Recommendations wanted on Indian-Pacific, Sydney to Perth

[capegranny]

Hi. We are booked on Celebrity's Solstice for February of 2015, departing from Perth and ending in Sydney. We were in Australia about 10 years ago and particularly enjoyed the overnight ride on the Ghan train from Adelaide to Alice Springs. I've always wanted to do the Indian-Pacific from Sydney out to Perth - 3 nights on the train as I understand it. Could some of you tell me what you might know about this and if it's as interesting a trip as I think it is. We'll spend a couple of days in Sydney first and may do some additional short trips after the cruise. We're looking at the Gold service; would love Platinum but not sure the price difference is really worth it. Any thoughts on the whole idea would be greatly appreciated.

Edited January 9, 2014 by capegranny
typos

[OzKiwiJJ]

It's quite a few years (10?) since I went on the Indian Pacific, before they had Platinum class, but it was a great trip. We really enjoyed it. It travels through quite diverse countryside and there were a few interesting stops along the way - Broken Hill, Adelaide, Cooktown (although this isn't listed in the latest timetable) and Kalgoorlie.

 

Platinum and Gold classes both share the same lounge/bar and dining cars. The cabins are much bigger in Platinum and the beds are at floor level, whereas Gold is a classic Pullman-style carriage with upper and lower bunks that convert to a settee during the day. If you're happy sleeping in bunks and don't need the extra space, then you will be fine in Gold.

 

On the trip we were on the lounge/bar car wasn't big enough to seat all passengers at once so we rarely sat there. It was a bit annoying sometimes. Not sure whether they've addressed this issue since then. We found the Gold cabin settee quite comfortable for daytime use but would probably prefer Platinum these days if we could afford it.

 

I think it would be a great way for you to get to Perth to join your cruise. :-)

[rkmw]

Hi. We are booked on Celebrity's Solstice for February of 2015, departing from Perth and ending in Sydney. We were in Australia about 10 years ago and particularly enjoyed the overnight ride on the Ghan train from Adelaide to Alice Springs. I've always wanted to do the Indian-Pacific from Sydney out to Perth - 3 nights on the train as I understand it. Could some of you tell me what you might know about this and if it's as interesting a trip as I think it is. We'll spend a couple of days in Sydney first and may do some additional short trips after the cruise. We're looking at the Gold service; would love Platinum but not sure the price difference is really worth it. Any thoughts on the whole idea would be greatly appreciated.

 

we did the train trip from Sydney to Perth about 10 years ago in Gold service, we enjoyed the trip and it did get a bit boring because not a lot to see but then we would go to the club car and have a few drinks to pass the time away....if you can book the early dinner time other wise you are having dinner at 10pm of a night, too late for us

 

they do stop along the way at different towns where you can stretch your legs or do a town tour

 

they have stopped the smokers having a smoke onboard now so anyone that does smoke its a long time in between smokes

 

you should have a good time but its not cheap now

[kuldalai]

Indian Pacific is one of the worlds great rail journeys. A class act, you get what you pay for . Departs Sydney for Perth and vice versa twice weekly .

Website is Great Southern Railway .

[Aussieflyer]

I'll second all those who have said it is a great trip although we only did Adelaide to Perth. My advice is Gold class at a minimum (as there is a new Platinum class now which I haven't been on). We did not find it boring as we were quite tired at the time so had little naps and read etc during the day. Like the Ghan, there are optional tours at several stops which were interesting. Remember you will need to place most of your luggage in the luggage van where it is not accessible and only take a small case or two into your cabin as there is not much room.

[windsor26]

A great trip and there is plenty to do inside when the scenery is not the best There are trivia games if wanted and we had a couple of good lectures. The food is excellent and we were never crowded.

[capegranny]

I knew I could count on the CC folks! Thanks so much for your advice - although I may have liked it because it confirms what I'd been thinking! Apparently the tours at various stops now are included in the price, with some stops (e.g., Adelaide) offering a choice of tours. If we can work out the schedule, we're definitely going to do this. I wonder if Celebrity might offer the trip as a pre-cruise overland package? Think I'll look into it.