Australia, New Zealand & the South Pacific - The India Pacific

We are going to book this train from Perth to Sydney. Anyone done the run. Comments?

I have not travelled on the Indian Pacific, but friends have and they told me that if I decide to do it that I should chose the Kangaroo Gold class of travel as the comfort, meals etc etc are far better, albeit you pay slightly higher price. In case you have not seen it, here is the webpage that might assist

http://www.gsr.com.au/our-trains/indian-pacific/the-journey.php

I've done part of it. From Perth to Adelaide, then switched to the Overland Adelaide-Melbourne.

From my POV, if it's a trip you wish to do, then do it, but I think it's a bit overpriced. Having said that, I wanted to do it, and am glad I did. I may even do it again one day, but all the way to Sydney (the Overland is a bit of a let down after the Indian Pacific).

I would also recommend first class sleeper (Gold Kangaroo) - the meals were excellent, and the sleeping cabins are bigger. As an example, I was in a single sleeper in gold Kangaroo (which is roughly the size of a broom closet, but big enough for one, and comfortable), In Red Kangaroo, the twin sleeper is the same size as the single sleeper in GK. And in RK, you buy the pre-prepared meals, GK meals are served in a very pleasant restaurant car, and included in ticket price (alcohol extra, natch)!

The GK singles had a toilet/washbasin, but showers at the end of trhe car. The doubles also included a shower. But I guess the website would tell you these things.

They offered a side bus trip ($16?) to a big opencut mine at Kalgoorlie, I didn't do this, but friends did, and were suitably impressed .I just walked the 500m or so, through dimly lit backstreets, to the main street, and found a couple of pubs.

Also stops at Cook, Adelaide, Broken Hill, and maybe Bathurst.

Enjoy your trip.

I would recommend it, but only in Gold Kangaroo. Red Kangaroo is really only suitable for journeys up to about 9 hours or so.

The catering in Gold is superb, and is freshly prepared on board the train (although some of the pre-preparation is done before-hand - it is finished on-board in the kitchen). The catering in RK is somewhat below the standard you would expect from a roadside truck-stop.

The lounge facilities in GK are what you would expect for the price you will pay, although you will have to pay for drinks. The lounge facilities in RK are seriously sub-standard and noisy, and you have to resort to plastic cups (even for wine).

Sleeping facilities are fine in GK, barely adequate in RK Sleeper (tight and cramped, and sharing with a complete stranger if travelling alone) and definitely spartan in RK Seat.

Overall, I can recommend it, but only ONLY ONLY ONLY if travelling in Gold Kangaroo class.

Dave

AS a follow up to those that recommend it, I also was wondering the same as the original poster. But what is the trip like aside from the amenities?

We are considering it but I have visions of 2-3 days of endless rolling outback and I jsut cant think that it wwould truly hold my attention.


better yet, let me add a layer of reference. I am visinting Australia for the second time in july. Will land in Sydney and Leave from Perth. and will be in Australia a total of 2 weeks. would you do the trip with 2 weeks as a time frame of how long we have there total?

I would certainly recommend the trip, but I would break it up, with a stop in Adelaide along the way. You can have a break of either three or four days in Adelaide, with the westbound I-P transitting Adelaide on Sundays and Thursdays, in the late afternoon/evening.

Adelaide is a useful base for some sightseeing, with trips to the Barossa Valley wineries being worthwhile, as well as a stack of other attractions.Timing it so that you arrive on the Thursday afternoon and leave on the Sunday night would probably be the best way of doing it.

As for the train trip itself, I love it - I don't get bored, and the scenery is constantly changing. A lot of the time is spent in the lounge car socialising anyway, and it is a great way of passing the time. Trust me, you will love the trip.

Dave

to the phoenix , It's going to depend on what you want to do. 2 weeks is not a long time, and the IP, even straight through, is going to take several days. It is a great trip (in GK class), and the scenery from SYD-PER changes dramatically through the trip, (so I'm told, haven't done SYD-ADL leg), though a large tract of the Nullarbor is same-ish. thadocta's recommendation of visiting wine regions near Adelaide is a good one (Barossa, Adelaide Hills and McLaren Vale being the closer ones)..some nice BIG reds to be had there!

Alternately, you could hire a car in SYD, and say, drive from SYD-MEL-ADL, and catch the IP from ADL-PER. The coastal roads take longer but are more picturesque then the more direct routes. Could be a little rushed but I think any route you have in the 2 weeks is going to be so.

Driving by coast: SYD-MEL: 2 days MEL-ADL: 2 days (you could easily take 3 days each for these). Allow an extra day or so each to explore MEL and ADL (and PER) attractions. I think that'll see your two weeks through!

Anyway, down to you. A common traveller's fault (and I do it all the time) is to try and cram too much in...better to see fewer things in the allocated time, you can come back and see the rest another time.