The Aurora Australis, originally the Southern Aurora, was an overnight sleeping train that ran between Sydney and Melbourne from 1962 to 1986.
The Aurora Australis, originally the Southern Aurora, was an overnight sleeping train that ran between Sydney and Melbourne from 1962 to 1986.
Take it from a tour leader with years of train travel under her belt - a nostalgic rail ride through the heart of NSW is something quite special, writes Sally Blyth.
Brimming with allure and a hint of yesteryear, train travel is a gentle, unhurried and refined way to get from A to B. Vintage Rail Journeys’ regional tours across NSW on the privately owned and restored Aurora Australis offer this and more. My recent five-day/four-night Golden West rail tour through the heart of NSW was a blend of outstanding service, wonderful scenery, unique off-train excursions and relaxed fellowship on board.
Formerly known as the Southern Aurora, an overnight sleeping train running between Sydney and Melbourne from 1962 to 1986, the train was discontinued when patronage decreased as flying became prevalent. Its carriages ended up in the hands of rail preservation groups, but they now have a new lease of active life.
I listen with incredulity as owners Simon and Danielle tell the story of how they “accidentally bought a train”. Simon, an accountant, train enthusiast and trombonist, and Danielle, a career public servant and trumpeter, retired early from their professional careers and spent time overseas playing in brass bands and exploring the world. In 2017, some of the Aurora’s carriages were put up for sale and, although Simon’s initial involvement was as a seed funder, that status evolved into total immersion when they found themselves as the train’s new owners – and Vintage Rail Journeys was born.
Many guest attendants on the train are ex-Qantas flight attendants, providing business-class style service.
They set about bringing the dining and luggage cars, plus the 17 original sleeping cars they purchased, back into operation and ran their inaugural private passenger trip in November 2020 – the same itinerary I have just enjoyed.
We had 99 passengers on board housed in seven cars, with about one-third being repeat guests. After a settling-in period, soon enough, everything feels second nature. Twinette cars have 10 compartments, each with three seats by day, two bunks by night and a compact en suite with all amenities. Roomette cars have cosy single compartments with a fold-down basin. Shared bathroom facilities are modern and spacious and the shower schedules are well-managed.
Each car has a dedicated guest attendant offering efficient and professional service throughout. Many are ex-Qantas flight attendants, and making you feel special and cared for, business-class-style, comes naturally. They serve refreshments and snacks and keep guests updated about excursions and on board happenings, which include a wine-tasting, and discretely convert seats to beds and vice versa. Daily newsletters outlining the next day’s schedule are left on your bed, often with a gift or keepsake. Comfy and cleverly designed, with a 1960s vibe, the compartments are pleasant spaces from which to contemplate life and watch the NSW scenery go by: yellow canola fields in full bloom; Captertree Valley’s impressive sandstone cliffs; the Great Dividing Range on the horizon.
The journey offers off-train excursions, introducing guests to local delights like gardens, vineyards, old homes, and even a river cruise.
More than 20 staff work tirelessly and diligently to ensure a comfortable and streamlined experience. The “safe working crew” operates the locomotives, brought in especially for each journey, and carries out maintenance night and day. Trainspotters are out and about, sometimes organising their own road itineraries to link up with our train in and en route to Paterson, Werris Creek, Orange and Rylstone, where the train stables overnight and we sleep soundly without rattle or wobble.
The lounge car is a busy place. With a range of drinks and snacks available for purchase, guests congregate for conversation and camaraderie. A sense of belonging to the on board community happens quickly and easily.
There are three dining sittings and the meals are excellent (with a choice of two mains and three desserts). Guests eat breakfast at their leisure; continental in the lounge car and/or cooked in the dining car. The train comes alive early, with many guests up and about as the sun rises. At the end of the day, there is something soothing about watching the sun go down, with wine in hand and friendly chit-chat, as the train trundles along, sometimes on freight-only lines, and renders you weary.
A 1950s Flxible Clipper bus accompanies the train, adding to the mid-century theme and nostalgia.
Simon and Danielle enjoy helping out the communities along the way by introducing guests to local delights through a variety of ever-changing off-train excursions: gardens, villages, orchards, olive groves, vineyards, old homes, museums and a river cruise. We pre-select our preferred options in advance (all included) and coaches deliver us to our chosen destination. In keeping with the mid-century theme, a fabulous 1950s-era Flxible Clipper bus, which oozes nostalgia and comfort, accompanies the train all the way.
There is only room for a cabin bag on board which, given the journey covers five days, makes packing a challenge for those of us who like choice. It also impels you to be extra mindful of what you need to take, rather than what you want to! Space is tight, but there is a deceptively roomy cupboard to hang clothes and store shoes and, if the journey is part of a longer trip, suitcases get stored in the luggage car.
The mode is casual, comfy and tidy, with no need to dress up fancy for dinner, although you can. We had the bonus of superb blue-sky weather throughout but, with chilly mornings and evenings, a puffer jacket and/or vest was essential. A light scarf – the best travel accessory – was valuable too.
As a notorious over-packer, I managed to pack rigorously, lightly and with versatility for this trip, and yet only wore about two-thirds of what I took. I’ve always lamented that practice doesn’t make perfect when it comes to packing, for me at least, but perhaps I’ve finally cracked it.
The train starts and completes its journey in Sydney, but I disembarked in Katoomba, amidst a feast of farewells, to spend a couple of days in the Blue Mountains.
Simon and Danielle’s inadvertent acquisition has provided them with an enduring labour of love and guests with a relaxing, multi-dimensional travel experience. Fully hands-on and across every aspect of the journey, they are visible, amiable, accessible and generous hosts, with many stories to share. Manager Tammy is right alongside them.
As private train preservationists, Simon and Danielle work together with Lachlan Valley Railway, accredited operators and not-for-profit preservationists, to form a partnership that enables Vintage Rail Journeys’ offerings to be taken to the next level. Other itineraries include the Riverina Rail Tour which heads south from Sydney into Australia’s “food bowl”, and the North Coast Rail Tour which travels up the coastline to Byron Bay. If you enjoy a leisurely pace, superb service and something a bit different, you’ll love these train trips.
