Mary Valley Rattler

Great day out

We had the best time on the train ride, had first class tickets bought for a present and we were well looked after by our host Deb, the food was delicious and the scenery was beautiful, everyone needs to support this railway to keep it going

Steam Train outing

We loved the journey on the Steam Train. The staff were amazing, friendly and helpful. We ordered scones but at the half way point there are 2 coffee shops with great selection of food.

Worth the trip

The service and atmosphere were wonderful. We were in the VIP club car and received cheese/snack plate on arrival and a tasty, well cooked meal when we returned. The sounds and smells of the steam train were wonderful, and the views of the Mary Valley were spectacular. Would highly recommend as a day trip if you were in the area.

Impeccable service and a lovely way to spend your Sunday!

Had a lovely time on board! In fact, it was a lovely experience from when we booked our tickets to the end of the trip. We are a family of 5 with 3 young boys (2.5 - 8 years). tip: the younger boys may get a little restless during the trip, so it might be worth packing some activities for them. We bought our tickets some time back but had to cancel our trip at the very last minute. The organizers offered us gift cards with a year’s validity so that our money would not go to waste. Glad we made it back! Check in was a breeze and the coffee at the cafe was a good kick start for the morning. As we arrived early, we had time to check out the train engine. The train master was engaging and patiently answered the many questions the kids had. We booked the classic tickets and we had the whole booth to ourselves. Everyone had a booth pre—assigned, and it didn’t take long to board all passengers. Turn table experience at Amamoor was cool to watch. We got some warm lunch and snacks for our return trip. and enjoyed the food on board. I think it’s cos our trip was on a Sunday, so we had an extra stop at Dagun. Absolutely loved the atmosphere there, with live country music, play area for the kids, wine & cheese tasting got the older ones! All in all, we truly enjoyed ourselves! When we got off, our littlest said “I had a lot of fun on the choo choo! train!”

A wonderful experience

On arrival we were treated very well by a gentleman greeter - the desk ladies were very efficient and friendly. Then a lovely lady took us to our carriage. VIP First class Carriage - Deb was our hostess and treated us like royalty. On arrival we had a cheese platter- newspaper and water. We enjoyed the trip and a coffee when we stopped, and it was just wonderful being on a specially preserved train. We had a roast pork and veggies lunch with desert and drinks on return- Absolutely fabulous! All the staff are friendly, helpful and very professional- they are volunteers- they love their work too. God bless them all. This train is worth preserving - it’s so special to ride in a train with history. I recommend The Mary Valley Rattler trip. If you can’t afford the VIP package - you can buy a snack at the cafe at the end of the outward journey, and when you return to the station cafe. The scenery is varied with far reaching green pastures, it was a lovely day and we had a wonderful experience. Pauline and Josh QLD .

Enjoyable trip back in time

Great experience. Very smoothly operated by an army of knowledgeable friendly volunteers. Plenty to see at Amamoor while the locomotive was turned around; or you could just watch that - very interesting.

Lovely day

What a lovely day! The stops along the way were a nice break from sitting on the train, especially for those with kids. The volunteers were so friendly and it is good the history is being kept alive.

Up and Down Experience

A bit of an up and down experience on our recent VIP trip. The staff are excellent, the cheese/fruit platter was great and the VIP coach/seating and trip itself was great. Now for the downer: We felt that there should have been a drink provided with the platter other than just the tumbler of water ( We understand that hot drinks might have been a problem to serve on the train). On our return for lunch, both the moroccon chicken and roast pork were very disappointing, the cheese cake was good though. Once again we felt that a tea and/or coffee should be provided as well as a cold drink (which we did have). Given the cost of the VIP experience I can't see the value when compared with the Classic Rattler which we have previously thoroughly enjoyed.

Great trip

Great trip down memory lane. Everyone on board were knowledgeable and helpful. Food was fresh and scenery was beautiful

Awesome vintage experience.

A fabulous trip from a past era. Its called The Rattler for a reason. It can be cold if the eindows are left down. We struggled to find it and we had allowed plenty of time. Very enoyable step back in time.

Recommend this trip to everyone.

We had a fantastic day out on the Historic Mary Valley steam train to see the amazing scenery of the Mary Valley. It was an amazing experience.

