My husband and I took the Indian Pacific journey from Sydney (Warrane) to Perth (Boorloo) on December 6th, 2023, for our 23rd wedding anniversary. Booking directly with Journey Beyond, we were so excited about our Platinum experience. As we travelled out of Sydney and up through the Blue Mountains, we all met in the dining carriage for dinner; fellow travellers and more of the crew. Thomas, the cabin manager, I had met before when I travelled on The Overland some time back. It was nice to see a familiar face. For our first seating at dinner we shared the table with Sue and Jeff, a lovely couple who enoy travelling. They had been on The Ghan and the Great Southern, as well as travelling the world. I was a little reserved and wasn’t sure about sharing a table with strangers but it was a wonderful experience. Sometimes you need to go out of your comfort zone to experience more of the world. Dinner was fantastic; the food was truly delicious and the company amazing. There were so many incredible experiences but if I had to pick, I’d say the Barossa Valley tour was a highlight. The chef was brilliant, the food was amazing and the way the chef explained things about wine accompaniment made sense. He had a true passion for his craft. Another stand-out experience was the dinner under the stars at Rawlinna. The last day on the train reminded me of the last day of school. You had just met lots of wonderful people and now you were going to say goodbye. Sue, Jeff and I swapped emails before departing the train and I thanked the crew for their wonderful attendance. If I’m to give any travel advice, I’d say “do the unexpected”. It’s those moments that give you the best memories.