Map MS - Rail map of Eastern Victoria and Southern New South Wales.

Countrylink's Melbourne to Sydney XPT runs through Yarra, between Gunning and Goulburn (Map ref D3).

Photo Courtesy Railpix

This map covers the Southern part of the State of New South Wales, the Eastern part of the State of Victoria as well as the Australian Captial Territory. It includes the major cities of Sydney and Melbourne. The countryside ranges from flat broadacre crop land in the North-West to high rainfall warm temperate coastal lands along the East. The Great Dividing Range separates the inland from the coast and rises to Alpine in the South-East with winter snow-coverage in parts. The South Coast is fertile dairy farming land.

Long distance trains in New South Wales are operated by the Government owned operator Countrylink. Their trains are operated almost exlusively by relatively modern trains capable of reasonably high speeds - although the nature of the tracks they traverse means that speeds are limited to something like that of road vehicles. The Countrylink XPT trains are based on the British HST, and the Xplorer trains are a slightly newer railcar train. XPTs and Xplorers are fully air-conditioned and offer buffet services. Some XPT services also provide sleeping berths in two-per compartment style. Countrylink provides two daily XPT services between Sydney and Melbourne - one departs each end each morning and travels during daylight hours, and another departs each end and travels overnight arriving the following morning. The Canberra Xplorer train operates two times daily between Sydney and Canberra. Once per week, additional cars are attached between Sydney and Goulburn where they detach and operate to Griffith. This Griffith train returns the following day and attaches to the train from Canberra at Goulburn and returns to Sydney. Countrylink also operates a daily XPT train from Sydney to Orange and then to Dubbo (off map to the North). This train operates a return trip leaving Sydney in the morning and returning in the afternoon.

Cityrail, the Sydney metropolitan rail operator, provide trains between Sydney and Nowra. It is normally necessary to change trains at Dapto or Kiama. There are a number of services daily on this route. Click on the area indicated to view more detail of the Sydney to Nowra line.

Longer distance trains to the West are operated by Great Southern Railways (GSR), a private company. Their major trains in this region is the twice weekly "Indian Pacific" (Sydney-Adelaide-Perth). GSR's trains are locomotive hauled and offer a full range of on-board services including sleeping berths and a buffet and dining car. These trains are not generally speedy, but they are comfortable and are promoted as 'land-cruises'.

Most trains in Victoria are operated by "V/Line". They operate services on this page from Melbourne to Albury, Shepparton, Traralgon and Bairnsdale. V/Line trains are generally modern and fairly speedy. They are either locomotive hauled or modern diesel railcar operated. Services are quite frequent by Australian standards, and the routes cover relatively short distance. It is very easy to make day return trips from Melbourne to all V/Line destinations on this page.

In the Ski-fields of Southern NSW between Bullock's Flat, Perisher and Mount Blue Cow, Australia's only ski-train service is provided by Ski-Tube. This rack-railway operates very regularly in winter months and to a reduced shcedule outside snow season.

The Spirit of Tasmania Ferry operates daily from Melbourne to Devonport in Tasmania, generally running overnight, but occasional extra trips are run in daylight hours at peak holiday times. They also operate a twice or three times weekly ferry between Sydney and Devonport.

There is a decent range of tourist railways in this region. The Cowra based Lachlan Valley Railway (LVR) operate occasional steam or diesel hauled trains to selected destinations in Western New South Wales. The ACT Division of the Australian Railway Historical Society operate the Michelago Tourist Railway and they run numerous steam and railcar day and half-day tours from Canberra to Michelago and Bungendore. They also operate the Yass Railway Museum from where they plan to operate occasional trips along the former Yass Tramway from Yass Town station toward Yass Junction. The Cooma Monaro Railway have restored the track between Cooma and Chakola in Southern NSW, and offer return rides in restored railmotors on weekends from Cooma to Bunyan or Chakola. A Wagga Wagga based group called Tumba Rail operate rail trike rides on the former Tumbarumba railway between Ladysmith and Forest Hill. GreenTRail provide rail trike rides on weekends and at other times under the banner The Stringybark Express between Wahgunyah and Rutherglen in one of the wine growing regions of North-Eastern Victoria. One of Australia's more spectacular torist railways is the Walhalla Goldfields Railway which operates between Thomson and Walhalla along a portion of the former Moe to Walhalla 2ft 6in gauge railway.

A printer-friendly version of this map in pdf format can be downloaded by clicking here.

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