Victorian Goldfields Railway

Welcome to the Victorian Goldfields Railway; the authentic steam heritage train linking the historic gold mining towns of Castlemaine and Maldon in Central Victoria.

Enjoy a family day out or treat yourself and travel in our elegant first class carriages as you travel through the central Victorian Goldfields.


What are my travel options?
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  • steam trains run Sundays and Wednesdays and some holiday Saturdays.
  • choose from one of 2 return trips from Maldon to Castlemaine OR one return trip from Castlemaine to Maldon.
  • trains connect with V/Line fast trains to and from Melbourne at Castlemaine station. View V/line timetables
Travel Suggestion... To enjoy a great day out, the 11.45 from Castlemaine gives you 2 hours to have lunch in one of the cafes or pubs and explore the lovely little goldfields town of Maldon before returning to Castlemaine in the late afternoon.

Which Ticket is Best for Me?

Excursion Class:
Great Family fun
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  • take the kids for a memorable day out
  • watch the world go by from your family compartment
  • lean out the window
  • spot the kangaroos
  • listen to the engine huff and puff up the hills

First Class:
When the journey is as important as the destination
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  • step back in time to an era of elegance and decadence
  • ride in Edwardian splendour or art deco elegance
  • enjoy a drink from the fully equipped bar
  • end viewing platform on our parlour car

There are no booked seats or bookings on any train. To ensure a ticket or seat please arrive 1/2 hour before advertised departure times.
We will reserve seats/compartments for any group of 10 or more and special discounted fares apply.

Ride With the Driver
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  • get up close and personal in the engine cab

Drive a Train
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  • you can drive one of our heritage steam or diesel locomotives on your own private goods train
  • live the dream!
  • add to your bucket list


Summer Running Policy

On days declared by the Country Fire Authority (CFA) to be a Total Fire Ban (TFB) with a rating of extreme or code red no scheduled VGR trains will run. VGR trains may run on a TFB if the CFA rating is severe or less-further information will be posted on the VGR website and Facebook page on these days.

The VGR may decide to cancel services on any day if we regard weather conditions to be unsuitable to run trains - any cancellations will be posted on our website and facebook page.

At any time during the summer and autumn period we may substitute diesel locomotives for steam if we regard weather conditions to be unsuitable for the operation of steam engines. Due to the unfavourable weather conditions forecast for central Victoria this summer we have announced that all advertised trains will run with diesel locomotives from 1 Dec 2015 to at least 28 Feb 2016.

Information regarding days of Total Fire Ban and danger ratings can be found at the CFA website.



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As featured in:
Victoria Top 100 Experiences