Y Not Experience a Slow Rail Journey onboard this unique Y-Class hauled Winelander as it undertakes a summer exploration of the Goldfields enjoying some of the best wine in Victoria. Travel on this not to be missed summer exploration of the Goldfields visiting beautifully preserved towns and travelling on some of Australia's most unique and interesting railways. Travel to the historic towns of Maldon, Daylesford and Castlemaine. Enjoy a triple headed Y-Class run on the Victorian Goldfields Railway. Experience a private charter of the Daylesford Spa Country Railway including a stop at the much acclaimed Passing Clouds Winery and enjoy the best gastronomic experiences of this fascinating region.
Fares range from $800 to $1,345 per person.
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Tour Highlights
Highlights
Step back in time onboard a Slow Rail Journey to enjoy a weekend of slow rail travel to some of the Victorian Goldfield's most beautiful preserved historic towns and exciting tourist railways.
Itinerary
Friday 1-December
Your Slow Rail Journey will commence with a bon-voyage dinner at the historic Savoy Hotel (where we will check-in guests and provide cabin allocations for the weekend) before our friendly volunteers escort you to the train.
Entering Melbourne's busy Southern Cross Station, you will immediately notice our heritage diesel locomotives and our moving museum of carriages juxtaposing the modernity and hustle surrounding. From the moment you board, you'll instantly relax, enjoying the elegance of a bygone era.
At 10:10 pm, the Winelander will wake up the station as the whistle is sounded announcing our departure. Join your fellow travellers and tour organisers in our Club Car for a welcome aboard drink and evening supper as we head north out of the city. Enjoy drinks at the bar as the train climbs the Great Dividing Range toward the Goldfields.
Saturday 2-December
During the night, our train, hauled by two Y-Class locomotives (including Seven-0-Seven Operations' original V/Line livery Y12,7), will climb through Gisborne, Woodend and Kyneton toward Castlemaine, where we will stable for the night, allowing guests a restful night's sleep onboard.
Waking in one of Victoria's most dynamic regional towns, guests enjoy breakfast onboard before being offered a guided walk of the historic centre of Castlemaine. Historic Castlemaine is a bustling town renowned for its eclectic arts scene, rich gold rush history, and growing reputation as a fine food destination.
Returning to Castlemaine Station, guests rebound the train to commence our first run along the volunteer-run historic railway linking the historic gold mining towns of Castlemaine and Maldon. The 17km branch from Castlemaine to Maldon opened in 1884 following the discovery of gold in Maldon. The line was ultimately extended to Shellborne. When bushfires destroyed wooden trestle bridges between Shellborne and Maldon, the line was rendered useless and was officially closed in December 1976.
Volunteers from the Victorian Goldfields Railway obtained and renovated rolling stock, and by 1986, trains were able to operate on a one-kilometre section of track out of Maldon. By 1996, the line from Muckleford to Maldon had been restored, and the entire line to Castlemaine was restored to operational status in 2004.
Our sleeping car train will make a mid-morning run from Castlemaine to Maldon hauled by two Y-Class diesel locomotives - Y157 and Y127. Guests sit back and relax onboard, perhaps enjoying a barista-made coffee as we pass along this spectacular branch line.
On arrival into Maldon, our second off-train experience of the weekend - touring Daylesford, including a private charter run onboard the Daylesford Spa Country Railway - will depart.
After a short coach journey, we will arrive in Daylesford. Famous as a place to take time out, invigorate body and mind, and reignite your imagination amid the spectacular forests and natural mineral waters, the historic town of Daylesford is a local tourist Mecca.
After a gourmet lunch served in Daylesford, we will ride one of Victoria's most unique tourist railways - the Daylesford Spa Country Railway on a private charter run hauled by Y-Class locomotive Y159.
The Daylesford Spa Country Railway is a unique tourist railway running 9km through some of Central Victoria's most spectacular scenery between Daylesford and Bullarto. The line passes through heavily timbered forest, fern gullies, open farming and more before climbing a 1 in 50 grade to Bullarto. At 747.4m, Bullarto is Victoria's highest railway station. While most of the Daylesford Spa Country Railway trains are railcars, we have the unique opportunity to see Y159 - a rare event!
After a short stop to explore the historic station in Bullarto, we return to the train for the short journey to a private platform at the much acclaimed Passing Clouds Winery, where we stop for a private tasting.
Returning to the train and Daylesford, finish the tour with a stop at the Chocolate Mill - one of Central Victoria's many famous food providers.
Returning to Maldon, it is time to board a privately chartered steam-hauled Victorian Goldfields Railway train along the branch line to Castlemaine for dinner. Hauled by steam locomotive J 549 and Y Class Diesel Y 127, the train is quite a way to travel to dinner! Relax in the Victorian Goldfields Railway's immaculately restored first-class carriages - Tambo, Macedon, and Acheron- enjoying a pre-dinner drink while watching the highlands scenery glide past the train windows.
On arrival in Castlemaine, it is a short walk to the Railway Hotel - one of the most acclaimed gastro-pubs in Victoria, where we will be served a gourmet dinner.
After dinner, enjoy a spirited steam, and Y-Class hauled run in the luxurious surrounds of the VGR's parlour cars back along the branch line to Maldon to rejoin the train for a comfortable night's rest onboard.
Sunday 3-December
Sunday morning breakfast is served in the dining car before an optional guided walking off-train experience around the historic town. Take a journey through historic Maldon and experience life 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. In recognition, in 2006, the National Trust awarded Maldon the 'most intact heritage streetscape' in Australia.
Returning to the Winelander, we make one last run along the branch line to Castlemaine - a journey that will be a highlight of the weekend for many. The train will depart Maldon Hauled by 3 Y-Class locomotives - Y 127, Y 133 and Y 157.
Arriving in Castlemaine, there is time for one last gastronomic experience - a gourmet lunch at one of the stunning wineries in the region, coupled with a tasting of some of the region's best wines.
After lunch, relax into an afternoon of slow rail travel as afternoon tea and a tasting by our onboard sommelier are served in the dining car. Watch as the landscape changes from the vast fertile river plains to the Great Dividing Range and, finally, the fringes of Melbourne.
After a spectacular view descending the range, we speed through the suburbs into Melbourne, Southern Cross, where our train will arrive and terminate after a weekend that you won't forget.
Off-Train Experiences
Fares
Timetable
Route Map
Sleeping Carriages
Enjoy overnight travel aboard our fleet of heritage sleeping cars.
Note: We cannot offer our Glamping - Heritage Cabins on this departure due to train length restrictions.
On-Train Facilities
The train will feature a fully stocked bar/club car, a luxurious dining car and an open plan seating car for your enjoyment during the tour.
Locomotives
Our train will feature diesel locomotives sourced from our Heritage fleet, including several Y-Classes that will feature throughout the tour.
