Reset search
Two trains across Australia
  • Wendy Jacobs
  • Wendy Jacobs

Two trains across Australia

Travelling Australia via The Ghan and the Indian Pacific Trains. Read more
FollowInsightsInsightsCalendarCalendarPhotosPhotosShareShareBucket list
InsightsCalendarPhotos
  • Trip start
    April 17, 2026
    Wendy JacobsTwo trains across AustraliaTraveler
    View from my window on the plane. There's water in the distance.
    I like the cloud formation.My hotel room and view.1

    On my way - Darwin.

    April 17 in Australia ⋅ ☁️ 31 °C

    I managed to fit everything into my little case - it was a bit of a struggle - so was pleased. Headed to the airport terminal early, checked in went to the Qantas Club Lounge for breakfast. The new lounge looks more comfortable and breakfast was enjoyable. The flight to Darwin was relatively uneventful and I had an empty seat next to me so I could stretch out. Being in business class is so comfortable for me and the crew were very helpful. We had a small issue when it came to landing though - torrential rains and poor visibility meant the pilots had to abort on approach and wait for the weather to clear. We landed without any issues 25 minutes later.
    When I left the airport terminal, the humidity hit me like a brick wall. I hate humidity and this was so uncomfortable - oven like heat and steamy. BOM website said actual temp 28.4, feels like 33.5, 88% humidity!!!
    My taxi driver into the city was very chatty but pleasant enough.
    I am very happy with the hotel - Hilton Darwin - large comfy bed and harbour views.
    I have to be in the hotel lobby tomorrow morning at 6.15 am so a quiet evening and early to bed. The train trip starts tomorrow. Everyone here seems to think it's funny that I have flown from Adelaide to Darwin just to catch the Ghan train home. Makes perfect sense to me.    Read more

  • Wendy JacobsTwo trains across AustraliaTraveler
    View on arrival at the train station.
    A long train.Breakfast time. Waiting for departure.There were 2 people carriers to assist passengers with mobility issues.Playing the didgeridoo as part of the farewellsVegetation - trying to photograph ant hills quite unsuccessfully.1My cabin - N 13.1The corridor along carriage N. There are 15 single cabins in the car.This is my floor space (about 95%).2Club car.

    The Ghan - Darwin to Katherine.

    April 18 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ 25 °C

    Journey Beyond organised a number of shuttle buses to the rail terminal outside of the city one of which collected about 20 people from the Hilton Darwin where I was staying. Even at 6.30am it's hot and humid.
    Once at the station the check in process was well organised and relatively pain free. I'm in carriage N - the last passenger carriage on the train. You needed a bus to make your way once boarding was announced.
    Breakfast of muffins, mini quiches, croissants, fruit was on offer as people arrived plus glasses of Bollinger champagne. Yay - with refills.
    While I was waiting for the farewells to be said, I was approached by Sally (from South Hampton) who said " you were on the Hurtigruten NW passage trip last year. In fact it was you who recommended that we (plus husband David) do the Ghan from Darwin to Adelaide not vice versa". So here we are 8 months later on the same train! How small is the world getting??
    The gold single cabin is very small. It does have some storage and a hand basin but not much room overall. Once the bed is made I might have to open the door to do anything. It's also 4 carriages away from the club car and 5 from the dining car. However, the showers and toilets are almost next door so that's good.
    Strangely enough, I have found the club car and the barman seems to know my preferred glass of wine.
    Staff are very accommodating and helpful. We had a late brunch as we arrived in Katherine just on 1pm. The off train excursion I had booked is not available yet so there's a few of us still on the train.
    I must say moving around on a fast moving train is a bit like being on a ship in bouncy seas, I already have bruises from when we apparently hit a Buffalo and the whole train jolted. I was moving into the dining car when this happened.
    Will update the rest of the day later.    Read more

  • Wendy JacobsTwo trains across AustraliaTraveler
    Wine list Dinner on Saturday.
    Menu Saturday nightIt's very green at the moment but it's also the wet season.The road into Alice Springs. Quite different vegetation.Main street Alice Springs.1Lunch venueThe bar. Notes the colours of the landscape behind.Me being silly1Ghost Gums in the Dessert Park.A very pregnant Bilby.1Black breasted buzzard arriving to show us how to crack open an emus egg - green egg on the ground iHe used a number of different rocks until he was successful. Not a real egg but has a reward insideEmu obviously.1Old Overland Telegraph Station.The path in. We were met with a Rose Champagne.1Setting Sun1Having fun.

