, Gunnedah, and Breeza, we’ll arrive at Werris Creek, a historic railway town, for a BBQ lunch on the grand old junction station. 

The area around Werris Creek was originally occupied by the Gamilaraay people until European settlers arrived in the 1830s, with the Weia Weia Creek Station established around 1841 by Reverend Francis Vidal. The town’s identity as Australia’s first railway town began in 1877, when 500 railway workers arrived to construct the Great Northern Railway line from Murrurundi to Tamworth. The Werris Creek railway station opened in 1878 and was relocated to its current site in 1880. The heritage-listed grand station building, constructed in the late 1880s and designed by renowned NSW railway engineer John Whitton, was one of the largest stations in NSW, and fondly described as a “lonely citadel in the middle of the bush,”. Werris Creek’s railway heritage is preserved through the Australian Railway Monument, opened in October 2005, which commemorates over 2,700 railway workers killed on duty across Australia, with stainless steel sculptures by artist Dominique Sutton depicting railway roles like fettlers and signalmen. The Rail Journeys Museum, housed in the former refreshment room at the station, showcases memorabilia, model railways, and the town’s rail history from steam to diesel eras. 

You’ll have time to explore both the excellent museum and National Railway Monument before jumping on the regular train service on the Great Northern Railway for the next leg through Tamworth, Kootingal, and Uralla to Armidale. 

Upon arrival at Armidale station, our coach and luggage will be waiting for us to transfer us directly to our hotel to check in and enjoy some time to freshen up before regrouping for dinner. 

Overnight: Rydges Hotel, Armidale (B, L, D)

This morning after breakfast at the hotel, we’ll embark on a full day of sightseeing in and around this charming and significantly historic regional city located in the Northern Tablelands of New South Wales.  

The traditional land of the Anēwan people, European settlers started arriving in 1832, with pastoralists establishing stations like the Saumarez run. By the 1860s, Armidale had a post office, churches, and schools, (there are over 1,400 heritage buildings) and the arrival of the railway in 1883, connecting Armidale to Sydney and later to Queensland, boosted trade and accessibility. The long-held commitment to education has dubbed Armidale the “Athens of the North” – The Armidale School (TAS), founded in 1894, was one of the earliest private boarding schools, and the New England University College, established in 1938 as a branch of the University of Sydney, became the independent University of New England (UNE) in 1954, the first regional university in Australia. 

First off, we’ll explore the heritage-listed Victorian estate of Saumarez, a grand country homestead set in magnificent gardens, and a veritable time capsule of how the wealthy and influential white family lived and worked. First settled in the 1830s by the British pastoralist Henry Dumaresq, it was ultimately purchased by the White family in 1874, who developed it into one of the largest and most successful rural properties in the New England region. The Federation Edwardian style 30-room mansion retains original furnishings, including 19th-century furniture, fashion, and artifacts, showcasing pastoral life from the 1870s to 1970s. The 2-hectare gardens are modelled on English designs but feature exotic plants from the Americas, Africa, Europe, Asia, and beyond. Highlights include the Heritage Rose Garden, containing over 600 roses, mostly pre-1930 cultivars, maintained by the Australian Garden History Society. 

After our visit to Saumarez, we’ll continue with a short drive down the highway to Uralla, the home of the infamous bushranger Captain Thunderbolt (Frederick Ward), who is buried in the old Uralla Cemetery.  Uralla is also home to over 50 buildings deemed to be of ‘national significance’, one of which, McCrossin’s Mill Museum, is our lunch venue. As well as catering our lunch for us, the wonderful volunteers who keep the museum alive will also guide us through their gallery and heritage collections.  

We’ll return to Armidale via Gostwyck and the Dangar Falls in the Oxley Wild Rivers National Park, arriving back at the hotel in the late afternoon. The evening is yours to explore the many dining options in and around Armidale, including the option of dining in the hotel restaurant, if you’d prefer to stay in. 

