Port Elliot
The present Port Elliot station office was built in 1911 to replace a smaller galvanised iron structure of the 1870's. National Trust members maintain the station , sell tickets for the Cockle Train, have an excellent historical display on early Port Elliot and operate a souvenir and local history book shop. Historical walks are conducted and delicious Devonshire 'Teas are often available on the station platform. You are welcome to break your journey at this point to explore the historic township. The return journey can usually be completed on a later train, but check with the guard for details as timetables differ from day to day.

Leaving Pt Elliot
Quite a grade leaving the platform and a challenge for our loco crew! Then over the crest of the sandhills and onto the cliff tops with Victor Harbor in the distance. At Watson's Gap the train crosses over an arched reinforced concrete bridge built in 1906 to replace the original timber bridge constructed in 1863. The timber piers of the old bridge can be seen on the seaward side of the railway. Our photo shows F251 with a typical Cockle Train consist

The line skirts the Southern Ocean for over 3km after leaving Port Elliot. Surfing beaches at Boomer Beach, Chiton Rocks and Dump Beach are all within 100 metres of the line. This section arguably offers one of the most scenic vistas from a train carriage window in Australia.

Entering the outskirts of Victor
The line crosses over the Hindmarsh River on a five span concrete bridge built in 1907. This replaced the combined road/rail crossing known as the "Alexandra Bridge" originally opened in 1863. This and the Watsons Gap bridge (crossed earlier) mark important milestones in Australia's civil engineering history; the Watson's Gap bridge was the first of its kind in the State and the Hindmarsh River bridge was the first to be built on the "beam and slab" principle in Australia.

A recent addition on the road side is a walking / cycle bridge which forms part of a pathway stretching along the foreshore from The Bluff to Middleton. As the train enters the station yard look out for the the authentic semaphore signal on the left, the restored electric turntable on the right and the historic stone walled railway crew resthouse on the left opposite the bowling green.

Victor Harbor
Victor Harbor has been one of the premier tourist resorts for generations of South Australians. From the railway station, right in the centre of town, it is only minutes to the beach, shops and nearby hotels The imposing brick station building at Victor Harbor, built in 1926, is the only example of its kind in South Australia. This station is the third building on the site since the days of the horse tram. The Coral Street manual barrier gates are the last remaining examples of rail/road crossing gates in the State and are an important link with our early history.

Granite Island, across the causeway, is one of the most popular attractions in the Victor region and a popular excursion is to ride the restored horse tram across the causeway and then walk around the rugged ocean side of the island and back to the mainland.

The railway reserve and adjacent farmers' fields are not public rights of way. We recommend that lineside photographers use only public roads to follow our trains

The rail track is located well away from the main road until 1km from Victor Harbor, but can be reached by suburban streets leaving the road on the sea side. No individual roads parallel the track for more than 1km or so.

Suggested photo opportunities are;

• leaving Pt Elliot Station at the Rosetta St level crossing
• from the main road side of the "Eggshell" bridge (photo above)
• from elevated carparks along the cliff top at xxx st, approaching Victor Harbor
• from the coujcil lookout just off the main road descending into Victor Harbor
• from the main road where it parallels the road on the outskirts of Victor Harbor
• entering Victor Harbor yard (home signal near Grantley Avenue level xing)