Victorian Rail Adventure

After breakfast and check out, we’ll make our way to the railway station to board a regional express train to Echuca. Watch the landscape whip past your window as we pass Bendigo, Elmore and Rochester and arrive in time to board our Paddlesteamer for a light lunch while the steamer rolls down the Murray River from the historic Port of Echuca and back again. 

Once back on shore, we’ll learn about the Port of Echuca’s colourful history with a guided town tour, before boarding our private coach for the journey to Bendigo, travelling along Victoria’s Silo Art Trail with stops in the towns of Rochester and Colbinabbin to marvel at some of the magnificent art works. We’ll continue on to the elegant and historic Shamrock Hotel, our home for the next three nights, where you’ll have some time to relax before heading out together for dinner in the evening.

Overnight: Shamrock Hotel, Bendigo (B, L, D)

This morning after breakfast, our private coach will take us to the quaint goldfield town of Castlemaine. Here we’ll embark on a return steam-hauled tour of the Victorian Goldfields Railway along the old branch line, with a stop in Maldon. Your first-class ticket entitles you to ride in the wonderful parlour cars with access to the bar for some refreshments along the way.

In Maldon, an iconic gold rush town awarded the ‘most intact townscape’ by the National Trust, you’ll be able to experience what life was like during the gold rush era. Wander past old weatherboard homes, solid stone buildings and decorative shop fronts in this lovingly preserved Australian gold mining town, before reboarding our train for the return journey.  

On arrival back in Castlemaine, we’ll enjoy lunch at the popular Railway Hotel, followed by a tour of Buda House, a classic, beautifully preserved Victorian Goldfields Villa, set on 8 acres of tranquil gardens, before heading back to Bendigo.  

Your evening and dinner is at leisure. 

Overnight: Shamrock Hotel, Bendigo (B, L)

This morning we delve into the intriguing history and unique character of the city of Bendigo, an iconic gold rush town. We’ll board a vintage tram, showcasing the main sights and attractions of Bendigo. After some free time for lunch, we’ll finish up at the Central Deborah Gold Mine where you’ll enjoy a surface tour. For those that are interested, you’ll also have the opportunity to don a hard-hat, grab a miners’ lamp and descend 61m to walk in the footsteps of past miners.  

The rest of the afternoon is free to explore the city at leisure, with your Talking Tram ticket allowing you to hop on and hop off at will. Places of interest you may wish to explore include Lake Weeroona and the stunning Bendigo Art Gallery.

Your evening is free to enjoy the many dining options around the city.

Overnight: Shamrock Hotel, Bendigo (B)

It’s a lazy start today, with some free time after check out to continue exploring Bendigo or just relax in the hotel before boarding our private coach for the journey to Maryborough. On arrival, we’ll spend some time in the town centre for lunch at leisure, before heading to one of Australia’s grandest regional Victorian era buildings, the Maryborough Railway Station, famously described by Mark Twain as “a Railway Station with a town attached”. After a guided tour of this historic  station, we’ll leave our luggage with the coach and  board the local V-Line train for a short cross-country run to the fair city of Ballarat, our base for the next two nights. 

Upon arrival in Ballarat, our coach and luggage will be waiting to transfer us to our gold rush era grand hotel, located on historic Lydiard Street in the heart of Ballarat. After some time to freshen up and relax, we’ll regroup for dinner on the grounds of our hotel.

Overnight: Craig’s Royal Hotel, Ballarat (B, D)

This morning after breakfast, we’ll board our coach and travel to Daylesford, a little town in the foothills of the Great Dividing Range. Here we’ll take a privately chartered DERM railcar for the scenic round trip journey to Bullarto. After some free time in Daylesford for lunch at leisure, we’ll head back to Ballarat and go directly to the Eureka Centre, a museum dedicated to the social history of the colonial days on the goldfields, and home to the Eureka flag. After a visit here, we’ll continue to Sovereign Hill, the award-winning living museum presenting the story of Ballarat as a gold rush boomtown for a truly immersive experience. Gold was discovered here in 1851, triggering the greatest alluvial gold rush the world has ever known. This magnificent ‘town’ showcases rare trades, working machinery, exhibits, and costumed interpreters. The remainder of the afternoon is at leisure to explore more of Ballarat. 

