An old railway town that has long been a favourite with visitors, boasting one of the southern hemisphere's largest operating railway roundhouses. Its adjunct museum, the Junee Railway Roundhouse Museum, has engines and rolling stock from every era of Australian rail.

Where is it?: Riverina. Junee is 470 km south west of Sydney, 220 km from Canberra, 53 km south west of Cootamundra and 40 km north east of Wagga Wagga.

Junee is known for its lamb and high quality crops of wheat, canola, oats, barley and triticale. A manufacturing sector has also evolved with emphasis on steel engineering, meat processing and organic flour.

Junee retains a rather old-fashioned air due to its awnings, verandah posts, hitching rings, old-style buildings and wide streets (notably Broadway). Historically, Junee was a major railway centre and the railway line still runs adjacent and, occasionally, across the main road, straight through the CBD. However, the decline of rail services in country NSW has meant the virtual extinction of the railways as a force in the local economy.

Events: The annual Junee Rhythm 'n' Rail Festival is held every March. The three day event celebrates the town's railway heritage with excellent food, wine, music and more. The Illabo Country Music Stampede is held in April in the nearby town of Illabo.

Things To See and Do


Broadway Museum: Housed in the old Royal Hotel, this folk museum is located within the visitor information centre and is run by volunteers. A small entry fee is charged to see the museum's extensive collection of historic artefacts, clothing, memorabilia and photographs from Junee and the surrounding areas. The building in itself is something special, with different rooms displaying a variety of historical content. It is a great way to discover the history of the town.


The Roundhouse Rail and Transport Museum, at the southern end of town, records the town's relationship with the railway. The museum has been constructed around the huge 32-metre train turntable. When the roundhouse was built in 1947 it was the largest circular railway roundhouse in the Southern Hemisphere and is the only surviving, working railway roundhouse in this part of the world. The museum is ideal for train enthusiasts with extensive exhibits including a wooden mail van, a number of locomotives, a steam crane which is still in working order, a breakdown van and the original workshop with its 42 repair bays.

Heritage features: Old Junee, Junee Reefs and Illabo goldmining sites; Court House (1890; The Roundhouse Rail and Transport Museum; Railway Workshops (1885); Junee and District Historical Museum; Railway Station (1881); Loftus Hotel (1896); Commercial Hotel (c1915); Post Office; Courthouse (1890); Hotel Junee (c1900); E.A. Commins building -(1880s); Red Cow Hotel (1890s); Monte Cristo Homestead (1884, said to be haunted); Illabo Clock Museum; Mitta Church (1890); Universal Provider general store; Junee Wetlands Aboriginal Resource Area.

Junee Licorice and Chocolate Factory is situated in the historic Junee Flour Mill. Green Grove Organics produces stone ground products such as flours, bread mixes, pasta, cookies and licorice, sold throughout Australia and overseas. Mill sales, Devonshire Teas, local craft and unique tours featuring licorice bowling and sampling are available.