Australia's most majestic railway you’ve (probably) never heard of

All aboard! This little-known tram is one of the country’s most scenic.

Imagine being carried into a cool, shady forest where towering karri trees are blanketed in moss and stretch 70 metres into the sky. As a vintage wooden tram hums softly along, you amble across trestle bridges spanning rivers and streams before stopping at a mesmerising cascade. It sounds like a scene from a storybook – but this is the Pemberton Tramway, hidden away in Western Australia’s tranquil south.

The Pemberton Tram crosses bridges as it meanders through a forest of giant trees.

One of Australia’s most scenic rail experiences, the vintage 19th-century tram travels 10 kilometres along an old logging line through the forest to the Pembroke Cascades, where passengers pause for 25 minutes to explore. Adventurous travellers can ride one way and return on foot via a section of the famed Bibbulmun Track, soaking in the scent of eucalyptus and birdsong along the way.

Pemberton sits within one of the world’s tallest hardwood forests, home to three of Australia’s six forest giants – karri, marri and jarrah. Once a hub of the nation’s timber industry, the region has evolved into a nature-lovers paradise. Today, the Pemberton Tramway pays quiet homage to this legacy, offering a gentle journey through one of Australia’s most striking natural landscapes.

Look out at streams and rivers as the Pemberton Tram travels down an old logging route.