joepatr

Has anyone here either done The Ghan or the Indian Pacific?

I only really have the funds to do one or the other (both two night trips, ending in Adelaide either from Darwin or Perth).

What would people say is the most recommended?

JClasstraveller

I've done the Ghan all the way from Adelaide to Darwin.

They're similar - amenities are almost identical.

Really liked the contrast between north and south and this was very apparent on the Ghan. Going east to west, it's the same for longer.

rankourabu

Did the IP from Adelaide to Perth in Red for about $330 in July.

It was fun, the Red cabin seats are very nice, and while not a bed, the recline is great, and there are wonderful hot showers on board. And its the only place on the train where the average age of the pax is not 85. BYO wine, etc and have a good time. Getting off in Kalgoorlie and walking downtown to the pub with our newly-found train friends was fun too.

Scenery wise, its desert, desert, desert.

ffhound

Last time I looked you could get a very cheap red seat if you had a backpacker card ie a YHA card. If this is still the case its worth it to become a YHA member so you can get the discount.

cheers Peter

thadocta

I have done both, they are both very similar, but would probably recommend the IP, for no other reason than airfares and flights into Perth are far cheaper and more frequent than flights into Darwin, to start your journey.

Both will have you on the train for two nights, with probably similar meals.

One of the delights of the IP is detraining at Cook, which has a hospital, police cells, and a population of four. The souvenir shop opens for the passage of the train.

Dave

rankourabu

You dont need a YHA card - we bought the Nomad card for $20 to get the 'backpacker' rate..... but... noone ever checked the card...

Amelorn

TG: The Ghan
IP: Indian Pacific

I did both in "Gold" class.

-Food and cabin amenities were identical.
-Wine/booze was more extensive on the IP.

After that, it's very much a "de gustibus...".

TG drew a touristy crowd. If I may be completely blunt, the Alice Springs--->Ayers's Rock/Uluru stop was extremely popular with the menopausal-spiritual crowd. They're hilarious after a glass or three of wine and when provoked to excoriate their ex-husbands. If you get them on a new age spiritual tangent, however... You also get more foreigners and "city" people. The IP was extremely popular with older, rural, salt-of-the-earth gentlemen farmers.

TG also loses/picks up quite a few people doing the stopover in Alice/Ayer's Rock.

TG's endpoint cities aren't exactly riveting. Darwin is an overgrown and overpriced beach town with beaches you don't want to swim in (stray tentacles; crocodiles). Adelaide has pretty architecture/parks but is likely only interesting for a day.

TG's journey has quite a few "wow" moments. I paid $150 or so to go up in a helicopter over the Nitmiluk gorges. Amazing.

-------------------------

The IP is underrated, IMO. The transitions from Sydney, to the blue mountains, to grasslands, to the richer country around Adelaide, to the expansive Nullarbor, to the groves and orchards around Perth are as diverse as TG's landscapes, IMO.

The "nothingness" you feel at night staring out over the nullarbor stargazing from your berth will appeal to any loner, introvert, "still waters run deep" personality.

The food preparation on the IP seemed better than TG. From what I understand, that's a crew thing. The eggs benedict with smoked salmon (eggs royale?) were good enough to kill for.

More extensive wine list on IP.

Tours on the IP seem more...eclectic. The first stop was Broken Hill, most famous for a hotel/being a stop in the queer classic Priscilla, Queen of the Desert. This was followed by a stop in Adelaide, a stop in the ghost town of Cook (pretty neat, IMO), and a tour of Kalgoorlie, famous for its brothels and gold mining.

The end points of Sydney and Perth are by far superior cities with a more diverse array of stuff to do (beaches, food, wine, cruising, shopping, travel connections, etc).

Sleeping is generally easier on TG due to the better condition of the North-South tracks.

It's advised to bring extra food if you are travelling in Red. The snack bar runs out regularly, and constantly paying their prices may get tiresome.

The trains are subject to delays. If you really, really want to see something, make sure that your activity can withstand a few hours delay. THe Kalgoorlie tour takes place in the evening, and if the train is delayed a few hours en route, it may be cancelled.

Building in a buffer is also paramount for flights. Do not be like the man from Canberra who missed his flight because the train was 3 hours late.

Both of my trains were late, but given that I was in free food/booze class, I couldn't care less.

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trip-...australia.html

A more detailed trip report.

worldiswide

Thanks for this report comparison. We just booked the ghan for February. The whole way from Darwin to Adelaide. While I readily admit to being a foreigner and yes a tourist I'm not quite sure I'm part of the crowd you suggest. We have been to the cities and coast of Australia so we are looking forward to something different both from the scenery and transportation perspectives. . Going in gold, the extra money for platinum didn't seem worth it for 2 nights. We like military history so there looks to be some interesting darwin sights a n d then the national parks. Did you visit Kakadu or Litchfield? That's our pLan for now. Glad to hear there are sone WOW moments. I hope to report ours back here in a couple of months.


What made for the delays in the train. Was it starting out or en route... we did build a buffer to the next day to get out of Adelaide. I would hate to miss Katherine gorge.. Alice Springs not so much although I know I won't return there again.

Tax Dude

This seems to be as good a thread as any to ask about Perth. We're booked on the Indian Pacific at the beginning of February, going East from Perth to Sydney. Our trip is a bit of a mad rush around Australia, we'll be coming off a 7-day liveaboard dive trip in Cairnes, and then flying (via Brisbane to visit a friend for lunch) to Perth to catch the train. We did build in a buffer, we arrive in Perth on Friday night, the train leaves on Sunday morning. I'm at a bit of a loss of what to do in Perth given that we have only one day there. Not really enough time to go touring the wine country so we're thinking we'll stay in the city. Any suggestions for a nice one day itinerary? And any recommendations about hotels or which part of town to stay in? We're not really beach people and after a week of diving I'll be pretty waterlogged anyways.
I would have liked to have more time in Perth, but I couldn't come up with a schedule that worked better with the dive boat and the train.

Mwenenzi

Have a look here Oz Fest 10 post 6
Stay in the city centre or Fremantle

CMK10

Bumping an old thread, I just took the Indian Pacific and if anyone is interested, here's the trip report:

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trip-...get-there.html

Loungeact

Thanks for the link, I really enjoyed your trip report!!!

I'm going to Australia in October/November and am seriously considering taking the IP from Sydney to Perth. It's very expensive, but seems like a trip of a lifetime and this worth it.

Two questions: where did you book? Is there wifi on board?

Thanks.

CMK10

I booked directly through the Great Southern Rail Website: http://www.greatsouthernrail.com.au/

There is no Wifi on board, but if you pay for data it seems to work in most places. And I agree, it is absolutely the trip of a lifetime and worth it.

Loungeact

Thanks. I've tried that site, but there seems to be no cabins available for my dates (Nov 1st '17) which is hard to believe. I may have to give them a call.