Riverina Rail Tour
- Australia
- Sydney Return • Apr - May 2025 / Feb - Apr 2026
- 5 Day Itinerary
- From $4,195 (AUD)
- 48 Max.
- Operated by one of our trusted partners
Sydney Return • Apr - May 2025 / Feb - Apr 2026
Experience the heart of Australia’s food bowl, stopping at regional towns and attractions throughout the Riverina.
You will also travel on rail lines which 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.
Relax aboard a refurbished 1960s sleeping train – fully restored ex-Southern Aurora carriages to their original condition. Celebrate Australia’s diverse history and rich culture with visits to regional towns, gardens and attractions. You will also travel on rail lines which don’t have scheduled passenger services, making this a real adventure.
AURORA AUSTRALIS
Aurora Australis is a restored 1960s sleeper train, formally known as The Southern Aurora which ran overnight passenger express journeys between Sydney and Melbourne from 1962 up until 1986. Now fully refurbished, carriages have been brought back to life, restored with love back to their original condition.
The Cabins have two room options available, Heritage Twin Cabins cater for couples and Heritage Single Cabins for singles. By day the compartments feature lounge chairs for your comfort with the evening being changed into beds which hinge down over the lounge chairs – double bunk for Twin Cabins or single bed for Single Cabins. Twin Cabins also includes an ensuite with shower, toilet and vanity and the Single Cabins includes vanity and mirror with two shared ensuite/showers located at one end of the carriage and a shared toilet at the other end.
The Lounge Carriage is where you can enjoy pre and post dinner drinks which is a perfect place to catch up with fellow travellers and meet with friends – new and old. Bar attendants are on hand to serve you, with water, soft drink and juices included. Aurora Australis is licensed to serve alcohol which can be purchase at an additional cost. Their liquor license does not allow BYO.
The Dining Carriage serves regional cuisine, freshly prepared by chefs onboard and where possible using locally sourced and fresh produce. Seating 48 guests, set to tables of four, staff onboard will do their very best to ensure you are seated at your preferred time and with your preferred travel companions.
Unpack only once and enjoy everything that slow rail touring provides!
Tour Highlights
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Delight in the sights and sounds of Fairground Follies, the Antique Mechanical Music Museum in Bowral
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Enjoy a tour and lunch experience at a Coolamon artisan cheese maker
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From farm to fork & vine to wine, meet a collection of some of the best producers in the Riverina
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Stop at Mt Victoria, for an adventure on the Zig Zag Railway
Gallery
5 Day Itinerary
Your Riverina adventure starts at Sydney’s Central Station. Once
onboard the Aurora Australis, and either choose to relax in the
lounge carriage, or settle into your cabin while we travel south
from Sydney. Lunch will be served onboard the train today as we
travel to Goulburn, where you will have the choice from two
off-train experiences.
Option 1: Retford Park National Trust
Built in 1887 by the Hordern family and lavishly redesigned by
James Fairfax in the 1960s, Retford Park is a place of great
heritage significance located in the heart of Bowral, Gundungurra
Country.Be amazed by the ‘Portuguese Pink’ mansion while
wandering the pristine gardens dotted with sculptures and
artworks. With 60,000 artefacts, textiles, and furniture within its
collection, here enjoy a guided house tour, and a stroll around the
stunning gardens.
Option 2: Fairground Follies
The Fairground Follies at the Antique Mechanical Music Museum
features a most exciting and unique collection of fairground and
mechanical music. “Where good times of the past, make great
times for today”. An interactive experience featuring cultural
music, folk art, a 100-year-old carousel and much more. This
is an enchanting attraction, a magical place filled with music,
entertainment and history of antique mechanical music. Enjoy a
guided tour and afternoon-tea.
Following your first day of touring, rejoin your train in Moss Vale
and enjoy dinner onboard as we travel to Goulburn and stable for
the evening.
Enjoy breakfast onboard as we leave Goulburn and continue
along the Main South Line. We pass many interesting villages and
towns today as we travel through the Canola Trail, so keep an eye
out for the many grain silos adjacent to the rail line. Our train then
arrives into Junee, and there is an opportunity to watch the Loco
Runaround movement.
