Howlin' Country Music Festival

Opal

You can use an Opal card for all modes of public transport in Sydney and surrounding regions, including metro, trains, buses, ferries and light rail.

Remember to top up your Opal card before you travel to avoid waiting in line at top-up machines. You can top up your card online or at an Opal retailer.

More ways to pay

If you have a contactless-enabled American Express, Mastercard or Visa debit or credit card, or a linked device, you can use it to pay for your travel by tapping on and tapping off at Opal card readers. Available on all public transport, contactless payments are another way to pay on the Opal network. Adult Opal fare pricing applies and you will receive Opal benefits, including daily and weekly fare caps.

The closest station to the event is Newcastle Interchange on the Central Coast & Newcastle Line, and Hunter Line.

From the station, it is approximately 2.5km (35-40 minutes) walk via the foreshore footpath to Queens Wharf Foreshore.

Alternatively, catch a light rail service from Newcastle Interchange to Queens Wharf. Plan your trip using the Trip Planner.

To help you get to and from the event, additional services will run on the Central Coast & Newcastle Line and Hunter Lines. Some trains will also be increased to 4 or 8 carriages.

Getting there

• From Gosford: departing at 1.07pm and 2.07pm stopping all stations to Newcastle Interchange
• From Telarah: departing at 12.45pm, 1.37pm and 2.35pm stopping all stations to Newcastle Interchange

Getting home

• To Gosford: departing Newcastle Interchange at 10.31pm and 11.01pm, stopping all stations to Gosford
• To Telarah: departing Newcastle Interchange at 10.34pm and 10.56pm, stopping all stations to Telarah

Trackwork

Planned trackwork is taking place on Saturday 15 February on the following lines and may affect how you travel to and from the event. Plan ahead using the Trip Planner. 

• T1 Western Line: Buses replace trains between Parramatta and Olympic Park. Trains run to a changed timetable and stopping pattern between Penrith or Richmond and Leppington, and between Olympic Park and the City. Change at Parramatta for buses towards Olympic Park, or at Glenfield for trains to the City via the Airport. 
• T2 Inner West & Leppington Line: Buses replace trains between Parramatta and Olympic Park. Trains run to a changed timetable and stopping pattern between Leppington and Penrith or Richmond, and between Olympic Park and the City. Change at Glenfield for trains to the City via the Airport, or Parramatta for buses towards Olympic Park. 
• T3 Liverpool Line: Trains run between Liverpool and Bankstown only. Buses replace T6 trains between Bankstown and Olympic Park. Trains run between Olympic Park and the City. 
• T4 Eastern Suburbs & Illawarra Line: Trains run between Waterfall, Sutherland and Bondi Junction, some to a changed timetable.  
• T5 Cumberland Line: Trains run to a changed timetable and stopping pattern between Penrith or Richmond and Leppington. 
• T6 Lidcombe & Bankstown Line: Buses replace trains between Bankstown and Olympic Park. Trains run between Olympic Park and the City, and between Bankstown and Liverpool. 
• T7 Olympic Park Line: Buses replace trains between Olympic Park, Lidcombe and Parramatta or Bankstown. Trains run between Olympic Park and the City. 
• Blue Mountains Line: Trains run between Blue Mountains Line stations and Blacktown only. Change at Penrith for express buses to Olympic Park. Trains run between Olympic Park and the City. T1 Western Line trains run between Penrith, Blacktown and Leppington. Buses replace trains between Parramatta and Olympic Park. Trains from Blacktown to Blue Mountains Line stations run 30 minutes later than normal. 

Trackwork is carried out on an ongoing basis to maintain the safety, reliability, and efficiency of the Sydney Trains network. For train service disruption information, check trackwork and travel alerts or plan your trip using the Trip Planner.

• Bus routes 11, 13, 14, 21 and 23 will take you in and out of the CBD to a Saturday timetable.

From 12pm, bus route 23 will start and end at Customs House.

. Plan ahead with the Trip Planner ahead of time and check signs at stops for details.

Visit Newcastle Transport for bus information. For bus service disruption information, check travel alerts or plan your trip using the Trip Planner.

Ferry services run regularly between Stockton and Newcastle.

Services will also be extended until midnight to help you get home form the festival.

Visit Newcastle Transport for ferry information. For ferry service disruption information, check travel alerts or plan your trip using the Trip Planner.

Light rail services will run every 7.5 minutes from 1pm until 11pm and will return to a regular Saturday timetable from 11pm until 1am. 

Newcastle Light Rail runs between Newcastle Interchange and Newcastle Beach making stops at Honeysuckle, Civic, Crown St and Queens Wharf along the way. Queens Wharf platform is the closest stop to the main event area.

For maps and service frequencies see light rail service information. For Light rail service disruption information, check travel alerts or plan your trip using the Trip Planner.

Accessible trips are shown in the Trip Planner with the wheelchair icon. You can select "accessible services only" in the Options to ensure you only see accessible services. Only trip plans with accessible train platforms, ferry wharves and buses will be presented. See accessible travel or download a transport app (select the "Accessibility" filter).