The Vinelander was a named passenger train that operated by the Victorian Railways between Melbourne and Mildura, Victoria, Australia. Operating overnight along the Mildura line, it included motorail, sleeping car facilities.

[edit] History

In September 1957 a trial daylight service between Melbourne and Mildura commenced, named the "Mildura Sunlight". Air-conditioned Z type carriage stock was used, running thrice weekly.^[1] Night trains replaced this from 1967, and a Motorail service was added to it in 1968.^[2]

The Vinelander first ran on August 9, 1972 after intense local lobbying for an upgrade of the existing overnight train.^[3] The name was the product of a naming completion held by the Victorian Railways, with steel sleeping cars formerly used on The Overland train being used,^[4] along with older wooded stock. A buffet service and bar was added in 1977, but drunken behaviour became an issue, with offending passengers being removed from the train at intermediate stations. The typical timetable of the 1970s had a Melbourne departure at 9.20 pm and an arrival into Mildura at 8.05 am.^[3] The train was promoted as one of the Victorian Railways' premier trains, in 1974 the VR sponsored a race meeting of the Mildura Racing Club, with the winner receiving the Vinelander Plate.^[3] A buffet car was added to the train from July 18, 1977.^[5]

In 1984 a parallel road coach commenced operations, and the day train was withdrawn in 1990.^[2] The last Vinelander ran on September 12, 1993 after the cutbacks of the State Liberal Kennett Government.^[3] A service review was announced by the Bracks Government in 2000,^[6] in part due to the independent politician Russell Savage enabling the formation of a minority Labor government in the 1999 Victorian state election.^[7] The service has yet to be returned.

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