Comments on: Taking the Indian Pacific Train Across Australia: PART SIX

By: Nora

Nora — Mon, 01 Mar 2021 21:22:47 +0000

In reply to Annabelle. Hi Annabelle, Yes, it is a different experience in the cabins for sure. I hope you get to do it again!

By: Annabelle

Annabelle — Mon, 01 Mar 2021 19:36:28 +0000

Hi Nora, thanks for the great read. I took the Indian Pacific from Sydney to Perth in 1999 as it was cheaper than air travel at the time. There were no cabins for me, just standard forward facing seats which was not at all fun for sleeping! The train was fairly empty from Sydney to Adelaide so we could spread out a bit, but packed from Adelaide to Perth.
I have been dreaming of doing it again one day in cabin style and enjoying the experience.

By: destination

destination — Thu, 17 Feb 2011 12:23:40 +0000

Going on any destination by train, it really nice and really romantic, from my point of view. You can have the chance to see some of the best location, and enjoy all the time, the road, and landscapes. All can be even better if the stops are in big and nice railway stations.

By: theprofessionalhobo

theprofessionalhobo — Mon, 14 Feb 2011 04:17:24 +0000

@Ellis – Thanks for stopping by and commenting! (Nice to meet you). Feel free to shoot me an email if you have any questions about the biz or travel; I’m happy to help!

By: ellis

ellis — Sat, 12 Feb 2011 00:41:27 +0000

Hi Nora,
First, kudos on your train voyage. I’ve only ever done overnights in Asia and I’ve always got cabin fever by the end!

I guess I’m late to the party just discovering you now, but I love your blog and have really enjoyed going through your posts. I can’t wait to read more about your travels. I’ve been blogging for a little over two years but I’m just starting to get really serious about trying to get out there and get more freelancing work, so I’m so happy I found your site because I think it’s a great resource and a great read. Safe travels!

~ellis

By: theprofessionalhobo

theprofessionalhobo — Fri, 11 Feb 2011 20:14:21 +0000

@Anthony – I’ve reflected on how I managed to turn a little over a week on trains into such a long series….and wondered what a longer adventure could turn into….a book I’m guessing! 🙂

@Joost – Awesome information and resources. These are incredible train trips, some of which I’ve done parts of. One day maybe I’ll say I’ve ridden most of them! How many of these have you done?

By: Joost

Joost — Fri, 11 Feb 2011 16:27:08 +0000

Nora, for a huge country, the rail network of Oz isn’t very bad, despite the car-loving culture and the three gauges. Four states have their own rail services, all with comfortable airconditioned trains:
– Victoria has a dense network of fast regional rail, so Bairnsdale, Shepparton, Wodonga (from 2011), Swan Hill, Albury, Maryborough and Warrnambool are connected with Melbourne, operated by V/Line.
– NSW has a network connecting Albury, Wagga Wagga, Griffith, Canberra, Goulburn, Broken Hill, Dubbo, Orange, Bathurst, Moree, Armidale, Taree, Taree, Casino and Grafton with Sydney, operated by CountryLink. NSW XPT trains also serves Melbourne and Brisbane
– Queensland has a network connecting Charleville, Longreach, Mount Isa, Cairns, Townsville, Rockhampton and Bundaburg with Brisbane, operated by Queensland Rail. Don’t forget the little rail cars far north
– Western Australia has services from Perth to Kalgoorlie, Merredin, Northam and Bunbury, operated by Transwa

Apart from the Ghan and the IP, most Queensland long distance trains are overnight services. So if you will sleep in trains take the overnight XPT to Brisbane and change to the Sunlander to scuba capital Cairns, the Spirit of the Outback to Longreach or the Westlander to Charleville.

Frequent suburban trains are found in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth. Also, Gold Coast, Wollongong, Newcastle, Fremantle and Mandurah are connected by frequent electric trains with the state capitals.
Upcoming:
– the re-gauging of the broad gauge Seymour – Albury line to standard gauge, although there’s a single standard gauge track since 1962
– electrification of the suburban network of Adelaide

It’s a wish for me to cross Oz – of course by train, the iron kangaroo. For you, the Blue train, TransSiberian, Darjeeling or Canadian are not the only options, you can cross Canada coast to coast from Vancouver to Halifax with two changes at Toronto and Montreal. Other railways you might like:
– Central France: Clermont-Ferrand – Nimes / Beziers
– Island of Corse
– Belgium/Luxemburg: Liege – Luxembourg
– Germany: Cologne – Koblenz – Mainz
– Germany: Koblenz – Trier
– French Alps: Grenoble – Marseille
– Ireland: Dublin – Dun Laoghaire – Wicklow
– Ireland: Coleraine – Derry
– Scotland: Glasgow – Mallaig
– Scotland: Perth – Inverness – Kyle of Lochalsh
– Norway: Oslo – Bergen
– Sweden: Narvik – Kiruna
– and many more

Yours, Joost

By: Anthony

Anthony — Fri, 11 Feb 2011 12:27:42 +0000

I am thoroughly impressed that you made an 8-day trip on a train sound compelling 🙂

Cool read, let’s hope your next journey is a good one too.

I was mesmerized by the train service when I lived in Germany, them things, you didn’t have time to be bored!

By: theprofessionalhobo

theprofessionalhobo — Thu, 10 Feb 2011 21:02:21 +0000

@Sherry – Meh! I’m not crushed by being turned down! I’m sure it was all for the best anyway! 🙂

@Laura – Despite the bumpy rides, I still absolutely love overnight train travel. I was talking with a friend about doing some long journeys through India – in comparison to the luxurious Indian Pacific and The Ghan, I may change my tune a bit after a few days, but we’ll all just have to wait and see!

By: Laura

Laura — Thu, 10 Feb 2011 15:03:07 +0000

I’m so impressed by this epic train journey. What an experience!! (Although I must say, with some of the bumpy rides, I’m not sure how I’d feel about sleeping on it).