The Ghan and the Indian Pacific are Australia’s two iconic long distance railways, famous as much as anything because they cross the vast continent from one side to the other. The Indian Pacific, which travels from the west coast to east coast on a 3-day, 4,352 km trek across Australia, is billed as one of the world’s great train journeys. The three day trip (if you do it all in one go) takes you through just about every kind of terrain you’re likely to find on the Australian continent, giving travellers a true indication of how vast Australia really is.
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Whereas the Indian Pacific travels from east to west, The Ghan travels north to south, providing a rail link between Darwin and Adelaide via Alice Springs. The Ghan is a great way to see Australia’s Red centre – you get a real feel for the scale of the Australian outback, which you simply don’t on an aeroplane. The journey is ideally split into two 24-hour sectors with a stop-over in Alice Springs.
The Spirit of Queensland is a high speed Tilt Train that between Brisbane and Cairns, but gets its passengers to their destination fast and efficiently. The hi-tech Tilt Train provides an efficient, no-fuss overnight link between Brisbane and the major coastal destinations north of Brisbane – Bundaberg, Rockhampton, Mackay, Fraser Island, Airlie Beach and the Whitsunday Islands, Townsville and Cairns. The journey from Brisbane to Cairns takes 24 hours.
Years ago, this train had a fancy name (The Southern Aurora), but though its name is somewhat mundane these days, the journey itself is still as interesting as ever. the train does two runs each day in both directions – one overnight, the other is a day trip. The overnight trip saves the cost of a night’s accommodation for travellers between Melbourne and Sydney; the day journey is a pleasant jaunt through the NSW southern agricultural region and Victoria’s equally picturesque north east.
Years ago, this train had a fancy name (The Southern Aurora), but though its name is somewhat mundane these days, the journey itself is still as interesting as ever. the train does two runs each day in both directions – one overnight, the other is a day trip. The overnight trip saves the cost of a night’s accommodation for travellers between Melbourne and Sydney; the day journey is a pleasant jaunt through the NSW southern agricultural region and Victoria’s equally picturesque north east.
The Spirit of the Outback is a Queensland Rail train which runs twice a week in each direction between Brisbane and Longreach, via Bundaberg and Rockhampton. It offers a choice of accommodation – 1st or economy class sleeper cabins or economy sleeper seats. The Spirit of the Outback is a great way to see Queensland’s captivating outback in air-conditioned comfort, but without the hassles associated with making the 1,300 km long journey by car.
Queensland is linked by rail to the rest of Australia via a standard gauge railway line that terminates at Roma Street Station in Brisbane. A daily XPT service is operated by NSW Trainlink between Roma Street Station, Brisbane, and Central Station Sydney. The journey north (Sydney to Brisbane) is a night service (departs Sydney 2.41pm, arrives Brisbane 4.53am); the journey south (Brisbane to Sydney) is a day service (departs Brisbane 5.55am, arrives Sydney 8.12pm).
The state-of-the-art high speed Prospector, introduced into service in June 2004, can travel at up to 160kmh, enabling it to complete the 653km trip from Perth to Kalgoorlie in just over six and a half hours. This is almost two hours quicker than the previous version of the train, making the rail trip competitive with road for the first time.
A trip up to Kuranda in the Cairns Highlands on the Kuranda Scenic Railway is a “must do” experience if you are visiting Queensland’s north. Once a working railway, these days it is essentially for tourists, and a great way to travel to Queensland’s famous village in the rainforest; the train passing through some gorgeous mountainous tropical country with spectacular waterfalls and panoramic coastal vistas.
Fondly referred to as the old tin hare , the Gulflander is an award-winning service, which operates between Normanton and Croydon in Queensland’s Gulf Country. A half-day journey, The Gulflander often stops for an impromptu morning tea supplied by the locals and for photo opportunities at Norman River Bridge.
