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Train operators:

www.railaustralia.com.au for times & fares for all Australian trains

Sydney to Melbourne, Brisbane, Canberra:  www.countrylink.info

Sydney/Melbourne-Adelaide-Perth, Alice Springs, Darwin: www.gsr.com.au

Brisbane-Townsville-Cairns:  www.traveltrain.com.au.  Kalgoorlie-Perth:  www.transwa.wa.gov.au  

V-Line (Victoria regional trains):  www.vline.com.au.  Ferry Melbourne-Tasmania: www.spiritoftasmania.com.au

Railpasses:

Australian railpasses (buy in UK)   Australian railpass (buy in USA)

5-star train-based holidays to Australia    

Time zones:

Sydney, Melbourne: GMT+10 (+11 Oct-March).  Cairns:  GMT+10 all year.  Adelaide:  GMT+9½ (+10½ Oct-March).  Alice Springs: GMT+9½ all year.  Perth:  GMT+8 (+9 Oct-March).

Currency:

£1 = 2.1 Australian dollars,  $1 = 1.3 Aus$.  Currency converter

Flights & hotels:

Flights to Australia    Hotels in Australia    Tours & activities

Visas:

UK citizens need a visa to visit Australia.  This can be issued in 'electronic' form, arranged online at www.eta.immi.gov.au or by flight booking agencies such as Trailfinders and Travelbag.

Page last updated:

17 September 2008

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The Indian Pacific:  One of the World's great train journeys, between Sydney, Adelaide & Perth...

The Indian Pacific...

One of the world's greatest train journeys, the Indian Pacific links Sydney, Adelaide and Perth twice a week, all year round.  It is now run by a private company called Great Southern Rail.  The 'IP' will take you from Sydney across the Blue Mountains and the arid country around Broken Hill (look out for kangaroo and emu at breakfast) to Adelaide, then across the hot, dusty emptiness of the famous Nullarbor Plain on the longest stretch of straight railway line in the world to the pleasant and modern city of Perth, capital of Western Australia.  The train stops long enough for you to visit the tiny community of Cook on the Nullarbor Plain, and to spend an evening in the gold rush town of Kalgoorlie on the way.  The Indian Pacific has only been running since the 1970s, when a standard gauge line was completed across the continent from Sydney to Perth, a distance of 4,343km or 2,698 miles.

On board the Indian Pacific:

The Indian Pacific has 3 classes of accommodation:

• Gold Service Sleepers (formerly First Class):  Passengers travel in single-berth 'roomette' sleepers or 2-berth 'twinette' sleepers, both with private washbasin and toilet.  The twinettes have a private shower, and a shower is available along the corridor for roomette passengers.  There is a Gold Class lounge car (sometimes two of them) and a Gold Class dining-car.  Meals are included in the fare, and so is complimentary tea and coffee in the lounge car.

• Red Service Sleepers (formerly Holiday Class):  Passengers travel in economy 2-berth sleepers - solo passengers will share with another passenger of the same sex.  The sleepers have two seats facing each other which convert to an upper and lower berth at night with washbasin.  The rooms are comfortable but very compact - in fact, they are the same size as the single berth Gold Class roomettes.  Red Class passengers have their own lounge car selling snacks, soft and alcoholic drinks, and there is a Red Class self-service restaurant car.  Meals and drinks are extra.

• Red Service Dayniter Seats (formerly Economy Class):  Comfortable reclining seats with plenty of legroom.  Red Class seats passengers can use the Red Class lounge where they can buy snacks, soft and alcoholic drinks, and the Red Class self-service restaurant for complete meals.  There's a shower at the end of the coach, with soap and towels provided for each passenger.  Bring your own rug and pillow if required.  Naturally, it's not as comfortable as travelling in a sleeper, but you get to experience one of the world's great train journeys for not much more than you'd pay for a flight.

Gold Service roomette (daytime)		Gold Service roomette (night-time mode).  The bed takes up most of the room!		Gold Service restaurant

Gold Service lounge		Red Service 'Dayniter' seats on the Indian Pacific and the Ghan		Red Service self-service restaurant on the Indian Pacific and The Ghan.

Far left:  Koala spotting at dinner, just off the Nullarbor Plain, heading for Kalgoorlie.  The warm early-evening light on the eucalypt trees was fantastic... Left:  The eastbound and westbound Indian Pacific pass each other at Cook, a tiny community on the Nullarbor Plain, where you can get out and stretch your legs for half an hour. Unfortunately, not enough people got sick and the hospital closed.

Children under 4 go free.  Note that the Pensioner fares shown on the GSR website are for Australian senior citizens only.

How to buy tickets:

You can check fares and book online at www.gsr.com.au.  Alternatively, call GSR's UK agent, www.simplyrail.com on 08700 84 14 11.  The Pensioner/student fare applies to pensioners, students, children and (according to the GSR website, in reclining seats only) members of recognised backpacker associations (such as the Youth Hostel Association).  Return fares are twice the one-way fare, but check railpass prices as these can be cheaper.  Gold Class fares include all meals.  A small fuel surcharge is now being added (around A$10-30).