Enjoy the comfort and style of an Australian train journey
If you ever have the urge to travel in a dead-straight line for 438kms, get aboard the Indian Pacific.
It's a tourist train linking the Pacific and Indian Oceans on a 4352km journey across Australia between Sydney and Perth.
Moscow to London is around the same length.
The train journey travels in a straight line along the beautiful dry and sparse region of the Nullarbor Plain.
Engineers have suffered the harsh Australian climate conditions to build this transcontinental rail train system.
The Indian Pacific passes across only three cities, two of them little more than large mining towns, and on the Nullarbor Plain there is pretty much few things to catch a glimpse of, unless you're lucky enough to catch a glimpse of a wedge-tailed eagle or kangaroos.
The many travellers who have taken the three days and nights, east-west trip are looking for an alternative holiday rather than seeing the city views, suburban regions or flourishing fauna.
Travellers have opted for this form of vacation because they want to experience the Australian Outback, where they can spend many hours of watching the rich red soil and beautiful blue sky.
Holidaymakers can take a trip in an air conditioned comfortable train and have available to them world class services and facilities that are available in many overseas luxury trains.
The features in the Indian Pacific include an upper and lower sleeping compartment and private restrooms.
There are designated carriages for mingling with others and dining. Alcohol is is offered on the train at reasonable prices.
The Indian Pacific is one of several long-distance rail holidays available in Australia.
The Ghan, with similar features and owned by the same company, Great Southern Railway, travels north to south through the outback of Australia, from the Top End to Adelaide and vice versa. The 2979km voyage takes two days and two nights.
Both rails operate twice a week in each direction, with stops of several hours each en route for local touring.
Similar prices for the Indian range from AUD$1362 and around $2008 as well as some travellers are entitled to discounts making the price of tickets even more appealing.
With a total population of only 21 million, 70% of it in five coastal cities, Australia doesn't have the rail networks of countries in Europe, but there are other rails available to those who prefer to keep on the straight and narrow with their Australian vacation.
There are a number of train routes including the Melbourne to Adelaide train known as the Overland, the extensive long distance XPT trains travel from Sydney to Melbourne/Brisbane as well as to country NSW.
The Sundlander commutes holidaymakers from Brisbane to Cairns and this takes a day-and-a-half. To get from the coastal Queensland town of Townsville to the mining town of Mt Isa, the Inlander is the train to catch. The very popular Kuranda Scenic Railway operates twice daily and takes travellers to the beautiful rainforest region of Cairns.
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Very good points made here. I agree totally on where the go...