Our first stop for the day is the Historical Railway Museum featuring
a 100-foot turntable, showcasing steam and diesel locomotives.
The Junee Roundhouse is one of just a few surviving, working,
railway Roundhouses in the Southern Hemisphere. It is uniquely
Australian as its size, being fully circular and having a long, ‘100
foot’, turntable. While the Museum is part of the Roundhouse, the
other part, including the turntable, is still used as a diesel locomotive
servicing facility by Junee Railway Workshop.
Have you ever wanted to see what happens at a licorice factory?
Your next stop is the Junee Licorice & Chocolate factory. As soon
as you step foot in the front door you’ll be immersed in the delicious
aroma of licorice and chocolate, one of chocolatiers will talk you
through the process of licorice and chocolate production and you’ll
witness it being made before your eyes.
We then have a short drive to Coolamon where our lunch spot
awaits. Enjoy a tour with an artisan cheese maker located in the
heart of the Riverina, known for creating an innovative range of
handcrafted cheese, followed by lunch.
There is free time to wander about Coolamon town before we rejoin
the train and head onto Murrami. After dinner onboard, enjoy a
special stargazing experience in Murrami.
Today you will enjoy breakfast onboard before departing on one of
the below off-train experiences.
Option 1: Meet The Producers – Morella Grove Farm, Southern Cotton Gin and Whitton Malt House
Nestled in the lush Riverina region of New South Wales, Morella
Grove is where the essence of nature meets Frank and his family’s
passion for excellence. This award winning producer of olive oil,
following a paddock to plate philosophy is your first stop of the
day. Morella Grove is a beacon of sustainability, in the Riverina’s
arid beauty, they practise minimal intervention, respecting and
nurturing the natural environment. Next is it a visit to Southern
Cotton, an independently owned ginning facility located in Whitton.
Consistently ranked as one of the best gins in Australia, the privately owned Southern Cotton provides fast, timely ginning for local
growers. Your tour concludes with lunch at Whitton Malt House.
Optional Upgrade: Whisky Tasting at Whitton Malt House
(limited capacity)
Try a curated selection of fine whisky’s.
Option 2: Farm & Vines – Murray Cod Farm And Calabria Wines
Specialising in producing premium pond grown Murray Cod, join a
guided tour of Murray Cod Farm, which is committed to sustainability and operates with a focus on improving the natural environment. From here, journey onto Calabria Family Wines, where you’re invited to savour the essence of the families’ wines and the warmth of their traditions. Renowned for Italian hospitality, at Calabria Family Wines you will experience a fusion of flavours and aromas through the café bar menu, new museum and sensory wall, plus explore exquisite wines and discover new favourites. Enjoy a wine-tasting and Italian shared platter style lunch.
Following your tour, rejoin the train in Yenda and travel onto Temora
where we stable overnight, enjoying another delicious dinner onboard
Breakfast this morning is onboard before experiencing Temora. Today you can choose one of two Temora tours:
Option 1: Bundawarrah Centre
Visit the Bundawarrah Centre which houses the Temora Rural
Museum. Spend the morning experiencing the history of the region
including a cottage of hardwood slabs that was Sir Donald Bradman’s first home, a one room public school, bush church, country dance hall, printery, flour mill and ambulance station. Next is the Ambulance Museum which includes ambulance vehicles and conveyances dating back to 1897.
Option 2: Temora Aviation Museum
Alternatively spend the morning exploring the Temora Aviation
Museum which was built on the site of the biggest and longest
lasting RAAF Elementary Flying Training School during World War
II. There are three main exhibit buildings to discover, the Museum
which is in the original 10 EFTS Guardhouse; the second exhibition
area, located in the Engineering Hangar overlooking the aircraft
which are currently in maintenance; and the Display Hangar which
houses the new exhibitions area along with the aircraft.
Coaches will return you to Temora Station where lunch will be
served in the dining carriage as we travel on freight only lines via
Stockinbingal. There are many freight trains to pass on this single
track line, and we are likely to experience delays. Dinner will be
served onboard the train as we travel through Parkes and onto the
Broken Hill line to Orange Rail Yard.
