This is a list of heritage railways in Australia, some of which can also be considered

tourist railway A heritage railway or heritage railroad (US usage) is a railway operated as living history to re-create or preserve railway scenes of the past. Heritage railways are often old railway lines preserved in a state depicting a period (or periods) i ...

s. For convenience, heritage tramways have also been included. Most are members of Association of Tourist & Heritage Rail Australia (ATHRA). In addition to active operations, abandoned and putative operations are also included, but static museum sites and rolling stock operators without a 'dedicated' line do not fall within Wikipedia's definition of heritage railways. Miniature railways with gauges of less than 380mm (15 in) are excluded. Lines named in red are lacking a detailed Wikipedia entry. The world's second preserved railway, and the first outside the United Kingdom, was Australia's

Puffing Billy Railway The Puffing Billy Railway is a narrow gauge heritage railway in the southern foothills of the Dandenong Ranges in Melbourne, Australia. The railway was one of the five narrow gauge lines of the Victorian Railways which opened around the beg ...

. This railway operates on of track, with much of its original rolling stock built as early as 1898.

New South Wales

gauge unless otherwise stated. See also

Transport Heritage NSW In 2013, Transport Heritage NSW was established by the Government of New South Wales to manage the State’s rail heritage collection and provide support to the broader transport (bus, tram, rail) heritage sector in NSW following an independent ...

Byron Bay Train The Byron Bay Train is a Nonprofit organization, not-for-profit passenger rail service in Byron Bay, New South Wales. Since commencing in December 2017, it operates on a three-kilometre section of the disused Murwillumbah railway line, Casino-Mu ...

* Campbelltown Narrow Gauge Railway— gauge *

Cooma Monaro Railway The Cooma Monaro Railway is a heritage railway museum that is actively restoring the Cooma Railway Precinct while working on the restoration of tourist trains along the section of track on the Bombala railway line, Bombala line between Cooma and ...

(railway not yet operational) * Crookwell Heritage Railway (railway not yet operational) *

Dorrigo Steam Railway & Museum The Dorrigo Steam Railway & Museum in Dorrigo, New South Wales, Australia is a large, privately owned collection of railway vehicles and equipment from the railways of New South Wales, covering both Government and private railways. The collecti ...

(railway not yet operational) * Glenreagh Mountain Railway (railway not yet operational) *

Illawarra Light Railway Museum The Illawarra Light Railway Museum operates a mainline narrow gauge light railway, a miniature gauge railway, and a museum located near Albion Park Rail near Wollongong, south of Sydney History The Illawarra Light Railway Museum Society Ltd ...

— gauge * Kandos-Rylstone Heritage Railway * Katoomba Scenic Railway—1,275mm (4 ft 2in) gauge (steepest railway in Australia—strictly, an inclined lift rather than a funicular) * Ladysmith Tourist Railway (rail bike rides within static museum site) * Lake Macquarie Light Rail—

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the anch ...

— gauge (privately owned—not open to public) * Lithgow State Mine Railway (railway not yet operational) * Michelago Tourist Railway (railway operation ceased from 2006) * Newington Armory Railway–

Olympic Park An Olympic Park is a sports campus for hosting the Olympic Games. Typically it contains the Olympic Stadium and the International Broadcast Centre. It may also contain the Olympic Village or some of the other sports venues, such as the aquatics ...

— gauge (railway operation suspended from 2020; undergoing up-grading work prior to reopening ) *

NSW Rail Museum The NSW Rail Museum is the main railway museum in New South Wales, Australia. A division of Transport Heritage NSW, it was previously known as the New South Wales Rail Transport Museum (NSWRTM), Rail Heritage Centre and Trainworks. Transport H ...

—

Thirlmere Thirlmere is a reservoir in the Borough of Allerdale in Cumbria and the English Lake District. The Helvellyn ridge lies to the east of Thirlmere. To the west of Thirlmere are a number of fells; for instance, Armboth Fell and Raven Crag both ...

* Oberon Tarana Heritage Railway (railway not yet operational) *

Richmond Vale Railway Museum The Richmond Vale Railway Museum operates a railway and museum located at the heritage-listed Richmond Main Colliery south of Kurri Kurri, New South Wales. The museum is a volunteer non-profit organization, formed in 1979 with the aim of preservi ...

