Oz Train Trips

[JK]

OK, being a worse than terrible flyer you won't see me in here too often, so apologies if I've missed anything along these lines yet.

Has anyone taken the train to Darwin? If so, what were your thoughts?

I always seem to get the Indian Pacific and the Ghan mixed up, but I took one of them to and fro to WA once and had a sensational trip (both there and back) ... Stopped off at Kalgoorlie with some Pommy drinking buddy I met on the trip and it's amazing how many you can throw back in an hour and a half of freedom with a long trip ahead. (He barely spoke to me the next day he looked so crook)

[Ian]

That's the Indian Pacific C_P, I went Peterborough (before the standard gauge line came to Adelaide) to Sydney on it as a 14 or 15 yo, then caught it from Adelaide to Perth when a mate was posted there in the Army. Back then I couldn't afford to fly or go sleeper call so it was seated all the way for 36 hours. One of the best trips of my life, left Adelaide in the evening, Met 2 girls (Navy) from Geraldon on their way home for a holiday, they cleaned us all up playing poker but one of them made my losses all worthwhile . 1st stop long enough for us to get out was Cook, the next was Kalgoorlie where we stocked up at the pub across from the station (Railway Hotel IIRC) for the 2nd nights journey into Perth, it was also my birthday that night. Porter sprung us drinking BYO, he was easily bribed with a dash of scotch into a coke can.
The return journey was just as fun, could buy a drink at the pub next morning though, it was still smouldering with Fire Fighters in attendance as the train came in, I often wondered if it had ever been rebuilt after the fire.

[Ian]

When I was a kid growing up in the SE my grandparents lived in the Mid North. We only had one car (dads company car) so if we were visiting my grandparents during school holidays and dad had to work we'd hop on the Blue Bird at Keith (then later Coonalpyn) to Adelaide, then change trains to the other Blue Bird and catch that went to Peterborough, my grandparents would meat us at Jamestown and drive us the last bit to Laura. As kids we loved it, much better than being on a bus, you could get up and walk around, had a good cafeteria on board, it's a pity those country train services are all a thing of the past.

[Strawb]

South Australia had an Awesome train network in the country but sadly like most country train networks it has died which is a shame. I used to enjoy catch a train to go where I wanted to when I could. Never did make the trip to Mt. Gambier on the train

[Footy Chick]

I did Darwin to Adelaide on Ghan Gold class (yet another perk of the job ) last February - Beautiful trip. It's amazing watching the landscape of Australia change from lush green to desert red in a matter of hours.

The whistle-stop tours are highly recommended if you have the cash to do them, especially the Katherine Gorge tour.

I was the youngest person on the trip by about 20 years but it didn't matter, you get to meet and speak to alot of really nice people from around the world, who's sole intention it was to see Australian wildlife in it's natural habitat. It so happened that the local fauna weren't too interested in coming out to play on our journey though, until the final morning when the breakfast carriage went into mayhem as two wallabies hopped away from the train track

The food is SUPERB. Their banana cheesecake is the single best thing I've EVER eaten in my life

Only negative of course is that you barely get any sleep, the beds aren't the most comfy and hard to doze off to the sound of click clack all night

As you come into Alice, the train slows down past some fenced indigenous communities which aren't exactly the best advertisment for traditional Australians. Cyclone fences littered with dirty nappies and beer bottles and cartons and deplapitated firbo huts which act as their homes.

Otherwise can't fault the trip. Don't know that I'd pay to do it though...

[Thiele]

I have done to:

The Ghan to Alice
The Overland to Melbourne by night. Would like to do it by day

[Footy Chick]

You're lucky Thiele, as the Overlander don't do night trips anymore.

Day trips are not too badly priced, can get a return trip for around $80

[JK]

Only negative of course is that you barely get any sleep, the beds aren't the most comfy and hard to doze off to the sound of click clack all night

Oddly enough, I've always found the amount and quality of sleep I've had on train trips to be the best ever.

Thanks for the rap on the trip, I'd luv to do it and hope to at some stage.

It's a pity the Overlander got rid of their standard sleeper carriages, used to grab one and head to Melbourne as often as possible.

[johntheclaret]

I have done to:

The Ghan to Alice
The Overland to Melbourne by night. Would like to do it by day

I did the overland to Melbourne at night. As a kid in a "kind of recliner" it didn't strike me as being that cool. would love to do the Ghan.

Ian, we lived in Peterborough for a while, just up near the hospital.

[Thiele]

You're lucky Thiele, as the Overlander don't do night trips anymore.

Day trips are not too badly priced, can get a return trip for around $80

Was thinking of doing it when the state game for next year

[redandblack]

A long time ago, I had a train holiday, stopping off along the way.

Adelaide - Melbourne

Melb - Sydney

Sydney - Brisbane

Brisbane - Proserpine

then return to Sydney and back to Adelaide via Broken Hill.

A`great trip and the trains were very good.