Presenting Q Train, the travelling restaurant

Victorians will now have an express route to fine dining.

There will now be a special travelling restaurant, the Q Train, travelling through regional Victoria.

Those in Melbourne wanting to get on board will have to get in their car for a short trip.

The Q Train departs principally from the historic Drysdale Railway Station.

That’s not too far away, it’s just an easy 15 minute drive from Geelong. 

Once on board, it will take travellers to Queenscliff via Suma Park.

And then, it will return to Drysdale,

The total time for the trip is just three hours. And during that time, passengers are treated to a top notch meals while taking in unique views of Swan Bay and the Bellarine.

The food is all locally produced from growers in the Bellarine Food Bowl, the area covered by the journey.

The price is not exactly cheap: $139.

But then, passengers will be getting a six-course degustation.

And it will be old-school silver service, all done in a vintage train carriage, the sort of thing you don’t get in a normal restaurant.

It’s a first for Australia. The country has never had a heritage rail line used for showcasing local food, wine, beer and cider. 

And it’s all done in restored carriages and refurbished dining cars.

The Q Train goes back in history. It first operated in 1879 and ran as a passenger train line for 138 years, transporting people around Northern Queensland

The big launch of the Q Train will be on September.

And the plan is to run it from Thursday to Sunday.

One of the big features on the train will be the Loco Bar.

Back in the days when the Q Train was servicing Queensland, the Loco Bar was the “disco” in the Sunlander, a long-distance train service that ran through the Sunshine State.

Now it’s been turned into an 80s bar complete with dance floor and lights.