Skitube The Skitube Alpine Railway is an Australian standard gauge electric rack railway in the Kosciuszko National Park in New South Wales. It provides access to the snowfields at Blue Cow Mountain and the Perisher Valley. History In the 1980s, devel ...

Sydney Tramway Museum The Sydney Tramway Museum (operated by the South Pacific Electric Railway) is Australia's oldest tramway museum and the largest in the southern hemisphere. It is located at Loftus in the southern suburbs of Sydney. History Construction of th ...

* Timbertown Heritage Railway, Wauchope—595mm (2 ft) gauge * Valley Heights Rail Museum *

Zig Zag Railway The Zig Zag Railway is an Australian heritage railway, situated near Lithgow, New South Wales. It was opened by the not-for-profit Zig Zag Railway Co-op as an unpaid volunteer-staffed heritage railway in October 1975, using the alignment of th ...

— gauge (railway operation suspended from 2012— resumed 27 May 2023)

Northern Territory

gauge * Adelaide River and Snake Creek Railway, Adelaide River (project abandoned) * Ghan Preservation Society (" The Old Ghan"), Alice Springs (railway operation ceased from 2001)

Queensland

gauge unless otherwise stated. *

Archer Park Rail Museum Archer Park Railway Museum is a heritage-listed former railway station and now transport museum at Denison Street, Rockhampton, Rockhampton Region, Queensland, Australia. It was built from 1897 to 1908. It was known as Archer Park railway sta ...

, Rockhampton * Atherton—Herberton Historic Railway *

Australian Sugar Cane Railway Australian(s) may refer to: Australia * Australia, a country * Australians, citizens of the Commonwealth of Australia ** European Australians ** Anglo-Celtic Australians, Australians descended principally from British colonists ** Aboriginal Aus ...

, Bundaberg— gauge. * Bally Hooley Steam Railway, Port Douglas— gauge. * Beaudesert Rail (railway operation ceased from 2003) * Big Pineapple Railway, Woombye— gauge. (railway operation suspended as at December 2022 ) * Brisbane Tramway Museum, Ferny Grove— gauge. (ride within static museum site) * Burrum Mining Museum, Howard— gauge. (ride within static museum site) *

Downs Explorer Downs Explorer (originally known as Southern Downs Steam Railway) was founded in 1996, initially to restore the former Queensland Railways locomotive depot in Warwick.DownsSteam Tourist Railway & Museum The DownsSteam Tourist Railway & Museum was founded in 2001 in the Toowoomba suburb of Drayton in Queensland. The station building on the complex was originally situated at Yuleba, between Roma and Miles servicing the town of Yuleba from ...

, Drayton, Toowoomba (a plan to run excursions over sections of the state system is not yet operational) *

Dreamworld Railway The Dreamworld Express is a narrow gauge railway located at the Dreamworld theme park on the Gold Coast, Queensland in Australia. History The Dreamworld Express opened with Dreamworld on 15 December 1981, as the ''Cannonball Express''. At t ...

, Coomera— gauge. (little more than a funfair railway) * Ginger Train, Yandina— gauge. *

Gulflander The ''Gulflander'' is a passenger train operated by Queensland Rail on the isolated Normanton to Croydon line in the Gulf Country of northern Queensland, Australia. History Steam locomotives were used until 1929. By that stage railmoto ...

: Croydon–Normanton. *

Kuranda Scenic Railway The Kuranda Scenic Railway is a tourist railway service that operates along the heritage-listed Cairns-to-Kuranda railway line. Constructed in 1891, the line runs from Cairns, Queensland, over the Great Dividing Range to the town of Kuranda o ...

: Cairns–Kuranda. *

Mary Valley Rattler The Mary Valley Rattler (formerly Mary Valley Heritage Railway) is a heritage railway line that conducts steam train trips and tours from Gympie through the Mary Valley using the former Mary Valley railway line in the Gympie Region, Queensland, Au ...

(previously known as Mary Valley Heritage Railway and The Valley Rattler) * Mary Ann Steam Train, Maryborough *

Queensland Pioneer Steam Railway The Queensland Pioneer Steam Railway is located near Ipswich, Queensland, Australia and runs through the former West Moreton pioneering coal fields. It was first opened in 1881 by colliery proprietor and politician Lewis Thomas (1832-1913) as a ...

