6 unsung train journeys you need to know about

Elizabeth Whitehead Elizabeth Whitehead
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When it comes to epic train journeys, Australia is a lucky country.

Australia’s train journeys are more than just a way to get from A to B. Many are steeped in history and take in some of the country’s most beautiful scenery. And there’s nothing quite like watching the landscape roll by from the window seat.

However, for a country famous for its epic train journeys, we often take our passenger trains and regional railways for granted. Here are six unsung train journeys that warrant an excursion, from regular commuter trains to sections of outback railway.

1. The South Coast Line, NSW

Journey time: Two hours and 10 minutes.

For lucky locals on the NSW South Coast, the train line that connects Sydney, Wollongong and Kiama is just an everyday mode of transport. But it also takes in some of the prettiest views of the country as it skirts the Royal National Park before following the glittering ocean.

Enjoy the scenery as the train winds down to Kiama, where you can alight to explore blowholes, beaches and whale-watching spots. 

Aerial view of South Coast Line train in NSW
There are plenty of gems along this train route. (Image: State of NSW –  Transport for NSW)

2. The XPT, Qld to NSW

Journey time: Five hours.

XPT is short for “express passenger train". These trains connect the East Coast’s state capitals as well as the regional hubs of Casino, Grafton and Dubbo.

On a jaunt between Brisbane and the blissful coastal town of Coffs Harbour, you’ll journey through the emerald Byron Hinterland, forests of stringy gumtrees and rolling pastures flecked with grazing sheep and livestock. It’s the stuff of dreams.

For those who want to experience the same scenery in total comfort, The Great Southern is a luxury train adventure that passes through the region on its journey between Brisbane and Adelaide.

an aerial view of the Great Southern train passing through Coffs Harbour
Pretty scenes on the railway passing Coffs Harbour NSW’s North Coast.

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3. Melbourne to Ballarat, Vic

Journey time: One hour and 55 minutes.

The V Line train from Melbourne to Ballarat is certainly a picturesque one. On the way to this UNESCO Creative City of Crafts and Folk Art, you’ll traverse rolling golden plains, farmland and native bush.

Ballarat railway station is a heritage relic, with most of its original 19th-century features still intact. Spend a day wandering around the heritage streetscapes and be sure to drop into the country’s oldest regional art gallery.

exterior view of Ballarat Railway Station
Ballarat Railway Station opened in 1862.

4. The Gulflander, Qld

Journey time: Five hours for a full trip. Two hours for short trips.

Affectionately dubbed the train from “nowhere to nowhere," The Gulflander is a passenger train between the outpost towns of Normanton and Croydon in Northern Queensland. The entire line is isolated from the rest of Queensland’s railway network, making this a unique and truly remote adventure.

Along 151 kilometres, the train takes in outback scenery that’s stunning in its sprawling vastness. Both stations of Normanton and Croydon are heritage-listed, making this a great one for history buffs.

The gulflander
The Gulflander travels “from nowhere to nowhere" in outback Queensland.

5. The North Coast Line, NSW

Journey time: One hour and 20 minutes.

Taking the beauty of the Hawkesbury River by rail is a special sight to behold as the train skirts along the river’s edge. From the window, you can admire the little river shacks perched upon the shores, the boat-flecked bays and the dense native bushland.

The view overlooking the Hawkesbury River A woman coming out of a tent in the Glenworth Valley camping grounds in Central Coast, Australia
The train takes in the Hawkesbury River’s beautiful boat-flecked bays.

On this journey, you’ll cross the Hawkesbury Bridge, a 19th-century feat of engineering that was the final jigsaw piece to connect the railway between Adelaide, Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane. 

On the kilometre-long ride over, it feels as if you’re hovering over the water. There’s an express from Sydney to Woy Woy, or take the regular route and alight at Hawkesbury River station to explore the charming town of Brooklyn.

Aerial view of Hawkesbur River Rail Bridge
The Hawkesbury River Bridge is a 19th-century feat of engineering. (Image: Elias Bitar via Getty Images)

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6. Melbourne to Bendigo, Vic

Journey time: Two hours.

There are plenty of reasons to visit Bendigo. Australia’s fourth-largest regional town won the title of Australia’s top town this year, due to its impressive arts, culture and food scene in a heritage backdrop.

And to add to that, the train ride from Melbourne is a picturesque one, as you pass through the Macedon Ranges and pretty gold rush towns on the way.

grand architecture in Bendigo
Bendigo is rich in gold-rush history and grand architecture.
Elizabeth Whitehead
Elizabeth Whitehead is a writer obsessed with all things culture; doesn't matter if it's pop culture or cultures of the world. She graduated with a degree in History from the University of Sydney (after dropping out from Maths). Her bylines span AFAR, Lonely Planet, ELLE, Harper's BAZAAR and Refinery 29. Her work for Australian Traveller was shortlisted for single article of the year at the Mumbrella Publishing Awards 2024. She is very lucky in thrifting, very unlucky in UNO.
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3 wild corners of Australia that let you reconnect with nature (in comfort)

    Kassia Byrnes Kassia Byrnes
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    The country’s rawest places offer some of its most transformative, restorative experiences.

