All Aboard the Blues Train — Australia’s Most Soulful Ride

There are blues bars. There are blues festivals. And then there is The Blues Train — a rattling, steaming, riff-soaked ride through the Australian countryside that has been converting passengers into believers since 1994.

Based in the charming seaside town of Queenscliff, Victoria, The Blues Train operates on the heritage Bellarine Railway, a 16-kilometre stretch of track between Queenscliff and Drysdale on the Bellarine Peninsula. It runs on Saturday evenings from October through May, with the occasional Friday night thrown in during December for good measure. If you have ever wondered what happens when you stuff four world-class blues acts into four vintage carriages, add drinks, and send the whole thing rolling through the dusk — wonder no more.

How the Night Works

Gates open at 6:45 PM at the Queenscliff Railway Station. Grab a drink, soak in the atmosphere, and find your assigned carriage. At 7:30 PM, the locomotive lets out a long whistle and you are off.

Each of the four carriages hosts a different live act — ranging from raw solo performers and one-man-bands to duos, trios, and full bands. At three stops along the route, passengers rotate between carriages, so by the end of the night every single person on board has experienced all four performances. The final carriage — the legendary "dance carriage" — is exactly what it sounds like. Expect to lose your composure there.

The train returns around 11:00 PM, and you step off a different person. That is not marketing — that is physics. Blues physics.

A Heritage Experience with Real Soul

The Blues Train is pulled by a heritage steam locomotive maintained by the dedicated volunteers of the Bellarine Railway. On total fire ban days, a heritage diesel engine takes over — but make no mistake, the soul of the experience never changes. The carriages are intimate, the sound is live and close, and the connection between artist and audience is unmediated and electric.

What started as one or two events a year has grown to approximately forty shows per season. In 2020, the experience earned a nomination for a Music Victoria Award, a testament to its role in keeping live blues thriving in Australia. Over three decades, The Blues Train has hosted hundreds of artists and tens of thousands of passengers — all on a stretch of railway that was almost forgotten by history.

What Is Included

Tickets are all-inclusive: live music across four carriages plus a generous selection of drinks — both alcoholic and non-alcoholic — throughout the journey. Meals are no longer included, which actually works in your favour: Queenscliff is packed with excellent restaurants, so you can enjoy a proper dinner before you board or after you return. The organisers have a list of local dining recommendations on their website.

Group bookings bring extra value: 10+ guests get a 5% discount, 20+ guests get 10% off, and if you book an entire carriage (52 people), you will receive a merchandise pack valued at over $700. Perfect for birthdays, corporate events, or just a very ambitious Saturday night.

Insider Tip: Get 5% Off Your Tickets

Here is something The Blues Train does not shout from the rooftops: join their free VIP Members List and you will automatically receive a 5% discount on individual ticket purchases. Members also get early access to show dates through exclusive presales, so you can lock in seats before the general public even knows dates have dropped. Given how quickly certain shows sell out, this alone is worth the 30 seconds it takes to subscribe.

Sign up at thebluestrain.com.au — scroll down to the mailing list form and you are in.

Worth the Trip

The Blues Train is not just a gig. It is a pilgrimage. A heritage locomotive carrying the oldest form of popular music through one of Australia’s most beautiful coastal landscapes. It is proof that the blues does not need a big stage or a million-dollar sound system — it needs intimacy, authenticity, and maybe a little steam.

The 2026–27 season runs from October through May. Dates and tickets are available at www.thebluestrain.com.au.

See you on the platform.