Travel Australia

SteamRanger and The Cockle Train, Goolwa, South Australia

The SteamRanger Heritage Railway operates a number of different heritage steam and diesel hauled tourist trains between Mt Barker in the Adelaide Hills, up over the crest of the southern Mt Lofty Ranges, down to Strathalbyn and on through the coastal holiday towns of Goolwa and Port Elliot to the tourist resort town of Victor Harbor. Trains operate on up to 140 days a year and are manned by volunteers from the Australian Railway Historical Society, who are also responsible for maintenance of the rail line and the heritage locomotives and carriages.

The Cockle Train

Since 1887 passenger trains operating along the coast from Goolwa to Victor Harbor have affectionately been known as The Cockle Train. The broad sandy surf beaches at Goolwa are famous for large cockles. The section of the line between Goolwa and Port Elliot was the first steel railway built in Australia. The horse drawn carriage can be viewed in the main street of Goolwa.



The Cockle Train is run today by SteamRanger Heritage Railway during school holiday, public holidays, Wednesdays and Sundays. The train travels along the oldest steel railed railway in Australia dating back to 1854 when it was constructed to provide a link between the River Murray and the ocean wharfs at Pt Elliot and later at Victor Harbor.

Based at Steamranger's Goolwa Depot, the journey commences its run each day at Goolwa Station, in the historic Wharf Precinct alongside the River Murray. After crossing the main Goolwa to Victor Harbor Road the line heads off across the plains to Middleton, picking up or dropping off passengers on request, and then to Port Elliot where it reaches the Encounter Bay coast. The station here is operated by the local National Trust and features a small historical museum.



After leaving Port Elliot the train climbs to the top of the coastal cliffs and passengers then experience some of the most picturesque coastal scenery on the Fleurieu Peninsula, with nothing separating you from the beach below and a perfect view of the Southern Ocean - in winter the home of Southern Right Whale. After a 30 minute journey the train edges into Victor Harbor Station, right in the centre of the town and surrounded with its iconic pine trees. Here, the locomotive is detached from the carriages and turned on our specially retained 30m long electric turntable before re-joining the carriages for the return journey to Goolwa.

The number of trains operated varies through the year. Passengers can buy tickets at any of our stations for one-way journeys in either direction along the line or for a bargain priced round trip. Trains wait for about 30 minutes at both Goolwa and Victor and roundtrip passengers can extend this period by returning on a later train. Trains are generally formed by a fleet of heritage Redhen and Brill Railcars, along with assistance from diesel locomotives. Steam is featured during most school holiday's and on days the Southern Encounter operates from Mt Barker.