There can be few journeys more romantic and relaxing than moving through the spectacular Australian landscape on a luxurious train. It’s the kind of journey that you would talk about for years afterwards and would long to do again. If you wanted to celebrate an anniversary or special birthday this may be the perfect way to make some great memories. But where do you start and which trips are the best? Here are a few suggestions that might make you want to pack your bags, a good book, your binoculars, and a really relaxed attitude, and jump aboard.
The Ghan is a transcontinental adventure that cuts an amazing 2,979 kilometres north from Adelaide through the barren outback, to the continent’s north.
The train is named after Afghan cameleers who managed the “ships of the desert” in the outback’s cattle stations and settlements. The journey stands alone and it’s a railway marathon that takes a massive 46 hours to travel between Darwin and Adelaide via Katherine and Alice Springs and it is possible to take short visits in to the towns you travel through.
If any journey will show you how vast Australia is, it’s this one.
This train includes five-star cabins and plush club lounges where you can get to know your fellow travellers. You don’t have to take the luxury option, you can just get a seat and rub shoulders with the backpackers.
If you are up for 65-hours – that’s three full days and three nights on a train, then this is a trip for you. The Indian Pacific is the only direct transcontinental train journey in the world and the 4,352-kilometre route runs between Perth and Sydney.
The train is a real Australian icon, passing through some of the country’s most remote towns and regions such as the Blue Mountains, Broken Hill, the Nullarbor Plain, Kalgoorlie and the 4 resident town of Cook. It’s the longest stretch of straight railway track in the world. If you choose to revel the in the up-market Platinum cabins, you’ll be able to enjoy full-size showers and a double bed.
The Spirit of the Outback is legendary, nothing quite stirs the imagination as much as setting off to explore the Australian outback on this train.
The 1,325-kilometre journey will take you along the Queensland coast from Brisbane before heading inland to the plains of Longreach. The 24-hour rail journey is a one that will take you through some big skies and vast horizons, while the towns are the very essence of Australia. You’ll pass through Winton, the birthplace of the country’s unofficial national anthem, Waltzing Matilda.
Best for those who get fidgety on long trips, as travelling on the vintage wooden Kuranda train is over in just under two hours. It’s fast, but evocative, as it rattles along the 34-kilometer track high above sea level.
The train passes the ancient Barron waterfalls, thick World Heritage-listed rainforest and rocky ravines as it heads northward from Cairns.
Constructed between 1882 and 1891, the track is still considered one of the country’s most impressive engineering feats. There are 15 hand-hewn tunnels (including one that runs a claustrophobic 500 meters) and 37 bridges.
Savannahlander will bring you a taste of rail travel from another age, this is no express train.
The train is from the 1960s and it travels at 1960s speeds of around 50kph as it makes it’s way along the on its 850-kilometre of track between Cairns and Forsayth.
A window seat is a must during this four day tour through scenery that will take your breath away as it passes you by. You’ll head through the Great Dividing Range, and past pristine rainforests on on your way to the outback, where kangaroos and emus graze and tiny copper mining towns dot the landscape. The Savannahlander is not a sleeper train, but there’s plenty of opportunity to get off and stretch your legs. At night, everyone gets off and stays in the towns along the way.
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