The Mary Valley Rattler is a railway museum with an operating rail fleet for railway journey experiences. Located at the historic Gympie Station, the building also contains the Rusty Rails Cafe.
7 days a week, the museum and cafe are open for a look around and getting a coffee fix. We dropped in for coffee and breakfast after finishing Parkrun on a Saturday morning. The trail journeys run on Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays, so these are the pick of the days to visit if you want to ride a train or see it operating.
Years ago, the rail journey used to run through to Imbil. The heritage railway closed 2012 after two derailments and track damage, shutting down the historic railway journey. The Gympie to Amamoor section was restored and operation resumed in October 2018.
The intention was for the Amamoor to Imbil section would eventually be restored, however, it seems unlikely. The motor operating the turntable at Imbil was salvaged to install at Amamoor, in addition to the continued degradation of the railway line in the years since. A C17 class locomotive, sits in Imbil at the start of Imbil’s Railway Trail .
An interesting provision allowed for is pets. Your furry children can come for the rail experience with you. Pets require their own ticket to join the journey, although, they are cheaper than non-furry child ticket.
Links
https://www.maryvalleyrattler.com.au/