Australia’s Indian Pacific adventure is changing – and here’s how

The Indian Pacific, Australia’s iconic transcontinental train, is upgrading its Perth to Sydney itinerary next year. The expedition will change from a four-day itinerary to a five-day one, meaning an extra day and night onboard, and more off-train experiences.

Richard Howarth, business development manager, UK & Europe at Journey Beyond, which owns and operates the Indian Pacific as well as The Ghan and the Great Southern services, told TTG: “From January 2025, we will add a stop at gold-mining town Kalgoorlie in Western Australia; and we will make our stop at a ghost town called Cook – the only point we stop on the Nullarbor Plain – into more of an event. We’ll light a bonfire, serve drinks and our staff will be able to point out the amazing constellations in the sky.”

He added: “The Nullarbor Plain has the longest section of straight railway track in the world. Its nothingness is mesmerising – guests tend to sit in the lounge car, chatting, looking out for the occasional tree, or a kangaroo hopping along.”

As well as introducing a visit to Seppeltsfield Estate for wine tasting in the Barossa Valley, another new addition will be Broken Hill, Australia’s first heritage-listed city, which has featured in films including Mad Max and The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert.

Howarth added: “Broken Hill is a silver mining town and a fun place to visit. We will offer an escorted walking tour of the town with a local drag queen.”

The Blue Mountains will be the final stop before the Indian Pacific arrives into Sydney.

Travelling in the opposite direction, the Sydney-Perth itinerary will remain at four days, with no stop in the Blue Mountains, different options in Adelaide and a shorter call in Cook.

Howarth urged agents to highlight these differences between the itineraries with their clients: “It’s true of all our journeys that we like to offer something a bit different. People do come back and we do have clients who come back to take the train in the other direction.”