Our experience on the Indian Pacific was unique and certainly not like anything I had done before. We travelled from the Indian Ocean (Perth) via Kalgoorlie, Cook, Adelaide, Broken Hill to the Pacific Ocean (Sydney). Travelling over the Nullarbor was the highlight for me and the train trip itself was a good way to do it.
The train was well set up for that kind of travel with private cabins, dining rooms and lounges of varied price ranges and you basically got what you paid for. We travelled gold class which meant that we had standard bunk beds that convert to a day lounge during the day. There is an ensuite washroom/toilet/shower room that was quite alright for us, but a large person could have a problem with the space. I drew the short straw and got the top bunk which I found comfortable enough once I got up there via a vertical ladder. Not to be recommended for anyone who does not feel comfortable with height, has bad balance , arthritis or joint problems. Climbing down could be hazardous as well.
The lounge carriage was good for pre-dinner drinks & chatting but not well set up if you wanted to play cards as all the seats face inwards and there are no large tables.
The Dining Room was quite comfortable and well set up with white tablecloths, and formal dining. The food was excellent & beyond our expectations. We had varied choices of meals every day and they were rarely repeated twice. Dining was in two sittings so there was always room for everyone.
The staff were very good and looked after us well. The cabins were maintained twice a day.
Probably the only thing we found uncomfortable was to have to be up and out of the train by 7.00am at Adelaide and the breakfast supplied in a box was not suitable for that time of the morning. We were disappointed that train had so many hold ups from trackwork during our journey making us two hours behind schedule. That meant we had very little time in Adelaide and no time at all in Broken Hill. However I understand that trackwork must go on & it was obviously not the fault of the Indian Pacific and they need to stick to the railway rules.
Something to note though if you happen to have a plane to catch at Sydney - allow a few more hours for delays which I understand are not uncomman. We were not affected by the delay because we only had to transfer a couple of platforms to the Central Coast trains to get home.
If I did this tour again I would get off at Adealide, have three days there to play golf & look around & then fly home. I say this because after Broken Hill the rest of the NSW travel is in darkness and we really only got to see Lithgow and the Blue Mountains before reaching Sydney.
I was very impressed with the Nullarbor section of the trip because there had been a lot of rain recently which greened up the whole area. There was a lot of unexpected vegetation and even some wild flowers which pleased me. I am very happy that I did this trip and it has ticked off a box on my "bucket list".
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