One little known travel hack is that every Monday and Tuesday you can catch the longest train trip in NSW. It’s the 1,100km Sydney to Broken Hill route and takes 14 hours. Full price is just $138.61 for First Class and concessions are available. I believe it provides exceptional value.
The train leaving Broken Hill is a great option as Broken Hill Airport is only serviced by REX and not Qantas or Virgin. The trick is getting to Broken Hill
We chose to drive from Adelaide to Broken Hill, a relatively straightforward 520km drive. Adelaide is a great starting point as it is well serviced by Qantas and Virgin.
There is so much to explore in Australia and so many different ways to see it. While train travel is hugely popular and efficient in many parts of the world, the vast distances and limited population don’t make it work here.
We originally found the route when I was drinking with some senior friends and we were looking for the furthest distance you could go for the $2.50 concession ticket. That’s when we stumbled on the weekly train.
We planned the trip around a bank holiday weekend. This meant that by taking two days off we got a five day road and train trip. #winning. We had a group of four including our Senior!
In this post:
Indian Pacific Train vs Central (Sydney) to Broken Hill
Not everyone needs an expensive luxury train trip over 4 days to see the outback. Sydney to Broken Hill is around one quarter the distance, can be done in a single day and about a tenth of the price.
You actually travel on exactly the same route.
For me it was an easy decision. Perth to Sydney is around 4k km compared to 1.1km for the trip to Broken Hill. It was not luxury but it sure was fun!
Day One: Adelaide Airport to Barossa Valley, 93km
There are lots of flights to get to Adelaide. We chose a reasonably early one, while still getting time for breakfast in the Qantas Club lounge. Having visited Adeliade many times for work our plan was to drive straight to Hahndorf for lunch and then spend the night at Angaston in the Barossa Valley. We arrived at Hahndorf early and were immediately underwhelmed. A bit too touristy without much to see.
So we pushed on to Maggie Beer’s farm shop. As Masterchef tragics it was a great stop for lunch and to get some extra provisions for back home.
The Barossa Valley is more a wide plain surrounded by modest hills. However it is chock a block full of famous wine brands. We choose to do the walk from the super touristy Jacobs Creek to the warm and friendly St Hallett vineyard. A cracking riverside walk surrounded by vineyards. The St Hallet staff were fantastic and we tried all of the top shelf wines. We bought the Old Block Vintage to enjoy that night. Cellar door prices were very good and it was sub $100, meaning we dined in.
We stayed at a comfortable AirBnb in Angaston and there are heaps around.
Day Two: Barossa Valley to Clare, 101km
By spending Friday night in Angaston we were able to check out the local Barossa Farmers Market on Saturday morning. The two highlights for me were the dried fruits (a faint memory of my childhood was rekindled) and the local honey. We consumed the dried fruits over the next two days.
We said goodbye to the farmers market and headed off to Clare stopping at Martindale Hall. A time warp of a grazier’s home from a time when Australia was living off the sheep’s back. It is still decorated as it was at the turn of the 19th century and was one of the many trip highlights.
To be honest, Clare was underwhelming. We are not Riesling drinkers which did not help our cause. There is a Riesling wine trail, but by the time we had finished with the farmers market and Martindale Hall we were ready for a quiet night. Our AirBnB was underwhelming, with a bed base that rattled with every move. Do your research and make sure you choose accommodation with good reviews!
Day Three: Clare to Broken Hill, 400km
We had an early exit from Clare with a big drive ahead and plans to visit Red Banks Conservation Park en route.
To be honest Red Banks Conservation Park was a random choice. I had used Google maps to see what looked interesting en route and there it was. There are only 9 Google reviews, which is not a lot, but it was a short detour and well worthwhile.
Red Banks is on the cusp of the desert. A natural waterhole surrounded by spinifex and eroded river valleys. We did a two hour five km walk called Landscapes of Change. Whilst it took a while to find the start (and we missed a few turn offs) it was a genuine outback experience. Make sure you take your own food and water as it can get hot and there was no drinkable water.
Interestingly Red Banks marks the border of the Goyder Line in South Australia separating parts of the state that receives good rainfall from the drought affected remainder.
It’s a 20km drive from Burra but felt much further. A dirt road (but suitable for a two wheel drive). We stopped at Burra for lunch after the walk. Another surprise town full of lots of cafe options. All friendly and relatively inexpensive.
Tip: Consider staying at Burra instead of Clare for easier access to Red Banks and a nice town on its own right.
The big drive to Broken Hill was pretty straightforward with the landscape becoming more and more foreign as we progressed. We could have been on Mars, the red dirt and lack of vegetation.
We arrived at Broken Hill at dusk, too tired to venture out to see the night sky. My only regret on the whole trip.
Day Four: Broken Hill
Another underrated country town. Once a bustling and rich city, now the economy and population have gone backward. The mine/slag heap dominates the city, a reminder of the riches that were extracted. Easily a place to spend at least one and possibly two days.
At the top of the slag heap is a worthwhile museum that gruesomely chronicles the history, life and death of the local population. “Mangled by machinery” still sticks as perhaps one of the worst ways to go.
The site of the famous WW1 train shooting is also worth a whistle stop. My grandmother was on the train which gave it a personal connection.
Alan and I did a walking tour around the town, reading all the signboards providing an excellent historical background.
The highlight of our time in Broken Hill was visiting the Historic Daydream Mine near Silverton to get a feeling what a real working mine felt like. Cornish miners were brought in to extract the silver, living in the worst possible conditions. The tour guides now make an awesome scone that you need to order before you start the tour. It’s a must eat experience!
Dont mss the scones
Silverton was “meh” a bit too much Mad Max, perhaps we did not give it enough time. The views from the nearby lookout are worth the journey.
We also visited the Mundi Mundi lookout at Silverton. While we visited during the day I suspect it is more spectacular at night when you can go startwatching in the outback .
We stayed in an AirBnb which was incredibly cheap, very comfortable and a short walk to town.
Day Five: Broken Hill to Sydney by train.
The trip home was relaxing but very long 13 plus hours with no rear seat entertainment. The attendant changed our seating so we could play cards and enjoy the view.
The views were spectacular seeing kangaroos, emus, dingoes and feral everything else. The scenery changed every hour or so as we left the desert. By the time we got to Bathurst and the Blue Mountains the sun had set so we spent the next four hours looking out into the dark. In hindsight we should have got off at Orange and then caught a train the next day. Alternatively do the trip once daylight savings has kicked in.
Food can be purchased on board but needs to be ordered so it can be prepared in advance. Just a heads up beer is also rationed, however no one in our trip came close to hitting the limit.
We paid for premium seats in First Class. We could not quite spot the difference but the price difference was marginal.
The train stops regularly at the major stations giving you the opportunity to get out and stretch the legs.
Summary: This has been one of my favourite mini breaks to see the real Australia. Lots of variety in just 5 days. I would highly recommend doing it as soon as possible before the government axes the train!
