See Rail travel in Australia for general information about travelling by train in Australia Australia can be crossed by two great railway journeys, The Ghan, which crosses north to south straight through the heart of Australia, from Darwin to Adelaide, and the Indian Pacific, which crosses east to west, from Sydney to Perth.
The Ghan is named after the Afghan cameleers that transported goods to Australia's remote centre prior to the construction of the railway. The sand and heat made the trip entirely unsuited to horses. The cameleers overwhelmingly weren't from Afghanistan, they were just known as Afghans in the Australian vernacular.
The construction of the original Ghan from Adelaide started in 1878, with Oodnadatta reached in 1891 and, after a thirty-year break, Alice Springs in 1926. A separate but unconnected track from Darwin to Katherine in the north was also completed in the same year; this line was closed in 1976.
Unfortunately, the original Ghan was twisty, narrow-gauge and built straight through many valleys prone to flash floods that washed away tracks and bridges. A decision was thus made to rebuild nearly all of the line in standard gauge, over 100Β km to the west. The new line to Alice Springs opened in 1980, and the remaining 1420 km section across the continent to Darwin opened in 2004.
A single train journey from Sydney to Perth (linking the Indian and Pacific Oceans) became possible with the completion of the standard gauge railway in 1969 when the last standard gauge link was completed between Broken Hill and Peterborough. Prior to this, travelling across Australia by train between Perth and Sydney was a relay of trains. At certain times in history there were four changes of railway gauge, at Broken Hill, Peterborough, Port Pirie, and Kalgoorlie. The great mining town of Broken Hill was linked by the narrow-gauge railways to Port Pirie (north of Adelaide) before it was linked with Sydney. You can see some of this history in the Sulphide Street Railway Museum in Broken Hill, at Steamtown in Peterborough, and at the museum in the old station at Port Pirie. The railway line in Port Pirie ran right down the main street of the town. In the 1930s, the transcontinental trip was over five days, with changes of trains through Albury, Melbourne, Adelaide, Port Pirie and Kalgoorlie.
The breaks of gauge were due to the states each having their own gauge, and the Commonwealth completing the missing link between Port Pirie and Kalgoorlie in standard gauge (the same as New South Wales).
Some towns along the line enjoyed several services a day during their heyday. The full Sydney to Perth service ran three times a week. Today, however, the irony is that railway buffs can see more of the rail history of the line and the towns along it travelling by car than by train. You can spend a good half day exploring the history of Peterborough and of Port Pirie, but passenger trains no longer stop in either of them.
These are not high-speed transcontinental trains. They are slow, laid back and luxurious trains that know how to take their time and let you enjoy the scenery. The trains are privately run by Journey Beyond. The current iteration of both routes was not built for passenger traffic, but rather to serve the very lucrative freight business.
Any way you look at it, The Ghan and the Indian Pacific are expensive. The more economical "Red Service" has been discontinued, and both trains now cater exclusively to the luxury market with an all-sleeper configuration. The lowest class of service is "Gold Service", which has single cabins (shared shower), twin cabins (shower en suite) and includes all meals in the dedicated restaurant car. This will set you back at least $2,115 on The Ghan, and $2,475 on the Indian Pacific in the low season, increasing to $2,845 on the Ghan and $2,835 on the Indian Pacific during the peak season. Add another $2000-4000 on top, and you can get a double-sized "Platinum Service" cabin, which also gets you a quieter dedicated lounge on board, and complimentary transfers from and to your place of accommodation at the start and end of your journey respectively.
If you have a car in Australia, the value proposition can improve slightly, if you take your car with you. On the premium fare there are often deals available to take a car for $99 extra, which you can then offset against the price of renting a car at your destination, or if you drive one way, the prospect of the 3000Β km drive home. Taking your car with you is only possible when travelling from Adelaide to Perth and vice versa on the Indian Pacific, and when travelling from Adelaide to Darwin and vice versa on The Ghan. You will need to call Journey Beyond to make arrangements in advance if you want to take your car with you.
You cannot get off and board a few days later at most intermediate stations, as these trains are meant to be luxury rail cruises rather than practical modes of transportation. The exceptions are Adelaide, which is allowed as an intermediate stopping point for passengers on the Indian Pacific, and Alice Springs, which is allowed as an intermediate stopping point for passengers on The Ghan. Both these intermediate stops have to be arranged in advance, and you will need to book each leg separately if you want to stop off.
