Train Travel Australia

Train travel is far less popular with backpackers in Australia than what it is in Europe. 
That said, there are some great journeys!


An inland railway. Poster by AllPosters. Click on thumbnail to buy 

Rail services are run separately in different parts of Australia: Country Link in New South Wales, Queensland Rail in Queensland, and V/Line in Victoria.


Great Southern Railways connects South Australia, Western Australia and Northern Territory by the long train journeys in the famous Indian Pacific (Sydney – Perth) The Ghan (Darwin – Adelaide), and the Overlander (Melbourne – Adelaide). They are great journeys, particularly the Adelaide - Darwin (The Ghan) and Adelaide - Perth routes, which go through some remote desert scenery. You may want to have a look at International rail passes that include Australia .


Kuranda Scenic Railway. Poster by AllPosters. Click on thumbnail to buy

Far north Queensland’s great train trips are Savannalander (Cairns – Forsayth), Gulflander (Croydon – Normanton), and Kuranda Scenic Railway (Cairns – Kuranda). If you want to travel by train along Queensland's coast (Brisbane to Cairns), Tilt Train is the best option. In south-eastern Australia there are more different train routes. The most famous touristic ones are the Puffing Billy Steam Train near Melbourne in Victoria, and the West Coast Wilderness Railway in Tasmania.