Toot-riffic train experience

My husband took part in the Footplates Friends experience for his birthday and the rest of the family went along in the carriages. His experience including riding with the drivers and he said it was one of the best days of his life. We chose the $69 ticket and had scones in the refreshment room at the station before we left and then bought more snacks at Amamoor. It was a fantastic day with beautiful scenery and expert commentary. Beautifully organised and I would recommend.

Pet friendly experience

What a fabulous, pet friendly experience. So grateful to have the option of traveling with our furkid. The whole experience was great. The volunteers were so friendly and informative. Scenery was lovely. Highly recommend

A relaxed day in the beautiful Mary Valley

I cannot recommend this trip high enough. Really well maintained carriages, engine and stations. Even if you are not a railway fan, the amazing volunteers will make your trip memorable. An excellent all-weather option for all ages.

Fantastic trip

Trip was amazing had a great time I took so many photos the history and experience of the trip was fantastic and the meal was delicious

A great doggie day out 🐶

This is the second trip with the family and 🐶. It was pouring with rain but still had a wonderful day. The volunteers are all amazing dressing up for the occasion also. Also as Anzac Day is Thursday, there was an Anzac theme. ❤️. Will be back for sure and highly recommend. Unfortunately the commentary in our part of the train is too low so could not hear it at all.

Enjoyed our experience

We went today to the Anzac Day tribute train, as a special treat we did the VIP single cabin trip. All The volunteers were helpful and always smiling. The platter on the way to the turn around location was lovely. The soldiers were great , especially the ones at the Turn around location as they sat on their horses in the pouring rain and never flinched. On our return the meal was good and filling, the service friendly once again. I even asked the lady in the shop if they had an I phone charger as my phone was running out of charge. She was more than helpful. The gift shop has sone nice things in it. The lady in the shop was super friendly and super helpful. We like the whole place that much that we would think of becoming one of the volunteers once a month as we live on the Gold Coast

Gympie Rattler Adventure

My wife and I travelled on the Gympie Rattler in early April with our three grandchildren aged 10; 12 and 14 years. We were lucky with fine weather and plenty of room on the train to walk around and see both sides of the track. It was a very pleasant experience and we and the children very much enjoyed the day. I was all we expected and had lots of stories to relay to the children's parents upon our return. Staff were very helpful with local knowledge of where we were during the trip and return and kept us informed of the district. Local people had stalls set up at parkland at Amamoor and we purchased local honey and such items which was great as was the canteen for coffee and light refreshments. Rest rooms were clean and tidy and people were friendly I would recommend the train trip to all those interested in having a good time with the family. Cheers Paul and Robyn 17.04.24

Great Rambler Experiece

We had a great time on the Rattler with lovely views along the way. Loved the stop at Amaroo with the markets, Cafe and general store being very good. Great scenery and your staff are just the best! Keep up the great work!

Travelling back in time

The whole trip was lovely. It brought back memories of train travel as a child, the excitement at the station before boarding the train. The train on the turntable was great. The beautiful stations at Dagan and Amamoor were delightful.

Just had to do it :-(

Sorry but did not enjoy it one bit. There was no cancellation so we just had to do it. My mistake in booking it with 2 teenager boys. Was not our cup of tea. Sorry. We thought it will be more fun and enjoyable, but not. Everything in the food trolley was pricey. a drink and egg sandwich for $16. bag of chips for $5-6?

Must do steam journey

Most enjoyable day,takes you back in time,the sounds and smell of steam from my childhood.Our carriage guide Jeff was informative and knowledgeable. A must do trip Larry uk

Riding the Rattler: our exciting train experience in Gympie.

I treated my grandson a trip on the Mary Valley Rattler VIP class today to celebrate his 6th birthday. It was also his first train ride, and he loved it. We both had a fantastic day. I highly recommended the experience. The volunteers were absolutely lovely. Thanks to everyone involved. And, I don’t think you need to travel VIP to have a great day—everyone seemed to enjoy the experience.

Chugging along

What a great morning. We did the VIP booth trip. So we had a private booth. Cheese platter & a free alcoholic drink as we got on at 10am. Also bottle of water & bottle holder. Susie looked after us, and was really great. Lots of chats along the journey. When we got off the train at the end, we then had a preordered roast dinner, followed by deserts.

Family fun day

Had an amazing day everyone enjoyed the trip, nice just to sit back and enjoy the trip through the countryside. We worth it

Best day on a steam train

Hubby and I had a fantastic day on the Rattler. All the staff were friendly and informative about the Gympie area. Thanks!