Darwin can be reached by plane from all major Australian cities and a few international destinations like Singapore, Denpasar, or Dili, but does not have any other train services.
Sydney, Perth and Adelaide are well-connected by air, each with services to all other Australian capital cities and international destinations. There are public train services up and down the east coast connecting the nearby country towns to Sydney. There is a public train once a week to Broken Hill, which you can catch from Sydney, and then join the Indian Pacific there. Similarly, Perth is also served by trains connecting it to nearby country towns near the west coast, and also has a service to Kalgoorlie where you can join the Indian Pacific. These trips costs considerably less than the privately run Indian Pacific on the same routes. Adelaide's railway network is limited to some suburban rail services, and does not have any services to the country towns.
This itinerary assumes you start from Darwin and head south, but it's also possible in the opposite direction. The Ghan takes 54 hours to travel 2,979 km.
From Adelaide (2979Β km), departures are on Sunday 12:20PM throughout the year and Wednesdays at the same time between June and August.
Katherine π (312Β km) β The Ghan stops here for around five hours, with an optional guided "Whistle Stop Tour" available. The old railway from Darwin to Katherine stopped in central Katherine, and you can visit the site of the railway station. You can walk the old high level railway bridge across the Katherine river following the old alignment. However, it is around 10Β km from the old station to the new one, so if you want to see Katherine, the tour may be your best option.
Alice Springs π (1420Β km) β Alice Springs is the former northern terminus of The Ghan and the largest town by far en route. The train stops here for around four hours, long enough for a quick peek around town. The station is on the edge of the CBD, a couple of blocks walk to the Todd mall. Many people opt to break their journey here for a few days and visit Uluru, about 400Β km away, but there is plenty to do for a few days in Alice and surrounds even if you don't venture to the Rock. Alice Springs has all the services to make it possible.
Marla π β Marla is a purpose built highway service centre with nothing else there except the highway, train line and the station. The highlight of any visit there is to see The Ghan when it passes through, and the desert stretching off into the distance, if you are actually on The Ghan looking at the desert stretching off into the distance, best to stay on board. If you do decide to get off, the motel, service station, and associated facilities are just across the road from the station.
Coober Pedy (Manguri) π β By prior arrangement only, The Ghan can stop at Manguri, 42Β km away from the town of Coober Pedy. You must have pre-arranged a pickup from here, since the location is very remote. The roads to Coober Pedy are dirt, and can be effected by the weather. If you can't demonstrate an arranged pickup is there, you may not be allowed to disembark.
Adelaide π (2979Β km) β The end of the line β unless you switch onto the Indian Pacific and continue onward to Perth, Sydney or Broken Hill.
This route connects the Perth on the Indian Ocean with Sydney on the Pacific Ocean. The 4,352 km trip takes about three days and is distance-wise by far the longest in the Southern Hemisphere and one of the longest domestic rail journeys in the world. It's notable for the 478 km long section across the Nullarbor Plain, which is the longest straight railway stretch in the world.
Though the journeys are long, and there are few chances of people just wandering in onto the train like in other countries, it is nevertheless wise to secure your room or items.
The Overland (which is also a Great Southern Rail train) operates between Adelaide and Melbourne. Unlike the Indian Pacific or The Ghan, The Overland is a day trip and takes 10 hours.
Sydney and Perth are both served by country rail services that connect to various country towns. Country rail services from Sydney are operated by NSW TrainLink, while those from Perth are operated by TransWA. NSW TrainLink also operates the Melbourne XPT from Sydney to Melbourne via Canberra, as well as the Brisbane XPT from Sydney to Brisbane. From Brisbane, the Gold Coast is easily accessible on the suburban network of Queensland Rail, which also operates the long distance Spirit of Queensland all the way to Cairns.
Australia's pioneers had a grand vision for the railways, to cover a continent, and there are many places where this grand history can be seen. If you are catching the train one way, and travelling by car the other way, you can catch up with some of the interesting railway history you may have missed.
The Oodnadatta Track basically follows the original alignment of the Ghan before it was moved. There are sections of track still in place, and you can walk on large sections of the alignment from the road. The Oodnadatta station looks largely unchanged from when it saw its last train service 40 years ago.
Related Wikipedia article: Rail transport in Australia