Indian Pacific
Sydney - Adelaide - Perth
The Indian Pacific is one of the classic train journey. The track between Sydney and Perth is 4352 kilometers and the journey takes 65 hours. The track includes the longest straight stretch of railway track (478 kilometers)
The name comes from the fact that the train travels between the Indian Ocean (Perth) and the Pacific Ocean (Sydney) It was first in 1969 that the journey between Sydney and Perth could be done without changing trains. Previously, different rail gauges meant a number of train changes. The rail network connected Sydney and Perth already back in 1917, when the 1,996 km track between Kalgoorlie and Port Augusta was completed.
Note that most of the year, there is only one train each week in either direction. In high season, a second departure is added. So make sure that you book your journey well in advance.
Sydney is one of the most beautiful cities on earth. Thanks to the Harbour Bridge, Opera House and Circular Quay (the ferry station) visitors quickly find some world class views. It is worth the money visiting Centre Point to get a view of the city and the harbour from above.
The main railway station in Sydney is Sydney Central. From here you can take trains to the Blue Mountains, Newcastle and Wollongong, as well as long distance trains towards Melbourne, Brisbane and Adelaide. Although not bad, neither Australian trains nor the tracks are of international top quality. Especially people in the economy class, called Red Service Day/Nighter Seat, have been disappointed.
The Indian Pacific works it way through Sydney up towards the Blue Mountains. The stretch through the Blue Mountains is one of the most beautiful parts of the whole journey. Once out of the Blue Mountains, the scenery becomes more monotonous.
Broken Hill is an interesting town albeit in the middle of nowhere. Unfortunately, the stop in Broken Hill is just one and half hours to two hours so there is not much time to have a look at the town. Unless you break your journey and continue with another train. Note that if you want to explore Broken Hill and its surroundings, you should rent a car. Generally the Indian Pacific will provide a short optional tour of the town by bus. But the tour seems to be cancelled every now and then, if available it is worth joining.
From Broken Hill it takes almost seven hours to reach Adelaide. The scenery becomes a little bit more interesting again, for example the track runs along a road so you may see a car once in a while! But on the whole the Indian Pacific does not offer much of beautiful scenery.
It can be worth stopping for a couple of days in Adelaide, especially if you like wine. Some of Australia's best wine regions are just outside Adelaide. An optional short tour of Adelaide by bus is included in the itinerary but as with the tour of Broken Hill, it seems to be cancelled once in a while. But if available, it is well worth joining.
In Adelaide, you can change to the other famous Australian railway, the Ghan, originally running between Adelaide and Alice Springs. In 2004, the track was extended from Alice Springs all the way to Darwin. After a two and half hours stop in Adelaide the train heads towards the Nullarbor Plain.
From Adelaide it takes 25 hours to reach Kalgoorlie, on the other side of the Nullarbor Plain. Crossing the Nullarbor Plain by car or train is something most Australians would like to do, once! The vast plain is impressive and offers some photo opportunities but on the whole it is a lot of kilometers to cover without much variety in the scenery. At least you can relax in the train, you are not doing the driving. A free tour is included at the stop in Cook. It is not very exciting but it is free, and what else could you do in the middle of nowhere!
Kalgoorlie is a mining town, the discovery of gold back in 1893 meant that town exploded in size, almost overnight. After the initial boom, Kalgoorlie started to decline. Today, the population is about 30,000. The Indian-Pacific makes a three to four stop in Kalgoorlie, depending on if you are travelling eastwards or westwards. Unfortunately, in both cases the train arrives in the evening. Still, join the bus tour of the town, if available. Kalgoorlie has its own character and is well worth visiting, if you happen to pass by.
If you travel westwards, most of the remaining journey to Perth will be during the night. So the best you can do is to sleep and prepare yourself for Perth. Perth is a lovely city, it's well worth spending a couple of days exploring both Perth and Fremantle.
Even better, if you have the time and money, rent a car and drive around the south-western corner of Western Australia. The tour down to Busselton, Albany, Esperance, Kalgoorlie and Hyden (Wave Rock) is well worth the time. The road between Perth and Broome has a lot to offer but unfortunately, the distances are huge. Note that it can get extremely hot in Western Australia.
Today, if you want to travel between Sydney and Perth, virtually everyone choose to fly. The flight takes four hours and if you get a window seat you can see a lot of Australia. The Indian Pacific is a tourist attraction, it should not be seen as pure transportation. If you want to experience a railway journey, the Indian Pacific is a good choice. If you want to travel to or from Perth, flying will be a much better choice.