The Riverlander to Tooleybuc, the Mallee Silo Art Trail or the Swan Hill Food and Wine Festival

Name: The Riverlander to Tooleybuc, the Mallee Silo Art Trail or the Swan Hill Food and Wine Festival
Start: 2025-03-07T22:00:00+11:00
End: 2025-03-09T19:00:00+11:00
Location: Southern Cross railway station

Schedule

Fri, 07 Mar, 2025 at 10:00 pm to Sun, 09 Mar, 2025 at 07:00 pm

UTC+11:00

Location

Southern Cross railway station | Melbourne, VI

Travel with Slow Rail Journeys behind our fleet of heritage diesel locomotives aboard the Riverlander, a Summer excursion that is not to be missed exploring the Northern Murray, visiting the remote and historic towns of Piangil and Tooleybuc before either touring the spectacular Mallee Silo Art Trail or attending the famous Swan Hill Food and Wine Festival before a private showing of Swan Hill's famous Heartbeat of the Murray sound and light spectacular. Sunday will see you cruise the Murray on the PS Pyapp and marvelling at Lake Boga's newly commissioned and spectacular Silo Art before relaxing for an afternoon of slow rail travel back to Melbourne.

Join the Riverlander for a summer exploration of the Northern Murray region, taking advantage of the long days to fully explore this fascinating corner of the state.
Highlights of your journey onboard the Riverlander include:
**Enjoying a morning of travelling along freight-only rail lines to visit the fascinating remote towns of Piangil and Tooleybuc
**Either touring the spectacular Mallee Silo Art Trail visiting the awe-inspiring works in Sea Lake, Lascelles and Nullawil, or attending the acclaimed Swan Hill Food and Wine Festival.
**Experience a private showing of Swan Hill's spectacular Heartbeat of the Murray Sound and Light extravaganza.
**A privately chartered cruise on the historic PS Pyap.
**Learn about the region's contribution to Australian aviation and to the war effort at the Catalina Flying Base Museum.
**Gaze at the newly commissioned Lake Boga Silo Art as the Riverlander approaches
**Enjoy two nights onboard in a private on-train sleeping compartment, with all meals, touring, transfers and excursions included, and more!

Friday 7 March
Your Slow Rail Journey will commence with a bon-voyage dinner held at the historic Savoy Hotel (where we will check-in guests and provide cabin allocations for the weekend) prior to you being escorted by our friendly volunteers to the train.
Entering Melbourne's busy Southern Cross Station you will immediately realise you are embarking on a journey like no other. Sitting on the platform - and greeting you like an old friend - is our imposing string of 1950's and 1960's carriages that make up the Riverlander, our heritage train perfectly juxtaposing the modernity and hustle surrounding.
Upon boarding your Carriage Attendant will greet you as you settle into your private oasis for the weekend as the masses of commuters make their way past the windows bound for trains to Ballarat, Geelong, Bendigo and beyond. From the moment you board you'll immediately relax and enter the elegance of a bygone era.
Sometime after 10pm the Riverlander will wake up the station as the whistle is sounded announcing our departure. Join your fellow travellers and tour organisers in our train's luxury Club 1 Lounge for a night-cap as the train departs north through Melbourne's suburbs before leaving the lights of the city behind to traverse the Goldfields to Bendigo where we will stop for a crew change and to resupply the train.

Saturday 9 March
After a brief stop in Swan Hill, during which guests enjoy breakfast in the dining car, the Riverlander will continue north along the rarely used line to Piangil, the Victorian sister town of Tooleybuc, NSW.
Upon arrival in Piangil, step from the train onto an awaiting bus to explore the historic townships of Tooleybuc and Piangil.
Located in Southern NSW on the Murray River, Tooleybuc is in the heart of an area that is rich in industry, from large-scale dryland cereal and livestock production to small intensive horticulture, wineries and tourist businesses. The town hosts a vibrant community with plenty of attractions. Stops on the Riverlander's tour are close to beautifully maintained parklands along the river perfect for a stroll, the famous historic Tooleybuc Bridge and the Giant Mallee Root (the biggest stump in NSW and second largest in the world according to the Guinness World Records).
Piangil, approximately 50km northwest of Swan Hill, is a tiny hamlet in the northern Mallee grain country. With a population of just 259, the town is 3km from the Murray River.
After enjoying Tooleybuc, rejoin the Riverlander and perhaps enjoy a barista-made coffee in the Club 1 Lounge as it cruises through the irrigated and dryland farming of the Mallee and the Murray to Swan Hill, arriving late morning.
Upon arrival in Swan Hill the group will split with two touring options being offered.
*****Option 1: Riverlander Silo Explorer
Upon arrival in Swan Hill, board an awaiting coach for the journey across the plains to Sea Lake, where lunch will be served before we take in some spectacular Silo Art. Visit Lake Tyrrell, Silo art at Lascelles, and Silo Art at Nullawill before returning to Swan Hill we rejoin the group for a gourmet dinner.
*****Option 2: Attend the Acclaimed Swan Hill Food and Wine Festival - For lovers of delicious food and wine, the Swan Hill Region Food and Wine Festival is not to be missed. Taste of some of the best local produce sourced from the heart of Australia’s food bowl – the Northern Murray. You’ll likely be leaving with very grateful tastebuds (and goodie bags to show for it)!
After an action-packed day on the Silo Art Trail or at the Food and Wine Festival, enjoy dinner before a showing of the town's spectacular laser light show, the Heartbeat of the Murray. This dramatic sound and laser show will have you spellbound and amazed as the story of the Murray River comes to life against the background of a 9-metre water-screen.
As the sun sets into the Mallee landscape, highlighting the bright twinkling southern stars and river red gum trees as the perfect backdrop, embark on this journey of discovery that will delight, enthral and intrigue all your senses. This show, which captures the latest ‘high tech’ multimedia components and special effects, is one you’ll likely remember long after your visit!
Returning to the Riverlander, enjoy a motionless night's sleep in Swan Hill after a nightcap in the Club 1 Lounge - the perfect way to an intrepid day of exploring the Mallee!

Sunday 10-March
Awake to a new Mallee day and a fully cooked breakfast in the Riverlander's dining car.
Shortly after breakfast, we will commence the morning's off-train experience program with guests transferring from the train to the Pioneer Settlement to board a private cruise on the authentic Murray Paddle Steamer, the PS Pyap.
After enjoying this spectacular part of the mighty Murray River, re-board coaches for the short journey to Lake Boga, home to the Lake Boga Flying Boat Museum. Situated between Swan Hill and Kerang on the shores of Lake Boga, the museum has become one of the area's major tourist attractions.
Before departing the region, transfer to Lake Boga's spectacular newly commissioned Silo paying tribute to the town's role in Australia's war efforts and its impact on the Catalina Flying Boat programs.
After exploring the Lake Boga area, we re-board the Riverlander, which has made its way from Swan Hill to the tiny rail siding beneath the spectacular silo artwork.
Juxtaposing the weekend's busy touring program, Sunday afternoon offers the chance to relax into the rhythm of slow rail travel as the Riverlander makes its way south through the plains toward Bendigo.
Enjoy a gourmet Sunday lunch in the dining car as the landscape begins to change out the windows, the undulating granite hills and ironbarks of the Goldfields replacing the vast vistas of the Mallee.
It's not long before the open vistas outside are once again replaced with Melbourne's suburbs, and all too soon, the train arrives back in the modern world at Southern Cross Station.