Rattler and Silver Bullet both fantastic.

Over 2 weeks did both the Rattler and the Silver Bullet High Tea. Both amazing - volunteer staff were absolutely fabulous being VERY friendly and informative. Must add that ALL staff including the office staff were brilliant. On the Rattler we had Suzie and 2 x Debs on the Bullet - all great. Shame it took us so long to do these.

Get transported back into the age of steam trains - a wonderful experience

We had a great day out on the Mary River Rattler. Pre-boarding you can have breakfast or a coffee/tea in the cafe and there were very clean facilities available. There is also a small gift shop. The staff were so welcoming and helpful. Onboard, we had a private booth with our friends. The booth had a table with bench seats either side and two windows. It was wonderful - you felt transported back in time. The seats were exactly as I remember as a kid - saggy - but it was great just as it was. The commentary was clear and informative and the scenery enroute was green and enjoyable. We even had little school children waving to us as we went past their school. Our hostess was so lovely. We were served a cheese platter and a drink on the way to Amamoor, then we all hopped off the train for an hour. There were facilities there, a musician, a small cafe and some market stalls. We watched the engine turn around and hook up again to take us back to Gympie. The total trip is 3 hours - the 1 hour duration for turnaround passed easily - the train toots for everyone to get back onboard. When we returned to Gympie we had lunch in the cafe which was very nice - we all had the roast lunch and a dessert, with another drink included in our package.

Friendly staff, amazing...

Friendly staff, amazing experience. Well worth it will be coming back, going to try the VIP experience next

A wonderful experience

We had an awesome day on the Rattler. My grandsons had a wonderful time watching the scenery go by and loved seeing the engine be turned around. The hour in Amamoor was the perfect amount of time. We all enjoyed out day,

An Excellent Day Out

Great day out, and you don't have to be a train buff to enjoy it. The engine and carriages are extremely well presented, the scenery is very pleasant, the stops a nice break and entertaining and the food very nice. Most importantly, the volunteers are very welcoming and informative.

Loved it

Amazing experience, wheel chair accessible..everyone friendly and helpful..great to have a market once reached our destination..

A must do!

What a trip! My sister and I celebrated our birthdays on the Mary Valley Rattler High Tea Experience. The staff were extremely friendly and welcoming. We particularly enjoyed the high tea, the food was really delicious and plentiful and there was a lot of variety. We really enjoyed our trip and it is so nice to have happy, friendly people looking after you - they are passionate about their trains and rightly so. It’s a great experience.

Step back in time

Great to step back in time. Very authentic with real Aussie country flavour and friendliness. Loved the music and activities at the stops.

Great day out

Excellent day enjoyed with my hubby and friends to celebrate a birthday! We did the VIP Club Car experience which included comfortable window view seating for all, bar service on-board, cheese platter, bottled water and special memorabilia stubby cooler whilst on-board. The trip was outstanding both outward bound to Amamoor and back to Gympie. Upon our return we were greeted with our pre-ordered luncheon (main, dessert and beverage) in the stations Cafe which was without fault... very very nice meals, well done kitchen and chef. All staff onsite and on-board were so friendly and welcoming.

Fun family day out

Excellent experience . We all enjoyed it very much . Sunday was a great day to go as the kids loved playing games when we stopped at Dagon station. All the staff were knowledgeable and great with family kids and older people . I would recommend this experience for anyone looking for a fun family day out that’s different . Carriages were spacious and enough room to sit comfortably and have a bag with a picnic too

A must visit if coming to the Sunshine coast.

Steam train ride that goes over 3 hrs in total has various packages but the VIP Package is worth the extra as you have comfortable seperate seating, a platter, drink with stubbie holder whilst on board and then a sit down meal including another drink on return. But If VIP packake is not for you then basic package is about $65 and then purchase you own from the cafe. Tickets can be booked online too.

The Smell of the steam Train

Very enlightening about the area. Loved the history and travelling in the steam train. So many things to see I felt I couldn't keep up. Will have to do the trip again. Staff exceptional. Friendly, helpful. Went on the doggy carriage. Our dog was treated with great respect as well. There was even a smell of the old days through the steam train.

We'll be back!

A very enjoyable day out. Helpful and friendly staff at the station, and would highly recommend the Rusty Rails Cafe, lovely breakfast. We were seated in the VIP carriage and were most impressed with the seating, decor and cleanliness. An entertaining commentary (and food and drink service) made the trip interesting and fun. Can't wait to come back and do the Footplate Friends trip!