Dinner tonight will be in a local bistro.

Overnight: Craig’s Royal Hotel, Ballarat (B, D)

This morning after breakfast and check out, we’ll visit the Ballarat Tramway Museum for a look at their impressive collection of vintage trams, some of which are over 100 years old. Once the city’s main form of public transport, the museum showcases a bygone era of transport which existed on Ballarat’s streets from 1887 to 1971. Located in the Ballarat Botanic Gardens, on the west side of Lake Wendouree, a special treat will be a privately chartered run along a return track of 3.2 kms on Wendouree Parade on a historic Ballarat 4-wheel tram! We’ll take some time to explore the botanical gardens before returning to town for lunch at leisure and take time to delve deeper into the town’s charm, perhaps stopping by the acclaimed Art Gallery of Ballarat.

In the afternoon we’ll travel by coach to Halls Gap through the southern part of the Grampians on what is considered to be one of Australia’s most scenic road journeys, pausing at Dunkeld, the southern gateway to the Grampians, for a leg stretch. Upon arrival in Halls Gap, it’s straight to our hotel to settle in.  

Dinner tonight is hosted at a charming local pub just a short walk from our hotel.

Overnight: Country Plaza, Halls Gap (B, D)

This morning we’ll take some time to ‘smell the roses’ in this dramatic Aussie bush setting with a special morning excursion deep into the heart of the spectacular Grampians National Park. Known for its rugged sandstone mountains, dramatic cliffs and plummeting waterfalls, you’ll see why it deserves its reputation as one of Victoria’s (and Australia’s) greatest natural wonders. Our exploration will include stops at the Reed Lookout, MacKenzie Falls, and the Brooke Lookout, so you get a great chance to see and ‘feel’ the magnificence of this area.. 

After returning to Halls Gap  we’ll enjoy lunch at a local restaurant before heading to the Ararat railway station to board the V/Line train to Melbourne. On arrival we’ll take a short stroll to our hotel and enjoy the rest of the evening at leisure. 

Overnight: The Savoy Hotel on Little Collins or Mövenpick Hotel Melbourne on Spencer, Melbourne (B, L)

After breakfast this morning, we’ll transfer to Southern Cross Station and jump on a metro train to Belgrave, the departure point for the legendary Puffing Billy, Australia’s most popular heritage railway situated in the foothills of the Dandenong Ranges. Originally built in the early 1900’s as a low-cost 2’6” gauge line to service the local communities and timber industry, a staged closure of the line began in the 1950’s.  However, like so many great stories of heritage rail, it was saved by a group of dedicated volunteers and rail fans who worked to restore the line and the rolling stock. Since the 1960’s it has been one of Victoria’s most popular tourist attractions. You’ll get to experience a very special steam-hauled trip along the length of the character-filled narrow-gauge line, winding through towering Mountain Ash forests, fern gullies, and over historic timber trestle bridges, including the iconic Monbulk Creek Trestle Bridge.

You’ll have the chance to have a look around the new Lakeside Visitor Centre and enjoy lunch together at a local cafe before making the return journey to Belgrave and then back to Melbourne, arriving late in the afternoon. 

Dinner tonight is at leisure.

Overnight: The Savoy Hotel on Little Collins or Mövenpick Hotel Melbourne on Spencer, Melbourne (B, L)

This morning, after a gentle start to the day, we’ll catch the tram to Docklands, and from there, a ferry to Queenscliff and a coach transfer to Drysdale for a very special date with the Q Train, Australia’s premier rail restaurant, and the perfect venue for our last meal together as travelling companions. This award-winning rolling restaurant travels along the historic Bellarine Railway between Drysdale and Queenscliff in brilliantly restored carriages that originally formed part of the Queensland Railways Sunlander train. The rural and coastal scenery rolls by while you dine on fresh local produce, a fitting finale to our journey across Victoria. We’ll return to Melbourne later in the afternoon.

Your evening is at leisure to enjoy your last night in this dynamic city. 

Overnight: The Savoy Hotel on Little Collins or Mövenpick Hotel Melbourne on Spencer, Melbourne (B, L)

Our tour concludes after breakfast this morning. 

(B)