Enjoy breakfast as we travel from Orange and towards the Great
Dividing Range. On through Lithgow and through the 10 tunnels that
replaced the Lithgow Zig-Zag, then cross the Darling Causeway on
the way to Mount Victoria. Stopping at Mount Victoria, we disembark for a fun adventure on Lithgow’s Zig Zag Railway. Soak up the sights, smells and scenery on Australia’s historic rail adventure – the Zig Zag Railway. Established in 1869, you’ll enjoy a relaxing ride on the romantic, nostalgic, impressive steam locomotive as it hauls you over the Great Lithgow Zig Zag. With a grazing boxed lunch
provided, you’ll then have free time in Leura and Katoomba before
reboarding the train for the last leg of your Vintage Rail Journey as
we arrive back into Sydney Central Station
Itinerary is subject to change due to circumstances beyond the operators control.
Tour Inclusions
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All-inclusive dining, wines, beverages, tea & coffee throughout your journey
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A range of curated tours
Tour Dates & Prices
Departure Date | Return Date | Price Per Person From | |
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21/04/2025 | 25/04/2025 | $4,195 per person twin share – Twin Cabin / $4,145 per person single – Heritage Single Cabin | |
05/05/2025 | 09/05/2025 | $4,195 per person twin share – Twin Cabin / $4,145 per person single – Heritage Single Cabin | |
19/05/2025 | 23/05/2025 | $4,195 per person twin share – Twin Cabin / $4,145 per person single – Heritage Single Cabin | |
02/06/2025 | 06/06/2025 | $4,195 per person twin share – Twin Cabin / $4,145 per person single – Heritage Single Cabin | |
16/06/2025 | 20/06/2025 | $4,195 per person twin share – Twin Cabin / $4,145 per person single – Heritage Single Cabin | |
30/06/2025 | 04/07/2025 | $4,195 per person twin share – Twin Cabin / $4,145 per person single – Heritage Single Cabin | |
02/02/2026 | 06/02/2026 | $4,490 per person twin share – Twin Cabin / $4,290 per person single – Heritage Single Cabin | |
16/02/2026 | 20/02/2026 | $4,490 per person twin share – Twin Cabin / $4,290 per person single – Heritage Single Cabin | |
02/03/2026 | 06/03/2026 | $4,490 per person twin share – Twin Cabin / $4,290 per person single – Heritage Single Cabin | |
16/03/2026 | 20/03/2026 | $4,490 per person twin share – Twin Cabin / $4,290 per person single – Heritage Single Cabin | |
30/03/2026 | 03/04/2026 | $4,490 per person twin share – Twin Cabin / $4,290 per person single – Heritage Single Cabin | |
13/04/2026 | 17/04/2026 | $4,490 per person twin share – Twin Cabin / $4,290 per person single – Heritage Single Cabin | |
27/04/2026 | 01/05/2026 | $4,490 per person twin share – Twin Cabin / $4,290 per person single – Heritage Single Cabin |
HERITAGE TWIN CABINS
- Heritage Twin cabins accommodate 2 guests
- By day, you have a 3-seat lounge
- By night, you have upper and lower bunks (one member of your party will need to be able to climb the ladder to the top bunk)
- You have your own ensuite, complete with the original fold down hand basin and fold down toilet
HERITAGE SINGLE CABINS
- We love to welcome solo guests onboard, and there is no single supplement for our Heritage Single cabin
- Each has a Day Lounge, foot rest, fold down washbasin and mirror
- By night, your cabin converts to a cosy bed
- A large, shared bathroom is available at either end of the Singles carriage
Terms and Conditions
All pricing is on a per person twin share basis, unless otherwise noted ie: stated as a single. All prices based on cash payment – credit & debit card fees may apply. Deposits, amendment and cancellation conditions apply. Please note that many of the prices shown on this website are not shown in real time. Whilst we endeavour to keep our pricing as up-to-date as possible, the advertised prices shown here may differ slightly from the live prices in our booking system. All pricing and offers are subject to availability at time of booking. Whilst all information is correct at the time of publication, offers are subject to change. We reserve the right to correct errors without penalty. Full Terms & Conditions of tour/cruise operators will be supplied on booking, or ask us for full Terms & Conditions at the time of enquiry.
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