Your journey

The South Gippsland Railway operates over the 36-kilometre section of the line from Nyora to Leongatha in South Gippsland. This is a section of the former Great Southern Railway which once stretched almost 250 kilometres from Melbourne to Woodside, between Yarram and Sale.

The Great Southern Railway commenced at Dandenong and was built through the townships of Cranbourne, Koo Wee Rup, Lang Lang, Korumburra, Meeniyan, Foster, Welshpool and Alberton. Ours is the only section of this once important line still in operation.

The Great Southern Railway was, until the 1950s, the transportation artery for the rural and coal mining areas of South Gippsland. During the days of steam, many thousands of tons of steaming coal were transported to Melbourne and beyond from the many private coal mines in Korumburra, Jumbunna and Outtrim, and from the State Coal Mines at Wonthaggi.

The demise of the Great Southern Railway was rapid, with a quick decline in traffic which saw the closure of the line following the departure of the last train to Melbourne on 23 July 1993.

Nyora

Nyora is our western terminal. Services to Nyora recommenced in January 2008, following a closure of the line from Loch for several years.

Loch

Loch is a must for visitors with an interest in antiques and bric-a-brac.

The small station building at Loch was formally a station building at Welshpool. It was relocated along the platform in 2003 following the construction of the Loch bypass road.

The Strezlecki Lions Club conducts a Community Market in the old railway yard north of the station on the 2nd Sunday of each month. SGR runs special trains on Loch Market Days.

Between Loch and Jeetho there is a good illustration of how steep the 'ruling gradient' of this line - 1 in 40 - really is. After the trains passes under the South Gippsland Highway, it climb up the side of the Allsop Creek valley. The creek doesn't fall very quickly just here, but you can watch how quickly the train climb to 30 metres above the floor of the valley. At the top of the climb there are two waterfalls, one from a valley on the far side of the creek - about a 10-15m drop, and the other on the south side of the line - a cataract-type fall. Both of these are seasonal - mostly dry in summer and autumn.

Bena

Bena lies at the top of the Railway's longest and steepest climb - the notorious 'Bena Bank' - approximately 8km of almost continuous 1 in 40 gradient - the site of many a stalled train and the limit of endurance for many a fireman! Even with our light loads, this can prove a severe test for our trains - and for the skills of our drivers.

Korumburra

The home of Coal Creek Historical Village, "Paradise Enough" and "Moyarra" wineries, Korumburra is fast becoming a major tourist precinct. Tourism in Korumburra naturally reflects the towns' history - coal mining, railways, dairy farming and butter making.

The Korumburra Station building enjoys a heritage listing, and we are gradually restoring it to its original condition. The station building turned 100 in January 2008, and was the administrative centre for the Great Southern, Outtrim and Wonthaggi State Mine lines, and once boasted a workforce of about 120 in Korumburra.

The old Refreshment Rooms at Korumburra Station are available and used for many and varied public and private functions. If you are interested in holding a function here, we can arrange it!

Kardella

This is where our trains have a slippery time when the track is wet and climbing the long gradients - still 1 in 40 - into Korumburra.

Ruby

Ruby is a small settlement between the coalition creek ridges, and no longer boasts a railway station. Evidence can be seen of the wild roses growing here marking the site of the neat and tidy garden once evident on the platform. We hope to put a small platform back here in the not too distant future.

Leongatha

Leongatha is our eastern terminal. This is the major town of the new South Gippsland Shire. Leongatha boasts the biggest processing plant in the southern hemisphere - operated by the Murray Goulburn Co-Operative Company. The town is surrounded by rich farming land. At the eastern end of the railway yard, the old track formation, now a "rail trail" can be seen, reminiscent of the days when trains ran all the way to Yarram and Woodside.