The Cockle Train is a heritage steam railway that runs the 30-km coastal route between Victor Harbor and Goolwa, following the Encounter Bay shoreline through native scrub and beach country. The service operates on weekends and South Australian school holidays, with additional summer services. The return journey takes about three hours including time at Goolwa, which has a good pub and the Murray River estuary.
The carriages are vintage Australian rolling stock and the locomotive varies — sometimes a working steam engine, sometimes a heritage diesel. The route passes through Middleton (good surfing beach) and Port Elliot before reaching Goolwa. The scenery along the coast between the stations is genuinely attractive, and the train is a more interesting way to travel the route than driving the parallel highway. Tickets can be bought at Victor Harbor station.