EPIC AUSTRALIAN TRIP - Train /Cruise !!

[rojaan19]

We were going to  do  one of Australias epic rail journeys a couple of years ago, had everything booked,   then  some  damn virus thing happened and we closed down !    

 

Now we have just got this email  about a great rail / cruise / rail trip  !   What a way to  get around Australia !

 

Your 28-day adventure begins in Sydney, as you travel four days and 4352km across contrasting landscapes on board the all-inclusive Indian Pacific.  After your epic train journey, join Silversea’s Silver Cloud for a 17-night cruise from Perth to Darwin, visiting the Kimberley’s most stunning destinations.  Next, join the legendary Ghan from Darwin to Adelaide through the spectacular Red Centre, discovering the people, places and stories that shape the country.

Departing 21 August 2024   

[lincslady]

A brilliant idea, rojaan.  Are you going to book it?

 

Lola

[rojaan19]

43 minutes ago, lincslady said:

A brilliant idea, rojaan.  Are you going to book it?

 

Lola

 

No Lola,  we already have next years cruises booked,  but it is something to  think  about down the track  - as I havent seen the JourneyBeyond people use Silversea before,   they also  use Ponant, Coral Princess and QE2.  We did have Sydney to  Perth train trip  booked for a family xmas  trip  - us, son, DIL and 3 grandkids but all  that was cancelled when  covid hit.   The Ghan, Indian Pacific, Great Southern and The Overland  all  ceased running  over covid  and it has only been  this year they  have started up  again !

[lincslady]

I have thought I would love to do some of them - I have done Sydney to Perth, but on a Silversea ship!  and Sydney to Darwin, but by plane.  Not the same (though the ship one was lovely).

[irvington]

Wow, sounds really cool. Who is putting this together?

[drron29]

Just now, irvington said:

Wow, sounds really cool. Who is putting this together?

It is put together by Beyond travel who have the trains.

[mysty]

We did the Ghan from Adelaide to Alice Springs in 2004 and loved it!  The package described of rail and water sounds magical!

[jpalbny]

Looks like something we should do once we retire! Although we already have The Kimberly cruise booked for next year.

[lincslady]

We all thought you  had already retired, jp.  (Only kidding).

[drron29]

1 hour ago, jpalbny said:

Looks like something we should do once we retire! Although we already have The Kimberly cruise booked for next year.

At least you are doing a lot of practice for retirement.

[Grand Duchess]

8 hours ago, rojaan19 said:

We were going to  do  one of Australias epic rail journeys a couple of years ago, had everything booked,   then  some  damn virus thing happened and we closed down !    

 

Now we have just got this email  about a great rail / cruise / rail trip  !   What a way to  get around Australia !

 

Your 28-day adventure begins in Sydney, as you travel four days and 4352km across contrasting landscapes on board the all-inclusive Indian Pacific.  After your epic train journey, join Silversea’s Silver Cloud for a 17-night cruise from Perth to Darwin, visiting the Kimberley’s most stunning destinations.  Next, join the legendary Ghan from Darwin to Adelaide through the spectacular Red Centre, discovering the people, places and stories that shape the country.

Departing 21 August 2024   

Very tempting if expensive for the solo traveller. Will keep this in mind for later, thank you!

[taxatty]

We just took The Ghan train in the opposite direction (Adelaide to Darwin) to get to our Darwin SS Kimberley cruise--it was a very worthwhile experience with excellent food and service and good excursions. The Darwin to Adelaide return trip adds an extra day and night that as shown on the map includes a stop at the Coober Pedy opal mines. Whether you like it or not depends in part upon how well you sleep on trains--we did better than expected.

[rojaan19]

This is the website of Beyond Travel  - the company  that does the rail trips.

 

https://www.journeybeyondrail.com.au/australia-by-land-and-sea/

[labrasett]

We are flying from UK to Perth with five nights there to get out and about and to visit Rottnest Island to see the Quokkas.  Then we are doing the Indian Pacific train from Perth to Sydney (four nights) then we have three days in Sydney before picking up the Silver Wind to cruise to Tasmania and on to New Zealand with most of the NZ time being spent around South Island.   So looking forward to our trip, I planned it myself, very easy to organise apart from trying to tie up train with ship.   Our itinerary is third time lucky having been bumped off trains by certain travel company booking out the whole train on two other proposed dates. We had originally planned to cruise first then do the train in a westerly direction, ie en route towards home but by turning it on its head and rebooking our cruise we finally managed to achieve what looks like a fantastic trip, cant wait only 170 days or so to ship time.   

 

Edited July 28, 2023 by labrasett
Tidying up.

[RachelG]

That looks wonderful, but like JP, it would have to be after retirement.  We are doing the Kimberley on SS next summer.  

[Lirio]

My daughter (who lives in NZ) loved the idea of the traim trip! It is now in our list. Maybe sooner than later.

[rojaan19]

4 hours ago, RachelG said:

That looks wonderful, but like JP, it would have to be after retirement.  We are doing the Kimberley on SS next summer.  

Rachel and George  you will love the Kimberleys  !!  We did it back in 2009 - it was our third cruise and got us hooked on the expedition cruises !

[Stumblefoot]

12 hours ago, RachelG said:

We are doing the Kimberley on SS next summer.  

Whose summer, theirs or yours?

[rojaan19]

1 hour ago, Stumblefoot said:

Whose summer, theirs or yours?

 

I presume  your summer as  ours is too bloody hot there for cruising  🤦‍♀️😮🤦‍♀️

[Tothesunset]

2 hours ago, rojaan19 said:

 

I presume  your summer as  ours is too bloody hot there for cruising  🤦‍♀️😮🤦‍♀️

In Britain we solve that problem by not having summer. 

[fudge]

Brilliant answer, not for me of course now living in sunny Cyprus, 43 degrees yesterday!

[RachelG]

11 hours ago, Stumblefoot said:

Whose summer, theirs or yours?

Ours.  July 2024

[RachelG]

5 hours ago, fudge said:

Brilliant answer, not for me of course now living in sunny Cyprus, 43 degrees yesterday!

Same temperature as Tulsa 

[les37b]

Did the Ghan in March 1984 when it was reopened with the grand name "Alice to Wonderland" with a first class berth travelling from Alice to Sydney to end my grand (land) voyage loop up the East coast by air and car to Cairns, back down to Townsville, unscheduled 3 night stop in Mount Isa due to flash floods, then coach to Alice. Absolutely fantastic way to travel and highly recommended, though the costs will be extensionally higher than the fare I paid, which Australian Railways gave me a BR employee at the time, virtually a free ticket, with only the berth and food to pay for at a discounted rate. Still enough though to put a dampener on getting over to New Zealand before returning home after my 7 months away trip. My over riding memory of the scenery from the train is its very red!

[Joc123]

Can I make a suggestion? Book Platinum Class instead of Gold Class. It offers a bigger cabin (still quite small) and a lovely bathroom. We have done all the train trips around Australia and it’s the only way to go IMHO.