The Teddy Bears Picnic train ride is a fun and inclusive family day out hosted by the SteamRanger Heritage Railway departing from Mount Barker.
Review by Adaire Prosser
If you are planning your next day out with the family, consider booking a trip on the SteamRanger Heritage Railway. The Teddy Bears Picnic event is a return trip from Mount Barker to Strathalbyn and includes family friendly activities to enjoy while in Strathalbyn. Each of the train carriages are decorated with teddy bears, and children can take their own special teddies along for the trip.
The train takes approximately an hour each way and is a comfortable journey with lots of beautiful scenery. We were lucky enough to spot kangaroos, foxes and plenty of farm animals along the way. The SteamRanger and Heritage Railway are popular, so plenty of people will be waving as you pass through. The carriages are well maintained and each booth fits four passengers in comfort. There is storage space for day bags, and larger items such as prams can be placed in the middle carriage dedicated for storage.
Once in Strathalbyn, there is approximately three hours until the train leaves again. As part of the Teddy Bears Picnic package, there are a range of family activities to enjoy at the park. Face painting, balloon animals, a petting zoo and magic show are all included in the price of a ticket. There is also the railway station playground and grassed area to enjoy.
For lunch, you can either take your own picnic along with you to enjoy at the park, or wander into the town of Strathalbyn where there are plenty of options for food and drink. We found that we had time to explore some of Strathalbyn and still enjoy the included activities within the three hours. The train then departs Strathalbyn at 2pm and is around an hour trip back to Mount Barker Station. On the return trip, the children passengers are all given an activity pack to enjoy.
We would recommend checking out Heritage Railway when planning your next family outing. It was an enjoyable experience for each of us, and it was a good amount of time to explore, yet not feel rushed. The Teddy Bears Picnic event was well catered for young families, but there are lots of other trips and experiences on offer throughout the year.
What to bring:
- Hats, sunscreen, snacks (you are allowed to eat on the train), drink bottles
- Optional: Teddy bears
- Optional: a picnic to enjoy in Strathalbyn (+picnic rug)
- A pram or carrier for little ones if you are wanting to go for a walk in Strathalbyn.
Other information:
- Mount Barker Railway station has lots of car parking space available.
- On high fire danger days, the train is pulled by a diesel engine instead of the iconic steam engine.
- It is a five hour outing in total.
- The Teddy Bears Picnic train currently only runs twice a year. If sold out, or the dates do not suit have a look at other trips on the SteamRanger Heritage Railway website.
For more information and all enquiries please visit the SteamRanger Heritage Railway website.
At Play & Go Adelaide we make every effort to provide accurate information to the best of our knowledge at the time of publication. We recommend confirming times, dates and details directly before making any plans as details may be subject to change.
As per all our Play & Go reviews, this is not a sponsored post and our review is done completely independently. All photos by Adaire Prosser for Play & Go.
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