This is a list of heritage railways in Australia, some of which can also be considered tourist railways. Heritage tramways have also been included. Most are members of the 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. 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
Byron Bay Train Campbelltown Narrow Gauge Railway— gauge Cooma Monaro Railway (restoration work resumed in May 2024, in preparation for resumption of passenger service at a future date) Crookwell Heritage Railway (railway not yet operational) Dorrigo Steam Railway and Museum (railway not yet operational)
Glenreagh Mountain RailwayGlenreagh Mountain Railway (railway not yet operational)
Illawarra Light Railway Museum— gauge
Kandos-Rylstone Heritage Railway Katoomba Scenic Railway—1,275mm (4 ft 2in) gaugeKatoomba Scenic Railway (gauge supplied by operator by email December 2022) (steepest railway in Australia—strictly, an inclined lift rather than a funicular) Lachlan Valley Railway—Cowra (static museum at Cowra but with aspirations to restore the Blayney - Cowra line) Ladysmith Tourist Railway (rail bike rides within static museum site) Lake Macquarie Light Rail—Toronto— 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— gauge (railway operation ceased from 2020)
NSW Rail Museum—Thirlmere Oberon Tarana Heritage Railway (railway not yet operational)
Sulphide Street railway museum— gauge Richmond Vale Railway Museum (railway operation suspended from 24 February 2024) Sydney Tramway Museum Timbertown Heritage Railway, Wauchope—595mm (2 ft) gauge Valley Heights Rail Museum
Zig Zag Railway— gauge
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, Rockhampton Atherton—Herberton Historic Railway
Australian Sugar Cane Railway, 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.Burrum & District Museum (ride within static museum site) Downs Explorer, Warwick (run excursions over freight-only sections of state system, from Warwick to Stanthorpe, Wallangarra, Clifton, Wheatvale, Hendon, Toowoomba, Goondiwindi) DownsSteam Tourist Railway & Museum, Drayton, Toowoomba (Operational from May 2024 on QR track to Brookstead and Hendon with steam-hauled ex Brisbane suburban cars and a railmotor) Dreamworld Railway, Coomera— gauge. (little more than a funfair railway) Ginger Train, Yandina— gauge. Gulflander : Croydon–Normanton. Kuranda Scenic Railway : Cairns–Kuranda.
Mary Valley Rattler (previously known as Mary Valley Heritage Railway and The Valley Rattler) Mary Ann Steam Train, Maryborough
Queensland Pioneer Steam Railway (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—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 Downs Explorer, q.v. above Swanbank Railway—see Queensland Pioneer Steam Railway (above)
Woodford Railway, Woodford— gauge.Woodford Railway (previously known as Durundur Railway)
South Australia unless otherwise noted
Cobdogla Irrigation and Steam Museum Railway— gauge. (railway operation suspended from December 2022)
Moonta Mines Tourist Railway— gauge.Moonta Mines Tourist Railway National Railway Museum, Port Adelaide—457mm (1 ft 6 in) gauge (although the static museum features all gauges, the tourist railway is 457mm gauge) Pichi Richi Railway— 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
Tramway Museum, St Kilda— gauge. Victor Harbor Horse Drawn Tram
Tasmania
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 Ida Bay Railway, Lune River (railway operation suspended from 2018, not yet operational again) Launceston & North East Railway (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, Glenorchy (operating ca. 2 km round trip from 23 May 2023, with plans to extend length - see https://pulsetasmania.com.au/news/heritage-trains-to-soon-roll-through-hobarts-northern-suburbs-as-crew-training-begins/) Wee Georgie Wood Steam Railway, Tullah— gauge. West Coast Wilderness Railway
Victoria
unless otherwise noted Alexandra Timber Tramway— gauge. Ballarat Tramway Museum— gauge. Bendigo Tramways— gauge. Bellarine Railway— gauge. Coal Creek Bush Tramway— gauge. (railway operation ceased) Daylesford Spa Country Railway Kerrisdale Mountain Railway & Museum— gauge. Melbourne Tramcar Preservation, Haddon (tramway operation ceased) Mornington Railway Portland Cable Tram— gauge. Puffing Billy Railway— gauge. Red Cliffs Historical Steam Railway— gauge. Steamrail Victoria—Newport South Gippsland Railway (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 Walhalla Goldfields Railway— gauge.Walhalla Goldfields Railway Yarra Valley Railway (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, assets disposed in 2024) Hotham Valley Railway (incorporating Steam Ranger, Dwellingup Forest Train and Etmilyn Restaurant Train) Kojonup Tourist Railway (railway operation suspended from 2018) Pemberton Tramway Company Perth Electric Tramway Society, Whiteman Park, Perth — gauge. Oliver Hill Railway, Rottnest Island Wheatbelt Heritage Rail, Dowerin (railway not yet operational)
See also
List of heritage railways Western Australian Rail Transport Museum Newport Railway Museum Workshops Rail Museum
References