NOTE This train report is taken from my much longer trip report ON THE ROAD AGAIN ~ 106,000 miles via plane, train, boat, bus, truck and thumb. For those of you who want just to read the train portions of this 107 page report, this one's about riding First Class on Australia's "Overland Limited" between Adelaide and Melbourne.

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25 April, 2003
Adelaide-Melbourne Great Southern Railways First Class
"The Overland" Car M Cabin 7
1010a-910p

Australia is a continent well suited to train travel. I say this not so much from an economic standpoint but rather from the perspective of comfort and convenience. Sure, one can jet about the continent far more affordably these days than in years past, but if you prefer to remain earthbound, the prospect of driving across Australia's vast desert expanses pales in comparison to relaxing aboard the Ghan or the Indian Pacific as you cross the Nullabor or the Great Sandy Desert. This is especially true now that Great Southern Railways will take your car along for the ride for only $99.00 AUD more!

Over the years, I've ridden a few trains in Australia, including the Indian Pacific between Sydney and Perth and the Sunlander between Brisbane and Cairns. This would be my first journey aboard the Overland and given the historic nature of this train, I decided to shell out $90.00AUD extra and make the trip in First Class.

The Overland operated the first inter-capital rail service in Australia. It has been taking passengers by rail between Melbourne and Adelaide continually since 1887 and so far as I know is the oldest continually operating train in Australia. It was originally known as The Intercolonial Express, then the Melbourne Express, and finally settled on the Overland in 1936.

Perhaps even more remarkable, given Australian railroad history, is that the Overland also operated the first service between States without a break of gauge. Early on in Australian railroad history, each state determined its own unique track gauge. Needless to say, this made interstate rail commerce a difficult and time consuming operation. When opened in 1917, the Trans-Australian Railway offered coast to coast passenger services via Melbourne, and included about six train changes. It wasnˇ¦t until the completion of the east-west standard gauge project in 1970 that one could ride a single train from Sydney to Perth. The new direct service became known as the Indian Pacific.

In the late 1990s, the Overland was taken over by Great Southern Railways and a 1.1 million dollar improvement project was undertaken. Over time, the Overlandˇ¦s rolling-stock had deteriorated to the point where most of the sleeping cars could not be used and even coach passengers were reluctant to ride the train. The cars were repaired, refurbished and their exteriors redone in an all new stainless steel livery. A lounge car was also added for sleeping car passengers.

Today, the Overland offers a comfortable and thankfully air conditioned service between Adelaide and Melbourne. Travelers can choose between Gold Kangaroo First Class and Red Kangaroo Economy Class services for the eleven hour, five hundred mile journey. My First Class ticket cost me $92.50 USD. Here's the lowdown on the First Class amenities:

Gold Kangaroo Service

* Ensuite twin or single berths with lounge seating converting to sleeper accommodation at night.
* Cabins supplied with fresh sheets, pillows, doonas and fluffy towels.
* Champagne or orange juice welcome.
* Complimentary 2 course lunch and light dinner (daylight service) or breakfast (overnight service) in the Gold Kangaroo Lounge.
* Additional meals, snacks and beverages available for purchase from the Lounge. Video entertainment.
* Complimentary tea and coffee available 24 hours a day.
* Comfort controlled air conditioning.
* Complimentary on-board magazine.


The airport shuttle makes a stop at the Interstate Train Station on its way back out to the airport. The route is most circuitous however and if you're at all in a hurry, I'd recommend a taxi. One benefit to riding the airport shuttle today was that we got to drive up King William Street as Adelaide was preparing for its big Anzac Day parade. Anzac Day is like our Veteran's Day in the US and I was happy to see an absolutely huge turnout as people had situated themselves over a good mile long portion of the parade route. I spotted lots of older men, veterans of WWII and the Korean War, dressed in their old military uniforms, most of which appeared to still fit! After all the recent protests, it really was nice to see such a positive turnout in support of these folks who'd served in past conflicts. I wished I could have stayed another day.