Lovely experience

Had the most wonderful day with my wife aboard the Rattler celebrating my 35th birthday as a present from my family. Staff were all lovely, great good and amazing train ride. Highly recommend.

My adventure

On my 4th train jouney, the team was friendly and they happy to answer my question. The train journey was good, travelling through the countryside which was pretty. You wont be disappointed to experience what the trains where.

Great Scenery & Value

Well organised, authentic heritage experience. Knowledgeable, enthusiastic and informative staff. A great half day all round.

Mary valley Rattler steam train

What a lovely way to see the great Mary Valley. Our carriage guide Ethan was very approachable, shared a lot of interesting facts about the train and the region and was very passionate about the trains. Good luck with your training to be a steam train conductor one day!

Such friendly nice people

Thanks so much to the driver and fireman on Saturday 10 February who were so helpful and friendly in letting us take lots of pictures at Ammamor for our steam engine besotted grandson back in the UK. You guys were great and deserve all your success. And the coal will be treasured for a long time!! Thx once again. From the old UK couple celebrating their anniversary!

When the steam train went...

When the steam train went over the car crossing and they sounded the whistle. How all the crew were so friendly and they all are volunteers. The turning of the train and the entertainment out ended of the train ride. The young gentleman talking along the train ride. All the food that was provided. The hole experience was really good.

VIP Experience

VIP Experience was well worth it. We chose the VIP tour option to have bucket seats instead of bench seats. VIP also comes with lots of benefits and inclusions which continually surprised and delighted us throughout the tour, The journey to Amamoor is just the right length of time onboard then it’s time to step off and stretch your legs for about 45mins. Food at the Railway cafe looked great but we were well fed on board with our cheese platters so just had a hot drink. Lunch back at the heritage railway station was well organised and food was good. The crowd left while we were in the dining room so it was very comfortable to browse the retail area and museum afterwards. A great day out from the Sunshine Coast.

Mary Valley. Rattler experience

The adventure on the Rattler was an exceptional few hours. The train ride in incredibly well maintained engines and rolling stack was great. Best of all was the attention and service provided by the amazing volunteers both in the train driving area, the cafe and the museum and souvenirs. Great day and recommended for oldies and families.

Awesome journey 👍

This is the second time for us on the Rattler, never disappoints, even though we had very heavy rain during the journey, the professional staff were still smiling and the journey, food and service were excellent. 11 out of 10 from us. Thank you

Non allocated seating proved a real issue when travelling as a family of three.

I would have loved to have written a positive review. My family had been wanting to go on this train for a long time. But unfortunately, a nasty old woman ruined our day and subsequently our experience. The train and journey itself is absolutely lovely, so I’m sad that I can’t write a positive review. However, as seating is not allocated, you aren’t guaranteed to be able to sit with your family. We are a family of three and on the return journey I was verbally insulted by two older women who decided to give me a hard time for wanting to sit in an empty seat in a booth with my husband and child. Not because they didn’t have seats- they were already sat across the carriage. But because we hadn’t been sat there in the first leg of the journey. They carried on arguing at me and upset my child and me also. So this ruined the day for us. It’s a pity seats aren’t allocated as this would save such situations. For the record we gave no objection to the people who had sat down in the seats we originally had been in for the first leg of the journey, and I told them this also. However, they wanted to continue carrying on and harassing me, and after trying to reason with them that there was no issue and that I wanted to sit with my family, I had to ask them repeatedly to just stop as my child was become distressed. The train was still half empty with many other seats available for couples and single travellers when we took our seats, however this was the only spot that would allow the three of us to be together for the one hour trip. But the two women decided it was worth them insulting me because there was another lady who wanted two seats to herself, which isn’t possible on a fully booked train. If you’re travelling with your children do keep this in mind as you might not get to sit together on the return leg of the journey as the seats you began using won’t necessarily be available to you in the return journey because other people have changed seats. We unfortunately won’t be recommending this trip for this reason only. Pity though as the steam train is a lovely adventure if not for nasty people. Perhaps the company will consider allocated seating in the future to protect people from being harassed? 🤞

The Rattler- a Steamer

Surprise day for Kiwi family. They loved it. Bought back childhood memories of Steam trains through our property