Indian Pacific - or across Australia please!
The drive
The 4352 km long train route from Sydney to Perth. The entire route, including the four intermediate stops, is covered in around 64 hours.
After starting in Sydney in the afternoon, you first drive through the green areas of the Blue Mountains. These go over to the outback quite quickly. First stop is the next morning Broken Hill. Here and at all other stops there is the opportunity to take part in an excursion. The cost is around 25 Australian dollars and can be booked through the cabin crew.
From Broken Hill the journey continues through beautiful landscapes Adelaide. Outback fans get their money's worth here. Arrival in Adelaide is late afternoon. The next stop is in the morning of the second day cook in the Nullarbor Plain - one of the most isolated places in Australia and with only 4 permanent residents one of the smallest. Have fun in the Nullarbor Plain and count trees from 30 cm high. But not only the landscape lives up to the word level. The track itself doesn't have a single curve here either. With a length of approx. 400 km, this is the longest straight route in the world.
The penultimate stop is the mining town in the late evening Kalgoorlie. The next morning you notice more signs of civilization from hour to hour and the landscape becomes greener and greener. Around noon on the third day, the adventure ends at Perth train station. 64 hours that were definitely worth it!
Important information for travelers:
Luggage
Two pieces of luggage, each weighing a maximum of 25 kg, are permitted per person. Luggage should be checked in no later than 30 minutes before departure.
Regardless of whether you drive in a Day-Nighter Seat or have a cabin: You shouldn't take too much luggage on board. Since both the cabins of the Red Kangaroo Service and those of the Gold Kangaroo Service are very narrow, a small bag with the essentials should be enough for 3 days. There is no space for large travel bags and suitcases. Therefore, these should definitely be given up. If something important is still in the luggage, there is an opportunity to get to the luggage at every stop.
There is also the option of taking your own vehicle with you for a corresponding surcharge.
Catering
There are enough refreshment stations as well as the own restaurant for guests of the Gold or Platinum Service. The costs for food and drinks are kept within reasonable limits. The consumption of (your own) alcohol is not desired, but is tolerated.
Bringing fresh food and honey to Western Australia is generally prohibited. However, these foods can be consumed on board. Shortly before Perth there is a hygiene inspection, during which the leftover food has to be handed in. The staff will announce this in good time.
service
There are three categories on board:
Classes include “Platinum,” “Gold Twin,” “Gold Single.” They cost respectively A $ 4719, 2999, 2839, one way in the high season 2017/18.
Timetable, prices and booking
Tickets can either be purchased from a travel agency (e.g. from the tour operator DerTour or FTI) or directly on the website of Trainways.
Note: The prices directly from Trainways are a little cheaper. Payment is made by credit card. The tickets will be picked up on site at the train station. Travel insurance is strongly recommended - but it is not bookable for foreign tourists on the Trainways website and is also not required. If you have any concerns about this, we recommend booking in a travel agency in your home country.