There are two train stations serving Adelaide ~ one for local trains out to the suburbs and one for interstate departures. As we approached the downtown train station which serves the local trains, my eyes widened in anticipation and awe. What a magnificent building! It really was quite grand ~ the kind of place from which great train journeys begin. Alas, the driver informed me that this was actually the station from which commuter train journeys began. In fact, he continued, the main function of this great building now was as Adelaide's casino. Casino! Yes, he said ˇV that's what funded much of the restoration to the building. He also claimed it was every bit as ornate inside as it was grand outside and I remember thinking that it wasn't that many years ago that our grandest and most ornate buildings used to be cathedrals, courthouses and railroad stations. Now, more than a few of the latest ones are casinos. Hmmm...

The interstate train station, located in the suburb of Keswick, is quite modest by comparison. A low one story structure, I would describe it as architecturally bland but otherwise quite functional. This morning it was quite busy with both the eastbound Indian Pacific and the Overland departing within an hour of each other. The first thing I saw as I entered the building was the end of the Economy Class Baggage Check line. Thankfully, First Class had a separate line that was much smaller. As in two people. An announcement was made that the Overland would be running just a bit late but the agent making the announcement made it sound as if it would only be off by perhaps a half hour so I wasn't too concerned.

I purchased a copy of the morning Australian (one of the few decent news sources in Australia. Quite a few of the papers are Fleet Street style tabloids offering little of real substance. In the US, you'd compare them to papers like the New York Post or Newsday.

The station was fairly basic inside. There were no lounge facilities for First Class travelers, but there was a fast food operation called The Ghan Grill and of course a gift shop. I considered purchasing a T-Shirt but the price was $30.00 AUD so I went over to the post card rack where some very attractive cards showing Australian trains were displayed. At $1.50 each however, their allure quickly vanished! I wandered over to the Ghan Grill and bought a reasonably priced coffee instead. I'd wanted to make a couple of phone calls but the only phone I saw had a waiting line. Ah well, Victoria Station it ainˇ¦t but what this station lacked in amenities, it made up for in setting, surrounded by lots of shady trees and gently rolling hills. I went out to Platform 1 and watched as the Indian Pacific prepared for its departure. I peered in through a window and took a look at the lounge and dining cars. Nice. Very nice. Much nicer than when I rode this train back in 1988. It had obviously been extensively refurbished. It is also very much more expensive now than when I rode it back in 1988. The current one way fare for a roomette is $1560.00 AUD or about $990.00 USD.

Over on Platform 2, the crews were hard at work getting the Overland prepared for its departure to Melbourne. Through the windows I could see workers cleaning and making up the bedrooms while up in the dining car and lounge, food and provisions were being loaded. Outside the car, four men were hard at work removing graffiti that some loser had sprayed along the stainless steel finish. Two cars down, a team of three women worked to clean each of the train's windows. One would run a soapy sponge over the window, the next would squeegee it and the last one would wipe up any wet spots. Throughout this, they laughed and joked with one another while in the background a PA announcement implored people to please not attempt to board the train while it was being cleaned. An elderly couple immediately gathered their baggage and headed towards the train. All they'd heard was the word Board.

Boarding was finally announced at 10:50am, forty minutes after our scheduled departure. My car was named "Tantini", an aboriginal word that means Sleeping. Forty minutes later, at 11:32am, we pulled out of the station. I was wide awake!

My First Class accommodations were in what's called a roomette. These are smaller than a compartment and well suited for single travelers. During the day they offer a wide (non reclining) seat and a big window. At night, a full sized bed folds down out of the wall. Other amenities included a fold out wash stand with hot and cold water, a fold out toilet, a vanity cabinet for toiletries, medicines and what not, a closet for coats and jackets and a compartment for shoes. In the old days, gentlemen could deposit their shoes in this compartment prior to retiring for the night and in the morning they'd find them nicely shined. Shower facilities were just down the hall at the end of the car. What I found interesting about the toilet facilities was that they'd not been modified to prevent liquid and solid waste from being deposited right along the railbed. A sign warned passengers not to use the toilets while the train was standing in the station.

The First Class lounge car was a real beauty. Named the "Kookabura Club Car", it sported beautiful wooden walls and doors and was divided into small sections made up of wrap around couches and cocktail tables. In the middle of the car was a glass walled in area for smokers. One group of four puffed, drank and chortled their way through all but the meals while ensconced in this little room. Amazing! They looked to be having a marvelous time though and we waved to each other as I'd walk by. It would have been fun to join them if I still smoked but in that small room with all that smoke, I don't believe I would have had to even light up to get my nicotine fix. As well, I would have smelled of smoke for days afterwards.