Overnight: Rydges Hotel, Armidale (B, L)

This morning, after breakfast and check out, we’ll embark on an exploration of the route of the old Great Northern Railway all the way to Tenterfield.  Due to much of the line now being closed, we need to do this by coach. However, much of the infrastructure remains, and along the way we’ll see grand old stations, long truss bridges, and marvellously scenic sections of this once pivotal railway. 

We’ll visit the interesting town of Guyra with its own little railway twist, before continuing on to Inverell, where we’ll take a tour of this attractive town, ending up at the award-winning National Transport Museum for lunch and an exploration of the vast collection of historic vehicles and memorabilia.  After lunch, we’ll travel further down the road to Glen Innes. This city takes special pride in its Celtic heritage, and we’ll take some time here to reflect on the amazing standing stones on the hill overlooking the town. Our journey ends in Tenterfield at the excellent Railway Museum, located at the station, before we check into our accommodation for some time to relax.

Dinner this evening is a grand affair at the Henry Parkes School of Arts, just a short stroll from our accommodation. It was here in 1889 that Sir Henry, having just arrived by special train on his way to the colony of Queensland, delivered his famous Tenterfield Oration, setting the scene for a growing push for Federation. 

Overnight: The Henry Parkes Motel, Tenterfield (B, L, D)

This morning after breakfast and check out, we’ll pay a visit to the heritage-listed Tenterfield Railway Museum for a glimpse into the late 19th-century railway precinct opened in September 1886, by Lord Carrington, Governor of NSW, as part of the Main Northern Line (also known as the Great Northern Railway). Designed by William Murray under the direction of John Whitton, it was described as one of the most extensive and handsome buildings on the northern line. Following its closure in 1989, the station remained largely intact, preserving its historical integrity and a dedicated group of volunteers transformed the precinct into the Tenterfield Railway Museum. Here you’ll be able to peruse over 2,000 photographs, rail advertising posters from the 1930s to 1980s, and a collection of locomotive and line maintenance tools, such as those used for cutting steel rails and sleepers.

Our private coach will then take us on to the railway station at Stanthorpe, where we board our specially chartered steam train for the journey north along the Granite Belt and over the Great Divide down into Warwick, following the route of the original railway from Sydney to Brisbane. 

Upon our arrival in the early afternoon, we’ll rejoin our coach and enjoy a visit to Glengallan Homestead & Heritage Centre for lunch and a tour. The Glengallan Run was part of the Darling Downs, discovered by explorer Allan Cunningham in 1827 and the Glengallan Homestead is a heritage-listed, two-story sandstone mansion built in 1867–1868, a fully restored, rare example of a substantial 19th-century Queensland country house.

It’s then back to Warwick to check into our accommodation to enjoy some downtime before gathering again for a delicious buffet dinner at the Coachman’s Inn. 

Overnight: Coachman’s Inn (or similar) Warwick (B, L, D)

After a leisurely breakfast and check out, we’ll once again hand our luggage over to our coach driver and head back down to the station to board our special private train for the last leg of our steam train adventure. 

Blasting out of Warwick, we’ll head north across the Darling Downs to Toowoomba on a scenic and historically rich ride through one of Australia’s most fertile agricultural regions.  We’ll pause along the way for morning tea with the locals at the Clifton train station museum and tea rooms. 

On arrival in Toowoomba, you’ll have two options – either jump on the coach and go straight to the hotel and check in, or head off and explore on your own, coming back to the hotel and checking in at leisure. For those who are interested, we’ll regroup at the hotel in the mid-afternoon for a visit to one of the region’s great destinations, the excellent Cobb and Co Museum.

Our celebratory farewell dinner this evening is hosted at Gips Restaurant, a charming venue set within one of Toowoomba’s most historic buildings. We’ll enjoy a wonderful evening of fine food and drinks while soaking in the character and charm of this beautifully preserved setting.

Overnight: Burke and Wills Hotel, Toowoomba (B, D)

Our tour comes to an end this morning after breakfast. Our coach will depart at 9.00 am for transfers to Toowoomba train station, Toowoomba airport and all the way to Brisbane, stopping at both the airport and Roma Street Station. Along the way, enjoy some final moments to chat and reminisce about your excellent adventure through the Borderlands of Southern Queensland and Northern NSW.

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