    Katherine to Alice Springs

    April 18 in Australia ⋅ ☁️ 26 °C

    One of the really interesting aspects of travelling on the Ghan, is when we are out of cities and towns there's no internet. The train does have a hot-spot set up in the club car but that's it. Most people haven't bothered and are enjoying the silence of their phones.
    Meals on the train are very good and the wine list is most acceptable. I have become quite fond of a Margaret River Chardonnay (name to be inserted here) and, given the quantity of reds being drunk they are also most acceptable.
    We travelled overnight to Alice Springs - with several long stops along the way. Apparently this is usual so that other trains can get by. I love the changes in the landscape as we travel south. Lush, green and dense to the more desert vegetation. This is why I am on the train. It's great.
    We arrived in Alice Springs around 9am but we weren't sent on our excursions until 11am. I did the Dessert Park excursion. First was a quick tour of the town with Doug our driver happily pointing out various places of interest with accompanying stories. Doug came across as a real bushie - lived in Alice Springs all his life, worked on various properties and now runs a tour company. We were taken to his company's catering venue that is set up in a old quarry for lunch - cold buffet with wines etc. very nice.
    The Desert Park was next with Skip as our guide. Everything in the park is native to the habitats surrounding Alice Springs. The tour took about 3 hours. Luckily I had a mobility scooter - quite good fun actually - but this meant that myself and the other 4 scooter people were often at the back of the group and missed a lot of what was being said. Two highlights - the very pregnant bilbies in the nocturnal house and the raptor display in the Ampitheatre. They have trained their birds to respond to various hand commands and rewards. The birds fly freely around the young girl running the show before returning to their 'home'. The cutest was Bruce the Willy Wagtail who would hop around in front of her waiting for his reward.
    We arrived back at the train at 4.35pm and had to be organised by 5.15pm to disembark to be bused to the Overland Telegraph Station for dinner under the stars. Fantastic. Beautifully set up. Delicious food, Bollinger champagne, Bird in Hand Chardonnay and Pepper Jack Shiraz. There was a reasonable band playing and after dinner, they turned of the lights so we could see the night sky. Amazing. The Southern Cross was very bright as were Orion, Gemini and Leo star formation. Jupiter was also incredibly bright in the sky - even when the lights came back on. After some energetic dancing by many guests, we were bused back to the train by about 10pm. Quick night cap and off to bed.
    I have photos on my other camera but right now I am having difficulties getting the camera to talk to my laptop. So will add more later.    Read more

  • Wendy JacobsTwo trains across AustraliaTraveler
    Sunrise.
    Buses heading to Coober Pedy.Dust from the first bus with bus 2 behind.This signifies the stop.

    Coober Pedy.

    April 20 in Australia ⋅ 🌙 16 °C

    Another early morning to get into the shower and not hold any one up. As shown in earlier photos, the Gold Single cabin is tiny. However, the showers are spacious - quite a lot bigger than the bathrooms in the Gold suites in the next 3 carriages. Apparently, you have to stand next to the toilet to shower and dropping anything causes problems. My single bed is causing some concerns - I find it very hard and it forces me to lie on my left side. Not good. I was woken several times last night with cramping in my calves and a very sore left hip.
    We arrived at Manguri siding this morning at 8ish o'clock am. It's roughly 40 kilometres to Coober Pedy from here. There was no suitable excursion for me today so I have stayed on the train. They wanted me to join the Opal mine excursion but lunch is in a n old mine the entrance of which is very steep and with a damp wooden walkway. If I got to the bottom I might not get back. Plus after last night issues with my cramps and very stiff back today, it's better if I stay put. Besides, the view out the window is great. They made me a nice ham and salad wrap for lunch and Sam, the barman, organised a large glass of Chardonnay to wash it down.
    Everyone was back on board by 4.30pm. The crew had set up a bonfire with drinks and snacks but the flies sent everyone back inside. The next best option was the club car. By now we know the majority of people in our carriage not necessarily their names but to have conversations with.
    Dinner again was excellent and people were reluctant to head back to their cabins so more drinks were had. Pat (in the cabin next to mine) decided that we had to have sing along music on
    Sam, our lovely barman, obliged and we sang, drank and some even danced (led by Tracey) until 11.30pm. Apparently those in Platinum class were all in bed by 10pm if not earlier.
    Tracey is in the cabin opposite me and we have had a great time together. Pat is also going on the Indian Pacific Train so we will continue our journey.
    I'm in Adelaida until Thursday when I am back on my little adventure.    Read more

  • Wendy JacobsTwo trains across AustraliaTraveler

    Adelaide

    April 21 in Australia ⋅ ☁️ 27 °C

    Arrived at the parklands station at 10.30am on the dot. The Ghan was just under 700 metres in length so they split the train in two and used 2 platforms. It was great to be able to just step of the train and not have to clamber down the steps.
    It was an incredible experience and I would highly recommend it to anyone wanting to experience outback Australia in comfort.
    Two days at home and two nights in my lovely comfy bed before setting off on Thursday on the Indian Pacific to Perth.
    I will get organised when I get back and update and add more photos.    Read more

  • Wendy JacobsTwo trains across AustraliaTraveler
    Ready to go.
    Entertainment at the station.Table 1.The menu.Entree1Main course. Forgot to take a photo of dessert. It was very nice.2The dinner group joining the train in Adelaide.