(also known as Swanbank Railway) * Ravenshoe Railway Company (railway operation suspended from December 2020 - plans for reopening in progress) * Rosewood Railway (railway operation suspended as at December 2022 ) *

Savannahlander The Savannahlander is an Australian passenger train service (primarily serving tourists) that operates in Far North Queensland. It travels on the Tablelands railway line and the Etheridge railway line from the coastal city of Cairns to Forsay ...

—Cairns–Forsayth. * Sea World Railway, Main Beach— gauge. (railway operation ceased by 2022; not to be confused with monorail which also ceased from 2022 ) * Southern Downs Steam Railway—former name of

South Australia

unless otherwise noted * Cobdogla Irrigation and Steam Museum Railway— gauge. (railway operation suspended from December 2022 ) * Moonta Mines Tourist Railway— gauge. *

National Railway Museum, Port Adelaide Australia's National Railway Museum is the largest railway museum in Australia. More than 100 major exhibits, mainly from the South Australian Railways (SAR) and Commonwealth Railways and their successor, Australian National, are on display a ...

—457mm (1 ft 6 in) gauge. *

Pichi Richi Railway The Pichi Richi Railway is a narrow-gauge heritage railway in the southern Flinders Ranges of South Australia between Quorn and Port Augusta. For much of its length the line lies in the picturesque Pichi Richi Pass, where the line was complete ...

— gauge. * Semaphore to Fort Glanville Tourist Railway—457mm (1 ft 6 in) gauge. (associated with National Railway Museum, see above) * South Australian Light Railway Centre, Port Milang— gauge. *

SteamRanger Heritage Railway The SteamRanger Heritage Railway is a long broad gauge tourist railway, formerly the Victor Harbor railway line of the South Australian Railways (SAR). It is operated by the not-for-profit South Australian Division of the Australian Railwa ...

Tramway Museum, St Kilda The Tramway Museum, St Kilda is Australia's principal museum of the 19th and 20th century trams of Adelaide, South Australia. It is situated at St Kilda, north of the centre of Adelaide. It is operated by the Australian Electric Transport Mus ...

— gauge. *

Victor Harbor Horse Drawn Tram The Victor Harbor Horse Drawn Tram is located on the shores of the city of Victor Harbor, South Australia, Australia. A tramway links the city's visitor information centre with the nearby Granite Island. Much of its route is over a causewa ...

Tasmania

West Coast Wilderness Railway Mount Lyell No

gauge unless otherwise stated. * Bush Mill Railway— gauge. (railway operation ceased from 2004) * Derwent Valley Railway (railway operation ceased from 2005, not yet restored to operation) *

Don River Railway The Don River Railway is a volunteer-run vintage railway and museum in Don, a suburb of Devonport, Tasmania. It runs a passenger train ride from Don to Coles Beach (operationally known as Don Junction) and return. The current line follows a re ...

Ida Bay Railway The Ida Bay Railway is a , narrow gauge heritage railway. Located south of Hobart, Tasmania, it is the most southerly railway in Australia. Early history of the area Tasmanian aborigines have occupied the island for a time still not precise ...

, Lune River (railway operation suspended from 2018, not yet operational again ) *

Launceston & North East Railway Launceston may refer to: Places * Launceston, Cornwall, a town, ancient borough, and civil parish in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom ** Launceston (UK Parliament constituency), a former parliamentary constituency in Cornwall * Launceston, Tasmani ...

(railway not yet operational) * Launceston Tramway Museum * Railtrack Riders, Maydena (rail bikes on National Park—Florentine line) * Redwater Creek Railway— gauge. (formerly Redwater Creek Heritage Museum) *

Tasmanian Transport Museum The Tasmanian Transport Museum is a museum located in Glenorchy, Tasmania, preserving and exhibiting a collection relating to Tasmanian transport history including items such as locomotives, carriages, ephemera and railroadiana. History In 1960 ...

, Glenorchy (operating ca. 2 km round trip from 23 May 2023, with plans to extend length) * Wee Georgie Wood Steam Railway, Tullah— gauge. *

West Coast Wilderness Railway The West Coast Wilderness Railway is a reconstruction of the Mount Lyell Mining and Railway Company Mount Lyell railway in Western Tasmania between Queenstown and Regatta Point, Strahan. The railway is significant because of its Abt rack s ...

Victoria

unless otherwise noted * Alexandra Timber Tramway— gauge. *

Ballarat Tramway Museum The Ballarat Tramway Museum is an operating tramway museum, located in Ballarat, Victoria, Australia. The museum is run by volunteers and has a fleet of trams which operate on part of the original horse tramway around Lake Wendouree an ...