Lunch and dinner are included in the fare for First Class passengers. The luncheon menu is set - there are no choices. As well, there's only one seating. If you want to eat, you'd best be headed for the dining cars when the call is made at 12:30pm. I was one of the last people to arrive in the diner and was led to the second car. There were plenty of open tables and I was invited to sit wherever I liked. By contrast, Amtrak and Via Rail find you a seat and as a single traveler, you'll very rarely eat alone. Today however, two of the four seat tables were filled with couples who looked to be enjoying their own company so I took a table to myself and accepted a glass of "champagne" from my waiter. It's a good thing there were no French Ministry of Wine officials onboard, for this "champagne" was a mediocre sparking wine at best. To even call it "champagne" was akin to blasphemy and in fact wrong as it was not grown in the Champagne district of France. It was sweet, bubbly and tasty in a wine cooler kind of way. Alas, I'm not a wine cooler kind of guy.

Luncheon was a grilled chicken breast with a baked ham and leek risotto. This was accompanied by a julienned vegetable salad served with aioli mayonnaise. Dessert was described as a seasonal fruit tart accompanied by a rosette of whipped cream. While the offerings were hardly gourmet, I thought the meal was pretty good.

The scenery between Adelaide and Melbourne is pretty though not spectacular. Leaving Adelaide, the train winds through the Adelaide Hills and crosses the Murray River right about lunchtime. After a brief stop in the town of Murray Bridge, the land flattens into sun baked savanna dotted with eucalyptus trees and bushes that made for pleasant viewing as I'd look up now and then from my reading, typing or conversation in the lounge. Over the eleven hour trip, I did a bit of each.

Australia being the sporting nation that it is, occasional announcements were also made updating us on the score of the AFL's Essendon vs Collinwood contest. I also noticed that there was an audio system in my roomette offering three channels of entertainment but even at maximum volume the sound was so low I couldn't even make out what kind of music it was.

Dinner was served at 6:30pm and this time a menu was presented. Here are the selections:


Penang Chicken Curry with Rice
Malaysian style curry with lime leaves, lemon grass, water chestnuts and coconut milk

Vegetarian Shanghai Noodles
Stir-fried Hokkien noodles with Asian greens and soy sauce


A glass of wine was offered with dinner, followed by tea or coffee afterwards. Dessert was a small chocolate mint, a la Alaska Airlines' luncheon service. My chicken curry was mild but tasty enough. Unfortunately, the rice was a little under cooked.

After dinner I bought a beer and took a seat in the lounge. For a good fifteen minutes I was the only one in there save those people passing through on their way back to their sleeper cars. At the entrance to the lounge were four different signs warning against drinking too much and the railroad's right and responsibility not to serve drunks. I asked one of the train attendants, Felicity, about this and she said it's really more of a problem amongst the Economy Class crowd but the signs are posted in all lounge and dining cars regardless. I remember back in 1984 when I was riding the Sunlander through Queensland up to Cairns. The lounge car only served alcohol from 11:00am to 1:00pm and again from 4:00pm to 7:00pm. Most intriguing was a prominently posted sign declaring that there was to be no card playing during the hours when liquor was served. In Rockhampton, the railway station restaurant had to stop alcohol sales one hour before the train was due to arrive. Times have since changed in Queensland and the restrictions have been relaxed some. Even so, it would seem that Australiaˇ¦s railroads and drinkers have had a tenuous relationship over the years.

We eased into Melbourne's Spencer Street Station at 10:20pm, about an hour and a half late. I got a hearty thanks and so long from my car attendant, who I saw when I boarded, then didn't see again until I detrained. It turns out they were short staffed in the Economy Class lounge and his services were needed more there. Fair enough, as we really wanted for nothing in my car, anyway.

Overall, I would describe my ride aboard the Overland as pleasant. Would I ride it again? For the experience? Nah. It won't likely get any better the second time around. This is not a glamour train like the Ghan or the Indian Pacific, nor is it intended to be. It delivers a good, basic service between Adelaide and Melbourne, and for the price paid, I felt I got a good deal. My next big Australian train journey will likely be aboard the Ghan between Adelaide and Darwin. The new extension between Alice Springs and Darwin should be completed and operational early next year.


[This message has been edited by Seat 2A (edited 10-19-2003).]