expatasia

I'm at the planning stage of my regular four-yearly trip to Oz coming up mid Dec - end of year. Always do it when there is an Ashes tour on ('94 did Queensland, a mate was studying in Brisbane; '98 Darwin & NT; '02 Perth & WA; '06 rainy NSW & escape to Canberra; this time hoping to fly to Alice Springs (via Cairns) then take the Ghan down to Adelaide. Would tour a bit in SA & possibly Victoria, take in some golf & sightseeing (?) (but no cricket watching this time with all the sell-outs, oh for the the good old days when we were easily tonkable ) before flying back here at NY (Adelaide-Perth-Tokyo).

The Ghan doesn't seem to be very frequent (and the online booking site doesn't work right now either in English or Japanese). Anyway, we'd arrive in Alice on 18/12 - that'd leave a lengthy wait and stay in the area til next departure of The Ghan on 23/12, is there enough to do there? Any hotels you'd recommend?

As for The Ghan experience, how was it for you?

Thanks

expatasia

roaringmouse

The online booking at the GSR website seems to be working fine at the moment.

expatasia

Thanks. Pity the trains are infrequent and pricey, must be a way of getting discounted fare. I'm waiting for a mate to email me back re this.

When booking hotels for back home/Europe I use Late Rooms or Last Minute. What such site do you use in Oz?

Red_V_Roger

We have looked at doing the Indian - Pacific Sydney to Perth. But it is so expensive if you want a bit of confort.

roaringmouse

We travelled in Gold Class on the Indian Pacific from Perth to Adelaide when we moved over. It is expensive, however the food in Gold is so good! I also travelled on the Ghan from Alice-Adelaide about 11 years ago (before it went up to Darwin) when I was a backpacker here - this was in the cheap seats, using a YHA member discount.
There's Last Minute here too, as well as another very similar one (can't remember the name right now). I also look at hotels & motels directly, particularly as not all accommodation is listed on the other sites.

expatasia

Thanks again - hours of fun coming up on the research, the missus is starting to get cold feet about getting train (not flight) from Alice to Adelaide...

Just looking at the Alice Springs Resort Hotel.


Can't wait for the hol now.

Sherlock Holmes

We did Adelaide to Alice when I first arrived here to settle, so it was a combined retirement, arrival in Oz and step-daughters birthday. We had the one and only luxury cabin which had easy chairs and a table as well as a double bed! SD had a twin cabin to herself in the same carriage and was only charged single fare. We also had a reserved table to ourselves for meals.

The food was stunningly good....as I had been told it would be...but was doubtful when I saw the Qantas airline food cabinets being loaded onto the train!

It is expensive if you you go gold class but well worth it if you can afford it. The average speed of the train is 50 kph. To be frank it is very noisy when you are trying to sleep but it is a journey one should do once in ones life.

We only went one way but there was a special offer running at the time which meant we could put the car on the back for $99.00. Stunning value when you think of the fuel costs to drive thar far!

The trains are now totally non-smoking. You get locked in once the train departs. This is a security measure as at times it runs very slowly (stops people getting on board) and also helps prevents thefts on board.

5 stars.

Pollyana

Give www.wotif.com/ a try too

expatasia

Cheers, a good find.

Keep 'em coming.

Have you ever taken your broom for a spin over that part of Oz?

expatasia

Yeah I figured that, took a 'TrenHotel' from Madrid to Santiago de Compostela last December - the luxury cabin & grub didn't guarantee we could get any sleep at all, and that was less than a 12 hour journey - still enjoyed it though and with the 40% discounts available for early booking it wasn't much more expensive than a Madrid hotel.

Thanks for the reply.

HelenTD

I travelled on the Indian Pacific in 1st class from Perth to Sydney some years ago and really enjoyed it. On another trip, in backpacking days when I couldn't drive, I joined a bus trip at Ceduna (I think) near the WA/SA border. This bus had originated in Perth, crossed the Nullabor, then up through SA, visiting Coober Pedy (a fascinating place, we stayed underground), did all the Ayres Rock, Alice Springs stuff, then went across the desert on part of the Gunbarrel Highway, ending up in Kalgoorlie, eventually getting to Perth. A fascinating trip.

Pollyana

No not yet, though it is a trip I'd love to do. The Ghan quite appeals to me as well actually, one of those things that I keep saying "öne day....."

Pomster

we did the Ghan from Adelaide to Alice and I loved it.

We did go gold class so had a whizzy little cabin and ensuite which was lovely.
Enforced relaxation!