Train Journeys / Railways

Trains are not the most obvious way to get around Australia, which has a limited network, but there are a couple of wonderful, epic journeys to be made. Comfortable train travel brings the real Australia close to you in a way no other mode of transport can. Rail Australia provides convenient service between most major cities (please note that you cannot travel by train to Darwin or within Tasmania).

The populous southeast, at least, does have a reasonably comprehensive service: interstate railways link the entire east coast from Cairns to Sydney, and on to Melbourne and Adelaide. The two great journeys, though, are the coast-to-coast Indian Pacific (Sydney–Perth; 65hr) and the Ghan (Adelaide–Alice Springs; 20hr). Like much of the national network, both these routes have been losing money for years, and the plan now is to make these journeys unapologetically upmarket (and therefore expensive) – a down-under answer to the Orient Express. 

A real partnership between the Venice-Simplon-Orient-Express has created the Great South Pacific Express, which commenced in December 1998; the luxury tourist train runs year-round from Sydney up the east coast to Cairns. The entire journey takes four nights or can be done in components (the 3-day Brisbane to Cairns component include all meals and sightseeing). 

Other than these, there are a couple of inland tracks in Queensland – to Mount Isa and Longreach – and suburban networks around some of the major cities. Only around Sydney does this amount to much, with decent services to much of New South Wales. There are no passenger trains in Tasmania.

Below you find a listing of the major train journeys that you can make in Australia. At the bottom of each page you find a link to the current Australian Rail Rates.