hotham valley tourist railway

A small group of us booked the club car for dinner on the resteraunt train. We were dropped off by our host from overnight stay, and a short time later we were off. We had a lovely 4 course meal, followed by cheese platter and after dinner mints with port and coffee. The atmosphere was friendly, and entertaining, and the volunteers dedicated and knowledgeable. A good selection of alcohol was available. We could not eat another morsel. Our evening ended by being collected by our overnight host at B & B. Highly recommend this outing

A week ago I was visiting Family in Dwellingup. My mother wanted to take me on the Hotham Valley Train as I hadn't been on it before. I made all the arrangements to go. So glad I did. My Parents love to look at all the Bushland. Upon boarding we had a lovely glass of wine. The Train was full from people all over the World. You have a Five Course Meal which is a set menu. Let me say everything was amazing from soup to cheese, biscuits and coffee.All this will set you back $75.00 per person.Drinks not included.Staff are polite, very warming, and all volunteers.They also held a Raffle. Great because I won it. Filled with lovely items. I must recommend this evening out. What a great time everyone had. Thankyou Hotham Valley Tourist Train. It was outstanding.Access for Disabled as well.

We booked the Club Car on the (night) Restaurant Train for my birthday and had an absolutely fantastic experience. Staff were great, food was lovely and the scenery was gorgeous.

This is certainly a spectacular 90 minute return trip through the forest around Dwellingup, although at $24 per adult, it's on the expensive side. No credit cards allowed either, which is ridiculous in this day and age.I know this place is run by volunteers, but a little bit of enthusiasm from the staff wouldn't go astray. The conductor on today's trip looked like he would have preferred to be anywhere but on the train. The lady in the shop was very friendly though.The best part of the trip was the coffee we got in town at the Blue Wren Cafe (see separate review), not to be missed!

Thanks for ruining a 2 hour drive with my nephew and I'd come all the way from the UK. The whole family were rather unceremoniously told you were shut, 2 pm train wasn't running.

Nice night out. Food was well prepared and served by friendly volunteers. Nice set menu if home cooking. The forest is lit by lights from the train. Nice ambience

Very friendly staff, excellent food and great wine. This is a great trip for those wanting a touch of elegance and something different when going out for a meal. 3 hours and 2 bottles of wine flew by. Even managed to spot the odd kangaroo.

The whole family had dinner on the train. A great night was had by all. The food and staff were fantastic. All of us would recommend this evening on the train, it was a great night.

The kids really enjoyed the train ride and weremesmerized with what happened when we stopped to turn the train around. I thought the price was a little steep ($48 for one adult, two children) but I'm glad we went. It's a once off activity for me though.

We would recommend this train journey to everyone. Delicious food, wonderful volunteer staff. Meandering through the floodlit state forest was an awesome experience.

Great steam train ride for any steam train buffs of which my husband is one. Great scenery and a lovely thing to do on a weekend, Lovely town of Dwellingup to have lunch at the blue bird cafe.

It is well over 25 years since I have done this trip and have been longing to do it again - especially from our base just half an hour a way. The trip is just as good now - and the trip down the Darling Scarp is as splendid as ever. A party of three middle aged people amidst a gang of holidaying schoolchildren on a day out with Nan and Pop made for a very friendly and lively atmosphere. Collecting the smut - I love it, give me more of it - seemed to be a great past time. It is a volunteer-run organisation, and trips are cash-only (no credit cards). $30 for adults at time of writing.We got the morning train, stayed for lunch in Dwellingup after the return and managed some photos of the afternoon train coming down the hill from a great location off the main road. That was the added bonus.

I surprised my wife for our Anniversary and decided to go for dinner on the train as I had heard it was a nice evening out for dinner doing something different.As our anniversary is in July, it was a Christmas in July theme, which was set up very nicely.The staff were welcoming and helpful and the food was enjoyable.The staff were always available for drinks which were reasonably priced.We had heard it could be cool and as it was a cold night and raining we rugged up somewhat but found it to be not as cold as we had thought.The tables are set up for 4 people and we had another couple on our table and they were friendly and good company.The lights on the forest made it look very nice especially after it had rained.The only thing I could suggest maybe some low background music but really couldn't fault the night.Well done to all the volunteers for their wonderful work, made it a very pleasant night.

This is the relatively unknown part of Hotham Valley railway activities and, in my humble opinion; it is far and away the best!Unfortunately the G Class steam locomotive is not running right now (check - it might be back by the time you read this) but this is still a wonderful trip into the forest. In the springtime, all the wildflowers are out and the sunlight streaming through the trees makes it very atmospheric. Unlike most lines in Australia, the train doesn't follow the road and so you get the feeling you are in the deepest forest, with nature all around you. When you arrive at your destination, Etmilyn, there’s a charming walk track through the forest, which is well worth taking (and, yes, the train does wait!) It all makes for a great trip - an hour's drive to Dwellingup, followed by a picnic and then a train ride into the forest - a magic day out! (Yes, I am a railway enthusiast but this is a trip for everyone - even those whose heart doesn't beat a little faster when they 'hear the whistle blow'!)

A lovely afternoon out on the Steam Train. Also did the Restaurant Train for Dinner. Food and atmosphere were all great, all run by volunteers who do an excellent job.