Melbourne Australia
Beyond Melbourne: By Train - Interstate
Sydney and Melbourne are linked by a 960 km XPT rail service which operates every day and night in both directions. Taking about 11.5 hours, the day service from Melbourne to Sydney is the slowest scheduled trip of the four XPT services, the other three services are timetabled to take about 11 hours. The overnight train from Sydney leaves at 8.30pm and arrives in Melbourne the next morning at 7.25am. The overnight train from Melbourne leaves at 7.50pm for a 6.55am arrival.
To travel by rail from Melbourne to Perth requires two train journeys - the first, from Melbourne to Adelaide on The Overland, then a trek across the Nullarbor Plain on one of Australia's iconic railways - The Indian Pacific. Crossing the continent this way is something every Australian should experience at least once in their life, and a must for overseas travellers to get a true picture of how vast Australia really is.
The Overland is operated by a private company, Great Southern Railway. The train completes two return trips a week, travelling mostly during daylight. The train operates between the Melbourne terminal of Southern Cross Station, and Keswick Rail Terminal in Adelaide, and covers 828 kilometres between capitals in 10 hours 40 minutes. The service offers onboard buffet meals and first and economy class seats and a lounge car.
If you are planning a trip to the Gold Coast, and would like a little time to relax and chill out before you get there, making the journey by train is the way to do it. It will take two days with an overnight stopover in Sydney (or do your travelling at night and give yourself a full day in Sydney); it will certainly take longer than flying, but you'll avoid the cramped seating and dramas associated with passing through three busy airports.
The Ghan and the Indian Pacific are Australia's two iconic long distance railways, both cross the vast continent from one side to the other. The Ghan travels north to south, providing a rail link between Adelaide and the Northern Territory. The two-day trip from Adelaide to Darwin allows travellers to get a real feel for the scale of the Australian outback, which you simply don't on a plane. The Ghan breaks its journey at Alice Springs and Katherine.
It's a long way from Melbourne to Cairns - just under 3,000 km in fact - but these days the journey can be made over a couple of days in airconditioned comfort by train and with a minimum of fuss. It requires two changes - one in Sydney and another in Brisbane - but other than that it is plain sailing. If you have the time, you can plan in a few stopovers along that way, places such like Sydney, the Gold Coast, Brisbane, Bundaberg, Rockhampton, The Whitdundays and Townsville and turn this epic rail journey into a trip of a lifetime.
