Riding the Indian Pacific Across Australia

Planning the Trip of a Lifetime
In the fall of 2023 we began to plan for our 25th wedding anniversary in 2024. When thinking of what kind of trip we would like, we turned to a long-standing wish, a travel by luxury train. (it wasn't hard to convince Dale, a long time train buff) Such trips represent a return to the golden age of rail. Think of "Murder on the Orient Express" without the murder! We had a brief taste of this when in Singapore. The Belmond Eastern and Oriental Express had a day trip, living from Tanjon Pagar in Orient Express cars, and headed up to Malaysia and then returning to Singapore. En route we enjoyed a wonderful champagne lunch. When hunting for train trips, it was readily apparent that the Orient Express (both the Asian version and the revived Turkey to Paris version) were wildly beyond our means, as was the Indian "Palace on Wheels." We turned our gaze to the Pacific and found two viable tours. The first was Indian Pacific, which left from Perth on the Indian Ocean and traveled east to Sydney on the Pacific Ocean. The ultimate cross-country trip! Alas, it was already booked for the entirety of 2024, so we decided to take the trip in 2025.

Leaving Kuala Lumpur and arriving in Perth

Exploring Perth

Departing Kuala Lumpur on November 11, 2025, we flew 5 hours to Perth 3 days prior to our trip on the Indian Pacific. This afforded us time to catch up with friends Karen and Hasan. Karen was a bridge partner of Tracy's when they lived in Kuala Lumpur, and these graciously hosted us for 3 nights. Tracy and Karen partnered again at Karen's bridge club, acquitting themselves admirably. Tracy also accompanied Karen as she introduced the keynote speaker at the Petroleum Women of Perth's meeting. Hasan meanwhile took Dale several walks. In the neighborhood they walked to the nearby beach. A second walk took them to Kings Park, where trees native to the Swan Valley are on offer. Kings Park also offered a panoramic view of the Perth city skyline. Wonderful meals at home and at seaside eateries only enhanced the experience. Karen and Hasan hosted us during a very anxious and wonderful time, as their daughter was expecting, and gave birth just as we were leaving. As they tended to the arrival of a new family member, we traveled by train to Freemantle to view the Western Australia Maritime Museum, which did not disappoint. After 3 wonderful days of walking, sightseeing and catching up with friends, it was time to head to the Perth Railway Station to begin our epic trip across Australia on the Indian Pacific. Below are a few more photos from our time in Perth.


River Walk	Seaside View	Perth Skyline from Kings Park

Moab Tree in Kings Park	Tuart Tree in Kings Park	W.A. Maritime Museum in Freemantle

The Western Australia Museum

Traveling on the Indian Pacific

The map to the right (which can be enlarged by clicking on it) shows the route that the Indian Pacific follows. As you can see, after departing Perth you are truly traveling through the Outback, as the next major city is Adelaide, nearly 2/3's of the way across the country. Below is a travelogue of our 5 days and 4 nights aboard the Indian Pacific. The trip is chronicled day-by-day in the links below. Clicking on the photograph or the day (example: Day One:) will open that day's travelogue in a new window. To return to this page, simply click on the icon above "Return to Train." Alternately, there are arrows at the bottom of each day that will advance you to the next day's experiences or return you to the previous page. Enough instructions, please enjoy the tour!

Day One: Leaving Perth--it's all about the train

Day Two: Kalgoorlie & Cook

Day Three: Barossa Valley

Day Four: Broken Hill

Day Five: Blue Mountains & Sydney

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