2013 Readers’ Choice Awards: Best Train Journey - The Ghan

It’s done it a-Ghan – the cross-continental favourite has made it a hat trick, winning this category three years running. There was a resounding 45.3 per cent of all votes for this bucket-list train trip, which ventures from Darwin to Adelaide passing through some of Australia’s most impressive landscapes such as the Red Centre and Flinders Ranges.

“It’s an iconic Australian journey that really puts you in the heart and guts of our unique environment,” said one reader. “There’s nothing like it anywhere else in the world,” added another. But the appeal isn’t all outdoors – guests are served “excellent food and wine”, while cabins are comfortable with a charming old-world feel. Nice. See greatsouthernrail.com.au

Finalists

Coming in second for the third time, the Indian Pacific had a strong lead on other finalists for the iconic journey between Perth and Sydney. CountryLink – recently renamed NSW TrainLink – was favoured for its scenic routes and “country-style scones”, while the Kuranda Scenic Railway through Tropical North Queensland was again a hot contender, followed by the old-worldly Puffing Billy steam train through Victoria’s Dandenong Ranges.

See the full Readers’s Choice 2013 winners’ list.