— gauge. *

Bendigo Tramways Trams in Bendigo have operated since 1890. They ceased to operate as a means of public transport in 1972 but part of the main network continues to operate today as a tourist attraction. Limited trials have also been made in 2009 with operating ...

— gauge. *

Bellarine Railway The Bellarine Railway, formerly the Bellarine Peninsula Railway, is a volunteer-operated steam-driven tourist railway located in Victoria, Australia. It operates on a 16 km section of a formerly disused branch line on the Bellarine Penin ...

— gauge. * Coal Creek Bush Tramway— gauge. (railway operation ceased) *

Daylesford Spa Country Railway The Daylesford Spa Country Railway (which is operated by the Central Highlands Tourist Railway) is a volunteer-operated gauge tourist railway located in Victoria, Australia. It operates on a section of the closed and dismantled Daylesford line ...

* Kerrisdale Mountain Railway & Museum— gauge. * Melbourne Tramcar Preservation, Haddon (tramway operation ceased) *

Mornington Railway The Mornington Railway is a heritage railway near Mornington, a town on the Mornington Peninsula, near Melbourne, Victoria. The line is managed by the Mornington Railway Preservation Society and operates on part of the former Victorian Railwa ...

Portland Cable Tram The Portland Cable Tram is heritage tramway in Portland, Victoria, Australia. It opened on 2 March 2002. Although the rolling stock in use are replicas or restored models of cable trams, they now run with diesel motors. History In 1996, th ...

— gauge. *

Red Cliffs Historical Steam Railway Red is the color at the long wavelength end of the visible spectrum of light, next to orange and opposite violet. It has a dominant wavelength of approximately 625–740 nanometres. It is a primary color in the RGB color model and a secondary ...

— gauge. *

South Gippsland Railway The South Gippsland Railway was a tourist railway located in South Gippsland, Victoria, Australia. It controlled a section of the former South Gippsland railway line between Nyora and Leongatha, and operated services from Leongatha to Nyora, ...

(railway operation ceased from January 2016) * Tramway Heritage Centre, Byland (tramway operation ceased 2009) * The Stringybark Express (railway operation ceased from 2002—now a rail trail) *

Victorian Goldfields Railway The Victorian Goldfields Railway is a broad gauge tourist railway in Victoria, Australia. It operates along a formerly disused branch line between the towns of Maldon and Castlemaine. History The original line was opened on 16 June 1884, openin ...

Walhalla Goldfields Railway The Walhalla Goldfields Railway is a narrow gauge tourist railway located in the Thomson River and Stringers Creek valleys in Gippsland, Victoria, Australia, near the former gold-mining town and tourist destination of Walhalla. History ...

— gauge. *

Yarra Valley Railway The Yarra Valley Railway is a heritage railway operating on a section of the former Healesville railway which operated between Lilydale and Healesville in the Yarra Valley area northeast of Melbourne, Australia. History The Lilydale-Melbo ...

(operation between Yarrawarra tunnel and Yarra Glen suspended pending restoration of 2009 fire damaged trestles and track)

Western Australia

gauge unless otherwise stated. * Bennett Brook Railway— gauge. * Carnarvon Jetty Tramway (tramway operation ceased by 2007 - future plans not clear) * Golden Mile Loop Line Railway, Boulder, Kalgoorlie (rail operation ceased from 2004) *

Hotham Valley Railway The Hotham Valley Tourist Railway (commonly Hotham Valley Railway) is a tourist and heritage railway in the Peel region of Western Australia. The railway operates over a 32 kilometre section of the original Pinjarra to Narrogin railway line ...

(incorporating Steam Ranger, Dwellingup Forest Train and Etmilyn Restaurant Train) * Kojonup Tourist Railway (railway operation suspended from 2018) *

Pemberton Tramway Company Pemberton Tramway Company operates as a tourist railway in Pemberton in Western Australia. The company controls the southern section of the former Northcliffe Branch railway, from Lyall to Northcliffe. Currently, trams run south from the ol ...

* Perth Electric Tramway Society, Whiteman Park, Perth — gauge. * Rottnest Island Railway (also known as Oliver Hill Railway) * Wheatbelt Heritage Rail, Dowerin Wheatbelt Heritage Rail
/ref> (railway not yet operational)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:List Of Heritage Railways In Australia * Railways, heritage Railways, heritage Australian heritage railways