Reimagining the Indian Pacific
In 2025, the eastbound, transcontinental itinerary of the Indian Pacific is set to change, making it the longest of Australia’s multi-day train experiences. Here we envision how that five-day journey unfolds.
WORDS Giselle Whiteaker
Saturday
Today’s the day. After months of anticipation, I’m boarding the Indian Pacific to travel across the country from Perth (Boorloo) to Sydney (Warrane) on the new, extended itinerary, so I have five days to take it all in. I don’t know what it is about train travel that’s so relaxing but I’m happy about having even more time on board the train.
It all starts with an afternoon welcome event that sets the tone for what’s to come. The atmosphere is buzzing – live music fills the air, nibbles and drinks are being passed around, and the crew members are greeting everyone with huge smiles. Then, the much-awaited ‘All Aboard’ call comes and we board coaches to transfer to the train so our adventure can begin.
What strikes me first is that I had no idea how long the Indian Pacific is. As we pass the blue and yellow locomotive up front, gleaming silver carriages stretch back for miles, all the way to the horizon. I snatch a moment to take a selfie in front of the badge on the side of my carriage before boarding, then we pull away.
After doing a bit of recon, I think my favourite place on board might be the lounge. It has a social air to it, with everyone popping in for a celebratory glass of bubbles. We’re all a bit awestruck by the scenery as we glide out of Perth, through the Avon Valley and into the countryside.
The food is phenomenal. On the back of the menu, there’s an illustration of a native ingredient. Apparently, it changes with every meal. Tonight, it was saltbush(Tjilyi-tjilyi), which was used in the form of saltbush dukkah in the roasted cauliflower and zucchini salad, which included hummus and grilled pita bread. The dishes on offer are chosen to represent the area the train is travelling through, and now that I know what saltbush looks – and tastes – like, I’ll be able to spot it through the train window.
After a day of excitement, delicious food, and a glass (or two) of wine, I’m ready to go back to my cabin and let the train rock me to sleep.
Sunday
An early morning announcement is my alarm clock, with the Journey Manager letting us know that we’re not far from Kalgoorlie. The sun is already peeking above the horizon and by 6am, when we pull into the station, it’s pretty much daylight. The train has to stop a few times to let everyone off because it’s too long for the platform, which is great as it gives me time to pick up a coffee from the lounge to take with me.
This is my first time visiting the gold-mining town of Kalgoorlie. The fact of the day is that ‘Kalgoorlie’ comes from the Aboriginal Wangkatja language and it means “place of the silky pears”. That explains why there’s a big gold statue of a silky pear outside the Goldfields Arts Centre.
One of the biggest tourist attractions in Kalgoorlie is the Super Pit Mine. It’s one of Australia’s largest open-pit gold mines and its sheer size is breathtaking. The massive trucks that make their way into the pit down the concentric dirt roads look like toy Tonka trucks due to scale of the operations. It’s like watching industrious ants in an anthill.
Back on the train, a lush brunch fills everyone up and we set off again, farmland and trees slowly being replaced by rocky outcrops – and I spot lots of saltbush – that signals the start of the Nullarbor Plain (Oondiri). There’s a whole lot of nothing out there, which is oddly mesmerising.
The train used to stop at Cook for a leg stretch during the day. Now, it’s an evening stop, so we’ve already had dinner by the time we roll into the almost-ghost town. There might not be a whole lot going on here, but that’s part of the crumbling allure of the place. It feels pretty special gathering around a blazing bonfire in the middle of nowhere, the shadows of tumble-down structures lurking in the dark, a glass of wine in hand. There’s no light pollution here, so the stars sparkle brightly – and there’s so many of them. It’s humbling to be here; to be part of the ancient Nullarbor that has existed for so many years.
“It’s funny the way train travel seems slow-paced, but the time on board has flown by.”
Monday
I’m up before the announcement this morning, so I wind up my window blind to watch the sun rise, turning from pink to gold as it drifted into the pale-blue sky. I have a pinch-me moment when we pass a mob of kangaroos, grazing not too far from the track. They don’t look fazed by our passage – just curious.
