Heritage route
Cockle Train
Goolwa → Victor Harbor · Australia
Rides Australia’s oldest steel-railed public route, opened in 1854 with horse haulage to link Murray riverboats to the sea.
The rails between Goolwa and the sea carried their first passengers behind horses in 1854, making this the oldest steel-railed public railway route in Australia. SteamRanger’s volunteers now run it as the Cockle Train, with Rx-class steam in the cooler months and 1950s Redhen railcars when fire bans bite. The short run is all coast: over the dunes to Middleton’s surf, around Horseshoe Bay at Port Elliot, then along Encounter Bay where southern right whales breach in winter.
Along the way
- Goolwa wharf and Murray barrages
- Basham Beach dunes
- Middleton surf break
- Horseshoe Bay at Port Elliot
- Whale waters of Encounter Bay
- Granite Island causeway at Victor Harbor
How this line was checked
- Checked against OpenStreetMap: 51.2% of this line lies within 250 m of real track (median 247 m); the longest stretch away from it is 4.4 km
- The operator publishes this line's timetable: SteamRanger Heritage Railway — a place to look it up, not a check of our drawing
- Wikipedia has an article for this line
Questions and answers
How long is the Cockle Train?
The Cockle Train runs 16 km from Goolwa to Victor Harbor.
How long does the Cockle Train take?
The fastest scheduled journey is 30 min for the 16 km. That is an average of 32 km/h end to end. The line's top service speed is 50 km/h.
Who runs the Cockle Train?
SteamRanger Heritage Railway, with Rx-class steam & Redhen railcars.
How old is the Cockle Train?
The line has been in service since 1854. That is the year the atlas dates it from: for a modern brand running over an older railway, it is the railway's date, not the brand's.
How often does the Cockle Train run?
Wed + Sun year-round; daily in school holidays.
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