I’ve been inspired by the recent visits to Australia by Michael Portillo and Griff Rhys Jones in their programs Great Australian Railway Journeys and Griff’s Great Australian Rail Trip respectively to add trains to my travel plans.
With international travel off the cards until late 2021 at the very earliest, now is the perfect time to see Australia aboard some of the world’s great train journeys. And with interstate borders opening up in the coming months, these are the best 3 Australian train journeys on my list.
In this post:
The Ghan | Adelaide – Darwin
With South Australia and the Northern Territory now open to NSW residents without quarantine, The Ghan is the first journey to be available. Travelling between Adelaide and Darwin, The Ghan is an epic North-South journey over 3 days and 2 nights visiting the Red Centre.
Michael Portillo covers this journey in the opening episode of his six part series Great Australian Railway Journeys and the trip looks to be an excellent way to see less visited parts of Australia.
Spirit of the Outback | Brisbane – Longreach
Slightly less well known is the Spirit of the Outback train run by Queensland Rail between Brisbane and Longreach. The 26 hour journey, with sleeper cabins available, makes its way through the centre of Queensland and ends up at Longreach.
With the Queensland border slated to open from November, this is a great way to experience a sleeper train plus visit the Qantas Founders Museum.
Indian Pacific | Sydney – Perth
The Indian Pacific is Australia’s transcontinental journey from Sydney to Perth over 4 days and 3 nights. With a long stop in Adelaide, there is even time to go wine tasting in the Barossa Valley or explore the city at leisure.
This is the trip that has been on my list the longest, but with the Western Australia border expected to remain closed well into 2021 it is a trip that won’t be practical for a while yet.
Until then, we can live vicariously through Michael Portillo’s experience last year.
Best Australian Train Summary
Australia has some of the world’s most epic rail journeys and with international borders shut for the foreseeable future, now is the time to enjoy them.
Be it unlimited train travel within NSW using the NSW Trains Discovery Pass or an epic multi-night journey, I am looking forward to riding the rails to see more of Australia in 2021.
