My 2 Days on the Indian Pacific Adelaide to Perth

If you have been following my Australia Solo Adventures for a while, you may know that I have a passion for train travel. This article is about my experience on the Indian Pacific Train from Adelaide to Perth.

The train departing Sydney on the day before leaves from Adelaide, once a week, on Thursday evening and arrives in Perth East, 41 hours later. You spend 2 nights and nearly 2 days on the train and have the chance of getting off a few times, as well as participating in the organised tours, such as visiting Kalgoorlie and more interesting Australian Outback Sites.

I loved train travel in Australia. For me, it’s a very relaxed way to travel long-distances that I wouldn’t want to ride by myself. Beginning of November, a few years ago, after an epic solo road trip on the Yorke Peninsula, I had the pleasure of travelling on the Indian Pacific Adelaide to Perth.

It’s a fabulous train journey to the West Coast of Australia, across the Nullarbor Outback plains.

How is it like to travel on the Indian Pacific Train

Going on the Indian Pacific Train is more about the train journey experience and less about the destination. I regard this train trip as a journey per se that cannot be compared to any other way of getting around Australia.

It’s much about living on the train. You sleep while you travel and read, write, work, take in the landscape You chill out in front of glass wine, you meet fellow travellers and linger in conversations over delicious Australian food.

If you prefer starting your trip on the East Coast, you can do so. The three-day-and-three-night train journey on the Indian Pacific Sydney to Perth takes you across the country for over four thousands km of the diverse and stunning landscape.

Indian Pacific Adelaide to Perth – My review of a memorable train journey

As I boarded the Indian Pacific in Adelaide, Kelsey welcomed me with a smile and the news about my upgrade to the Gold Class Cabins. “How lovely is that,” I thought, and smiled back, telling her how excited I was to get a cosy and larger room, all for myself.

The 26-carriage train can host up to nearly 250 guests and is fitted with three kitchens, three lounges and three restaurants and different train cabin services. You can sleep in double or single night cabins in the Gold and Platinum Service. Moreover, the Indian Pacific Red Service, with a lounge restaurant, was available at the time when I travelled, but it has recently been terminated. So, only the Gold and Platinum are currently offered as Indian Pacific Train Cabins. There are various packages and fares, with offers for pensioners too, so you’d better consult their official website for all train fares 2019/2020.

How Food breaks down barriers and brings people together

There are many things I liked about my train journey on the Indian Pacific, but what I loved most was the food and the people I met.

Soon after boarding the Indian Pacific, I was off to the lounge and the Queen Adelaide Restaurant to have my first three-course-meal and meet my fellow travellers. We had a choice from the most beautiful local Australian products, produce; food was delicious and beautifully presented.

My favourite dish was the grilled salmon from Tasmania and the Crabs on bruschetta from W.A. coupled with my favourite sparkling wine from W.A.: Vasse Felix! (Australians call it Champagne!). By the way: all drinks, meals and snacks you have on the train are included as part of Indian Pacific Packages.

Meeting the food artists behind the scenes

After having my first meals, I was keen to know more about who is behind the scene, working and preparing our meals with such passion, professionalism, and artistic flair. So, I asked Sonia, the restaurant manager, if I could meet the food artists and peer into their studio (kitchen).

I was delighted to attend one of the four chefs, Andrew, who welcomed me with a spark in his eyes and showed me around the kitchen. I learnt that 90% of all food is freshly prepared in such a small area. Andrew told me, he was relaxed to have a “quiet day”, serving “only 130 guests”; on most days the train is full hosting over 250 travellers. Kudos to this fantastic team of chefs!

The journey is all about meeting people on the Indian Pacific Train

The Indian Pacific train journey is more about meeting people, creating connections and making new friends. On the first evening, I met Andy from the UK, travelling alone on a ten days trip around Australia, of which five spent on the train from Darwin to Adelaide and from Adelaide to Perth.

We laugh as we discover to have the same passion for taking pictures of the food we eat. And not only on the train or when travelling. Every meal is a piece of art that deserves to be captured in a photo.

My fellow travellers on the train were a mixed bunch of couples, families and solo travellers, like myself. I met beautiful people with amazing stories to tell. On the second evening, I was pleased to seat at the restaurant table and have dinner with three men.

They introduced themselves and Peter was overexcited to tells us about his story. After riding his bike 4000 km from Perth to Sydney over six weeks, he was happy to be on board the Indian Pacific Train, travelling back to his beloved Perth. After 20 years of preparations and workouts, he fulfilled a long-term dream to ride from Perth to Sydney by bike.

What an exhilarating story. I am delighted to have met some extraordinary people on the train, who I hope to keep in touch and maybe develop a more profound friendship.

Waking in my Indian Pacific Gold Cabin to Outback sunrise colours

While I wake up to the knocking on the door and an excellent fresh cuppa handed over, I smile back with gratitude and admire the scenery pass by from my cabin window. I contemplate what I have experienced the day before on the Indian Pacific train and at the stops in Cook and Kalgoorlie.

I realise time flew, and in few hours we will reach our destination: Perth. Our lives separate, and we are now ready to embark on our next travel quest. I reflect for a moment: what a lovely, meaningful trip.

Have you ever travelled on the Indian Pacific Train in Australia? If you have, please tell us what you loved most of your train journey experience by leaving a comment here below

Disclaimer: I was guest of Journey Beyond Rail (former Great Southern Rail) on this Indian Pacific Train Journey from Adelaide to Perth. All opinions on this blog post are my own.

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More info for Travelling on board of the long-distance trains in Australia

In 2011 I travelled on the GHAN Train from Adelaide to Darwin. I also bought an Ausrail Pass and covered 11 thousand km by rail; I went from North Tropical Queensland to Sydney, further down south from Sydney to Broken Hill and Adelaide, to then cross the country from bottom to top and back. I had a great time.

Australia Itinerary Travel Book