Zig Zag Railway
09 September 2025 / Story: Anda Clayton; Photos: Anda Clayton, Rose Smith, Keith Monaghan; Video: Brian Clayton
Zig Zag Railway Run
28th-30th August, 2025
Zig Zag Railway run - Day 1:
Nine intrepid travellers in five cars gathered near Nowra Boat ramp, on a sunny but windy morning, to begin our three-day journey to the Blue Mountains.
We experienced an amazing run up Cambewarra Mountain, no trucks, no caravans, no little old ladies driving at 40km/hr today! Woo hoo! What a great start! We drove through Kangaroo Valley, also very quiet today, and continued on up through the picturesque Southern Highlands on roads we often travel, but our MX5’s love them.
Our first stop was for lunch in Thirlmere. Our planned stop was a ‘no go’ as it was an outdoor eatery directly in the path of an icy, strong wind. Instead, we took shelter around the corner near the Pie shop, Loop Line Pies....highly recommended by everyone! Brian loved his pie crammed full of tender beef and mushrooms.
We continued on through The Oaks, Silverdale (I always recall their horrific bushfires), Wallacia and on to the motorway up the mountain to our accommodation at Leura Gardens Resort.
Dinner was at Alexandra Pub, a 5-minute drive or a 30-minute walk.... with temperatures of 6C (feels like -2C), most of us decided to drive! Vaidehi and John decided to walk, but didn’t make it past the Elysian where they discovered gin cocktails… say no more.
Excitement mounts, as the main event, the Zig Zag Railway journey approaches tomorrow....
Zig Zag Railway run - Day 2:
The day of the main event...our steam train adventure on the recently re-opened historic Zig Zag railway.
A fine day with an icy wind, but no problem, our heaters, seat warmers (not for NC owners) gloves and beanies, enabled us to keep our roofs down! Although, not everyone was brave enough to lower their roof.
At temperatures of 10C, feels like 5C today, Rose was happy - she had an interesting personal body heating solution… stick on body warmers… they work a treat.
We arrived early at Clarence station, enabling us to claim seats together. While waiting we visited the ‘drinks van’ for coffees or hot chocolate…. terrible quality. BYO next time.
Watching the steam engine arrive increased everyone’s level of excitement for the journey to come. The train navigated the steep gradient via a series of short terraced segments and through tunnels in the shape of a Z - an engineering marvel in its day.
We travelled from Top points to Middle points and on to Bottom points, where we were able to alight at each point and watch the steam engine uncouple and move to the opposite end of the train for each section of the journey. At Bottom Points the train took on water for the return journey. A handful of high school students decided to jump under the water sleeve - not a smart move when you have to stay wet for the return journey on a freezing, blowy day.
The views across the valley with glimpses of the viaducts were breathtaking. The entire 90-minute journey was a well worthwhile experience.
With stomachs starting to rumble, we sought out a lunch stop at Choc a Latte. This was a cosy little cafe with yummy home-made goods on the highway in Blackheath. Despite the name of the cafe, no one had chocolate.
The afternoon's activity was a visit to the controversial artist Norman Lindsay's gallery and 17-hectare property. Brian and Anda had previously been to the gallery, so opted to forgo the excursion and visit family.
The gallery didn’t take us long to peruse as it is quite small. Most of us weren't art buffs so didn’t have the expertise to understand the skill of Lindsay’s work. It just looked like a room full of nude paintings and sculptures… very overwhelming for some. Many of the artworks were quite unusual! Luckily there was a free tour on offer which took us through his etching studio and also to where the Magic Pudding artwork was exhibited. The tour was fantastic, giving us an insight into Lindsay’s life, muse’s, artwork, etc. Fortunately, the weather held out for us to walk through parts of the expansive gardens and down to the pool.
After a jam-packed day, we all enjoyed dinner at Leura Thai House. This was a winner: delicious food, convivial conversation and a relaxed last night together.
Tomorrow, we head home. Due to the forecast of snow in Oberon, we decided to avoid the area and alter our originally planned route home. Safety first!
Zig Zag Railway run - Day 3:
Homeward bound today, but before we departed Brian and Anda enjoyed a morning stroll around the resort, brisk with temperatures of 1.6C feels like -8.7C
After seeing the pool and BBQ area and the large comfortable communal room, complete with fireplace and pool table, we thought that this may be an excellent venue for a Club getaway during warmer months. With a golf course directly across the road, perfect!
The gardens are full of shrubs and plants about to burst into bloom - they would be magnificent in Spring! For the young at heart, the garden even has a kiddies playhouse, complete with telephone!
With Geoff in the lead, we departed the resort at the respectable time of 9am on our amended route home. Kerry was making his own way home north, so this morning we were now down to four cars in the convoy - Geoff & Rose, Keith & Sue, Vaidehi & John and Brian & Anda.
Before too long it was coffee time at the T-Spoon Cafe in Silverdale, tucked away in a shopping mall. Bonus here was that the parking was easy and the cakes were plentiful and delicious....a definite prerequisite for a Club run!
Caffeinated, we continued south past some magnificent country properties in The Oaks and through Thirlmere, where the traffic came to a standstill with a barrage of cars attempting to park near the train museum. Today was obviously a popular day for a train ride!
We continued south, down Tourist Rd and Kangaloon Rd to Robertson, our lunch stop at the Robertson Public House, a place with a great vibe! Nice decor, cosy bar and lounge area and the food was good too! The hotel was obviously about to host a wedding, and the room looked splendid.
After lunch, we bid farewell and headed our separate ways home - some via Kangaroo Valley or Anda & Brian, via Jamberoo.
Over the past 3 days, we clocked up close to 700km.
We travelled some magic MX5 roads and have seen some wonderful sights along the way. The Zig Zag railway is an experience not to be missed. We were very lucky with the weather. Apart from a chilly stiff breeze, we have had fine days. Needless to say, Anda & Brian, Vaidehi & John’s cars had their tops down all the way!
Thank you Rose and Geoff for planning and leading another great run! Your efforts were appreciated by all.