    Australia offers sublime opportunities to disappear into the ancient, untouched wilderness, worlds away from modern stress. Wild Bush Luxury offers a collection of experiences that are a portal into the continent’s wildest, most undiscovered landscapes, from wide floodplains to vast savannas, where the only distractions are birdsong, frog calls, curious wallabies and the daily drama of sunset. With a focus on conservation and Indigenous knowledge, these all-inclusive experiences allow guests to slow down and quiet their minds for intimate encounters with the natural world.

    1. Bamurru Plains

    safari tent at Bamurru Plains wild bush luxury
    Let nature take front row.

    In the remote Top End, just outside Kakadu National Park on the fringes of the spectacular Mary River floodplains, you’ll find Bamurru Plains, a peerless Australian safari camp. After a quick air transfer from Darwin to the camp’s private airstrip, you’ll be whisked away via 4WD to a vivid natural wonderland of shimmering floodplains, red earth, herds of peacefully grazing water buffalo and 236 bird species (Bamurru means magpie goose to the Gagadju people).

    Accommodations consist of 10 mesh-walled bungalows and two luxe stilted retreats where guests enjoy panoramic, up-close views that invite them into their rightful place in the landscape (and binoculars to see it even better). Being an off-grid experience designed to help guests disconnect, the only distractions are birdsongs, frog calls, curious wallabies, the occasional crocodile sighting and the daily drama of the spectacular golden sunset.

    It’s a place where nature’s vastness rises to the level of the spiritual, and Bamurru’s understated, stylish,  largely solar-powered lodgings are designed to minimise human impact and let nature take front row.  Guests relax in comfort with plush linens, an open bar, communal tables that allow for spontaneous connections and curated dining experiences from the in-house chef using local ingredients and bush-inspired cooking methods.

    Bamurru Plains airboat tour
    Zoom across the floodplains. (Image: Adam Gibson)

    It’s a restorative backdrop for days spent zooming across the mist-covered floodplains in an airboat, birding with expert guides, taking an open-sided safari drive or river cruise through croc country. Spend time at the Hide, a treehouse-like platform that’s perfect for wildlife spotting.

    In fact, nature is so powerful here that Bamurru Plains closes entirely during the peak monsoon season (October to April), when the floodplains reclaim the land and life teems unseen beneath the water. Yet Wild Bush Luxury’s ethos continues year-round through its other experiences around Australia – each designed to immerse travellers in a distinct Australian wilderness at its most alive and untouched.

    2. Maria Island Walk

    woman on a headland of Maria Island Walk
    Maria Island Walk offers sweeping coastal scenes.

    Off Tasmania’s rugged east coast, the iconic Maria Island Walk is an intimate four-day journey through one of the country’s most hauntingly beautiful and unpopulated national parks, encompassing pristine beaches, convict-era ruins, and wildlife sightings galore. Accessible only by a small ferry, Maria Island feels like a place reclaimed by nature, which is exactly what it is: a penal settlement later used for farms and industry that finally became a national park in 1972.

    These days, the island is known as ‘Tasmania’s Noah’s Ark’ and its only human inhabitants are park rangers. It’s a place where wombats amble through grassy meadows, wallabies graze beside empty beaches, dolphins splash in clear water just offshore and Tasmanian devils – successfully reintroduced in 2012 after near-extinction on the mainland – roam free and healthy.

    Each day unfolds in an unhurried rhythm: trails through coastal eucalyptus forests or along white-sand bays, plateaus with sweeping ocean views, quiet coves perfect for swimming. Midway through the journey, you’ll explore Darlington, a remarkably preserved 19th-century convict settlement whose ruins tell stories of human ambition at the edge of the known world.

    At night, sleep beneath a canopy of stars in eco-wilderness camps – after relaxing with Tasmanian wine and locally-sourced meals, and swapping stories with your fellow trekkers by candlelight.

    3. Arkaba

    two people standing next to a 4wd in Arkaba
    Explore Arkaba on foot or on four wheels.

    For a bush immersion with more of an outback flavour, Arkaba offers a completely different type of experience. A former sheep station and historic homestead in South Australia’s striking Flinders Ranges that has been reimagined as a 63,000-acre private wildlife conservancy. It’s now patrolled mainly by kangaroos and emus.

    Small-scale tourism (the homestead has just five ensuite guestrooms) helps support rewilding projects, and guests become an essential part of the conservation journey. Days begin with sunrise hikes through ancient sandstone ridges or guided drives into the ranges to spot yellow-footed rock-wallabies. And end with sundowners on a private ridgetop watching the Elder Range glow vibrant shades of gold, crimson and violet as the air cools and time stands still.

    Here, you can join conservation activities like tracking native species or learning about Arkaba’s pioneering feral-animal eradication projects, then unwind with chef-prepared dinners served alfresco on the veranda of the homestead, which is both rustic and refined. The highlight? Following Arkaba Walk, a thriving outback wilderness where emus wander and fields of wildflowers grow.

    It’s an unforgettable immersion in Australia’s vast inland beauty, a place where the land’s deep and complicated history – and astounding resilience – leave their quiet imprint long after you return home. In a world where genuine awe is rare, Wild Bush Luxury offers a return to what matters most in the untamed beauty of Australia’s wilderness.

    Disconnect from the grind and reconnect with nature when you book with at wildbushluxury.com