    Back on the train again -heading West.

    April 23 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 28 °C

    After two days catching with friends and drinking way too much wine, I'm ready to head back to the train station to board the Indian Pacific train. There is to be a welcome dinner first so am looking forward to seeing what will be served as it is meant to show case SA food and wines. The wine list in the Gold lounge and dining cars were all from SA and quite nice too.
    Thank you to Sonya and David for taking me to the station. Quick check in and was greeted by several people who were on the Ghan. A very nice bubble was on offer as were some canapes while we waited for dinner at seven. Sat opposite Sheila from Wales at dinner and next to Marie from New Zealand. Menu and pictures show the lovely meal. The wine was a Shiraz from Teusner in the Barossa valley. On board an off by 10pm. Apparently the train runs on Perth time so now have an extra 1.5 hours to fill in. The club car is much closer so heading in that direction.    Read more

  • Wendy JacobsTwo trains across AustraliaTraveler
    1Sunrise from my cabin window.
    Desert landscape.11Changing Landscapes.1Green Nullarbor Plain.Cook - not sure where these telegraph lines are going.Cook. Abandoned housing.Someone lives here.1Our journey.

    Across the Nullarbor

    April 24 in Australia ⋅ 🌬 31 °C

    This is a much more shaky ride at the moment than the Ghan. Rocked and Rolled all night. The whole trip is turning out to be quite shaky - apparently the result of the amount freight the gets moved across to the west by train.
    The bed is still as hard though so I had to get up during the night on a regular basis to walk up and down the corridor.
    During the night we travelled north past the Flinders Ranges and Port Augusta before setting out west towards Perth. We got to Ooldea by 9.40am which is the edge of the Nullarbor Plain.
    The Nullarbor is remarkably green at the moment.
    Cook - arrived about 11,45 but had to wait until 1pm to get off the train as the crew were doing things to replenish our water and get rid of waste. Cook is about half way between Sydney and Perth. I made sure I was smothered with insect repellent as I knew what the flies would be like. Horrendous. I did offer it to others but they assured me that they would be fine. Right!!!!!! It didn't take long to drive most people back into the train. I figured 3 pictures was my limit before clambering back up the steps and in for lunch.    Read more

  • Wendy JacobsTwo trains across AustraliaTraveler
    Green Nullarbor Plain.
    This hazy marker denotes the border.This sign does actually say Welcome to Western Australia.Forest airfield.

    Across The Nullarbor Plain - part 2.

    April 24 in Australia ⋅ 🌬 34 °C

    The Nullarbor Plain certainly lives up to its name. Flat, treeless and vast. However, it's not mundane at all as it changes all the time. Over the day, the shrubs have reduced in height and size and density. It's still quite green with the ever so occasional small tree raising its head above the rest. Maybe this is the result of the obvious better conditions lately.
    We have just barrelled across throughout the day passing a number of points of interest as we go. The SA/WA border and Forest airfield which was hard to see as there was a goods train in the layaway. There's a map in the lounge car which shows the progress of the train and it basically shows a straight line with a train icon on it. It is still a very shaky ride on the train so it is great to be still. I admit to having an afternoon nap as well which has made me feel a whole lot better.
    We are at Rawlinna Sheep station for dinner off the train. However, there's a small group of us who have stayed on board for dinner - dark, uneven ground and the length of the train away. We will get the same menu just in more comfortable surroundings - there are no toilet facilities outside plus bench seats which do bad things to my back.
    The staff have been locked lovely and very accommodating and I am also aware that I am slow and would hold people up. They have made sure that I have every - even some Smith's chips to go with my Aperol Spritz. I do feel like I am being waited on hand and foot. Dinner was the best roast lamb I have had in a long time. Downed by a lovely Shiraz.
    I have been able to work out how to hotspot my phone on the train so have had surprisingly good internet connection for a good part of the journey.    Read more

  • Wendy JacobsTwo trains across AustraliaTraveler
    Small town of Merredin.
    Very dryAlmost too dry.The bar at the hotel. Nice beers.1My room.1The dessert menu.2The presentationServingIt's huge and rather wonderful. Rich!!!!

    Perth.