I spend most of the day chatting with people in the lounge or restaurant. It feels strange to think I didn’t know any of these new friends just two days ago. It must be the shared travel experience that helped us bond so quickly.
Late afternoon, we disembark at Two Wells and board coaches to transfer to Seppeltsfield Winery in the Barossa Valley. We meander through gently rounded hills cloaked in rows of grape vines before arriving at the historic vineyard, where we gather on the grass for a welcome drink.
Then, we’re ushered into the vintage cellar, passing the chef cooking eye fillet on the grill at the entrance. From the outside, the cellar looks like an enormous, corrugated iron shed, but inside there are rows of tables set up with white tablecloths and gleaming cutlery, strings of vintage light bulbs glowing overhead, and enormous wine barrels stacked in rows around the edges of the space.
There are three spoons on each table setting, loaded with canapes and three wine samples to match. The meal is fantastic. Chef Owen Andrews is a bit of a superstar. He’s done all these really interesting things with produce on the Estate, like taking the young fruit of the date palms and pickling them, then frying them in garlic and butter to go with the eye fillet.
There’s also a cheese that is preserved by cutting a trapdoor in the port barrels and storing it inside. It has a coating of deep burgundy and a really deep, unusual flavour. One of the nice things about the food is that it all comes on shared platters, so we all get to try a bit of everything and nothing gets missed.
A couple of members of the jazz-ish band start trying to get people on the dance floor, so a few of us get up to work off our meal and soon there’s a bunch of people twirling around. The only time we stop is to watch the Firing of the Barrel demonstration, and the Tawny Port we’re served is almost as impressive as the flames shooting out of the barrel.
Tuesday
We crossed the border of New South Wales overnight and it’s another early morning start – we arrive in Broken Hill just after 8am. Broken Hill is another mining city, but this time it’s silver. Technically, the mining is actually at Silverton, 26 kilometres from Broken Hill – and that’s where I choose to go for my Off Train Experience.
The Historical Daydream Mine conveys what life would have been like for miners in the early days. At ground level, it looks very Mad Max or Wild West, with just a few buildings sitting on a stretch of orange soil dotted with green scrub. We head down into the mine, spending nearly an hour underground exploring the tunnels.
We’re back on the train by lunch – despite filling up on breakfast scones, none of us are willing to miss a meal on the train. The morning activities, the food, and the rhythm of the train mean I end up having a little afternoon nap.
I can’t believe this is our last full day of travel. It’s funny the way train travel seems slow-paced, but the time on board has flown by. Everyone at dinner is talking about not wanting it to end. A few of us stay up late in the lounge, chatting into the night, reluctant to go to bed as it brings us closer to disembarking. We raise a toast to new friends and new adventures and promise to meet up on board again.
Wednesday
The first goodbyes of the day come early. We arrive in the Blue Mountains at 8am, where anyone going on the Off Train Experience farewells the Indian Pacific – we’ll catch a different train into Sydney. Some people choose to skip the Blue Mountains and stay on the train into Sydney Central, so we wave them off as we head towards the waiting coaches.
The Blue Mountains is World Heritage-listed and the views at Scenic World make up for having to leave the train. We start on the Scenic Skyway, a cable car that travels over ancient ravines, which are visible 270 metres below through the glass cabin floor.
Here, we follow the Scenic Walkway through the rainforest. It is a pleasant 10-minute walk on an elevated boardwalk that leaves us at the Cableway station. This cable car takes us downwards again over a different part of the forest to the valley floor. More jaw-dropping views. Then we board the Scenic Railway, the steepest passenger railway in the world.
Our final stop is the Echo Point Lookout in Katoomba, which juts out over the edge of the escarpment. We get to linger with the views as we have a light lunch at The Lookout Echo Point.
And then it’s all over. Five days of fun. Five days of food. Five days with friends. Every minute is an adventure. I can’t wait to do it all again.