    April 25 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 12 °C

    Woke up to trees and quite a different landscape. I will not be sorry to say goodbye to the small bed in my cabin after another night of disturbed sleep. The bed hurts my back. We went through Kalgoorlie at 2am - missed that. However, there were long periods of time during the night when we were stopped - did hear trains going by several times.
    The countryside changed to farming land with cereal crops looking to be the main thing farmed. Small towns appeared at regular intervals but the countryside did look very dry surprisingly when compared to the Nullarbor Plain. Also evidence of salt impacting the soil in many places. Eventually we went through green hills as we came into Perth. Much nicer.
    The meal this morning was a brunch served a little later than usual with afternoon tea served at 1 pm. The best accompanying drink with breakfast I've had for a while - a breakfast cocktail (gin, contreau, orange marmalade and orange juice - I think)
    The crew only have a 3 hour turnaround in Perth before heading off again so they need to be efficient.
    We arrived in Perth after 3 pm, disembarked at 3.30pm and in my hotel room by 4 pm. The hotel is located in the business district so very quiet but the room is spacious and comfortable.
    As it is ANZAC Day very little is open so will dine in tonight. I am very tired and looking forward to a long sleep in a comfortable bed.
    Dinner at the hotel was excellent and I had to photograph dessert just for you John Bennett!! Sam's tiramisu!    Read more

  • Wendy JacobsTwo trains across AustraliaTraveler
    The MV James Stirling.
    Barrack Street Jetty and Elizabeth Quay.Perth skyline.Not quite sure how he is doing this but he was having a great time.Old Swan Brewery. Now apartments etc.Perth Skyline in the distance.Hard to see but there's a rather impressive retaining wall st the front.Very expensive homes in Mosman Park.A serious boat.New bridge being built near Fremantle.Pilot boat.Fremantle port was busy even on a Sunday.Spirit of Tasmania V - not sure why it was here.Water police headquarters.Sandy beach on the river bank.1There were a number of yacht races.Old paddle steamer heading back to South Fremantle. They were having a great time.My small lunch.

    Perth Day 2

    April 26 in Australia ⋅ ☁️ 24 °C

    It's a beautiful day in Perth. I decided to do a river boat cruise to Fremantle and back this afternoon. I'm looking forward to getting out on the Swan River for the afternoon.
    I took an Uber down to the jetty well ahead of time to make sure I knew where the boat was leaving from etc. I sorted my ticket and boarding time quickly and decided to have a quick lunch as there was no food sold on board - just a bar (priorities). The nibble plate I ordered was somewhat larger than expected but very nice.
    The cruise went well. I sat outside at the back but this meant not always hearing the commentary. Plus every so often there was the whiff of diesel fumes so decided to move inside for the return journey. The commentary did cover some history but also pointed out all the various yatch clubs and rather expensive homes along the waterfront. There wasn't the chance to disembark at Fremantle to do any exploring. However, it did seem that some people had come down on an earlier cruise and returned to Perth on this one.
    The Swan River is very impressive - wide, well used in terms of boating and had numerous park areas along its banks. There are also some serious private boats/yatchs out on the water as well.
    I had hoped that there might have been a restaurant open in the Barrack Street Jetty area when we returned at 5pm. However, being a Sunday, everything was closed. So back to the hotel. I need to be organised for tomorrow morning anyway so that's okay.    Read more

  • Wendy JacobsTwo trains across AustraliaTraveler

    Home again.

    April 28 in Australia ⋅ ☁️ 20 °C

    After a relaxing evening meal at the hotel + half bottle of McLaren Vale Two Hands Shiraz, it was off to my room to try for an early night. Back to cooking my own meals and making my own bed from now on.
    It was a public holiday in Perth on Monday so the city was very quiet and it took no time to get to the airport. I was surprised by how big Perth’s airport is. I flew Virgin this time and was interested to see and use their business class lounge. It was very slanted towards the business traveller with lots of areas to plug into. In fact, it was a little difficult to see any lounge type seats for a first time user. Plus it was full of people (mainly men) wearing high vis clothes.
    The flight home was good - the Virgin people were very attentive- and we arrived on time. Thank you to Sonya and David for a lovely meal (well, mainly David) and some interesting after dinner viewing on channel 2.
    I’m still very tired and was very happy to snuggle into my own bed last night. I’m going to have to find a way to pack it up to take with me when I travel next!!
    Would I do the two train trips again? Yes. Particularly the Ghan but would have to consider paying for a bigger cabin. I would do the Indian Pacific trip again but from Perth to Sydney so I could see Kalgoorlie. I found that joining the IP in Adelaide meant that a lot of the friendship groups that form during the journey were already in place. So, while everyone was friendly, the groups already had their dynamics established. Plus, the age group in my section of the IP seemed older than when I was on the Ghan. This could have just been my experience.
    Overall, had a great time. Saw outback Australia as best as I could. It’s an amazing place!
    Pictures to come.    Read more

    Trip end
    April 28, 2026
  • 2026© FindPenguins
  • Home
  • About us
  • Group Tracking
  • Press
  • Terms
  • Privacy Policy & Cookies
  • Help Center
  • Legal notice