What It’s Like To Travel On The Luxury Great Southern Train

Thinking about travelling onboard The Great Southern? Here’s everything you need to know.

“The Great Southern is certainly the best train route for scenery." Says The Great Southern ’s general manager, Bruce Smith. And he would certainly know; Bruce has been working on trains for 28 years – including The Ghan and Indian Pacific, the sister routes to The Great Southern (all three operate under the Journey Beyond umbrella). Of all Australia’s epic train journeys, The Great Southern is Bruce’s favourite. It’s not hard to see why – the countryside from Brisbane to Adelaide is painterly and picturesque all the way through, from the emerald tones of the Byron Hinterland to the golden wheatfields of regional Victoria.

Most people are familiar with The Ghan, the 100-year-old cameleer route turned bucket-list experience by the luxury train. But when outback Australia gets too hot in the summer, The Ghan transforms into The Great Southern, travelling between Brisbane and Adelaide for the season. It’s a new route, relatively speaking, beginning its inaugural journey in 2019. However, it’s already on track to be another bucket-list Aussie experience.

So if you’re thinking of hopping onboard, here’s the lowdown on what to expect when you travel between Brisbane and Adelaide with The Great Southern.

The Great Southern passing through Boambee Creek — *The Great Southern* traces the country from coast to bush.

Adelaide to Brisbane, or Brisbane to Adelaide?

Depending on your direction of travel, you’ll experience a completely different journey.

I travelled from Brisbane to Adelaide, which was a total of 4 days and 3 nights onboard. On this journey, the train stops at Coffs Harbour first. The next stop is Newcastle – where you’ll have the choice to tour Newcastle City, visit Port Stephens or sample wine in the Hunter Valley. The final stop is in Greater Melbourne or Regional Victoria, depending on your choice of off-train experience.

Port Stephens 4WD Tours on Stockton Beach — *The Great Southern* stops at Port Stephens en route from Brisbane to Adelaide.

Alternatively, the journey from Adelaide to Brisbane is spread over 3 days, with 2 nights onboard. The train stops in the Grampians, Canberra and Coffs Harbour.

an aerial view of the Great Southern train passing through Coffs Harbour — The 700-metre-plus Great Southern train passes through Coffs Harbour on NSW’s North Coast.

Accommodation and categories

There are three accommodation categories onboard The Great Southern – Gold, Platinum, and as of the upcoming 2024/25 season, a new Gold Premium category will be introduced. Each category also has separate lounge and dining cars – which we’ll delve into in the next section. Here’s the rundown of each accommodation category.

Gold

Gold Twin

I stayed in the spacious gold twin room, the most popular choice of accommodation onboard The Great Southern. In the daytime, the room is set up as a comfortable couch, where you can spread out and while away the day by the window. There’s a table, mirror, and convenient space for storage.

At night, you’ll return to your cabin to find it miraculously converted into a comfortable single-bed bed with a mattress that folds down. There are upper and lower berths to accommodate two passengers. This room comes with its own private bathroom. It’s a great option for a couple, friends, or a single person seeking more space and privacy.

There is also an access-friendly version of Gold Twin, which has handrails and a shower chair in the bathroom and converts into two lower berth beds at night.

Gold Twin Great Southern Cabin Night — Gold Twin Cabins have upper and lower single berths.

Gold Single

Gold singles are cosy cabins with just enough room to comfortably fit a single bed. By day, the room is set up with an armchair and a fold-down table. There are shared bathrooms and showers for this room type. There is plenty of room to spread out in the bar car if you’re seeking more space, and the cabin itself makes for a lovely reading nook to tuck yourself away and watch the world roll past.

Platinum

If you want to travel in ultimate style and comfort, then a Platinum cabin is the way to go. These cabins have nearly double the space of the gold twin cabins, as well as double windows so you can catch the absolute best views as you kick back.

You can choose either a twin or double bed configuration, making this a perfect choice for either couples or friends (or a single person who likes their space!). A Platinum cabin is set up by day with two plush ottomans. At night, the cabin comfortably contains a double or twin bed. You’ll have your own ensuite bathroom, complete with upscale amenities.

Platinum Great Southern Cabin at Night — The spacious Platinum cabin is configured for sleeping. You can enjoy a continental breakfast in bed the next morning.

Gold Premium

This brand-new room category puts a more contemporary spin on the Gold class cabins, perfect for those seeking an extra touch of luxury. These cabins are similarly configured to the Gold Twin cabins, but with chic, modern design touches. Guests will also receive exclusive access to the Gold Premium Lounge. Gold Premium is available to book for the upcoming 2024/25 summer season.

Food

On The Great Southern, you’ll embark on a culinary journey as well as a physical one. The Great Southern is certainly a trip that foodies will love – think picturesque mornings lingering over a three-course breakfast or savoring the sunset with dessert in the dining car. The onboard dining is one of the highlights of the experience. The menus are thoughtfully and expertly curated, with service that is equal parts formal, knowledgeable and friendly. Each meal features an ingredient from the region the train traverses, like lemon myrtle, beetroot and Native quangdong. In a nutshell, it’s fantastic and quintessentially Aussie hospitality.

Gold passengers dine in the Art Deco-inspired Queen Adelaide restaurant, chock-full of character and resplendent with crimson dining booths and detailing that conjures an old-world feel.

queen adelaide restaurant great southern — Gold class passengers dine in the Art Deco-inspired Queen Adelaide Restaurant onboard.

Platinum passengers have a combined bar and dining car, which sports a more contemporary, elegant style. The carriage is full of thoughtful touches, like fresh flowers on each dining table.|

platinum great southern — Platinum passengers have access to the upscale Platinum Lounge and Dining Carriage.

Similar to the Queen Adelaide restaurant in Gold class, The Gold Premium restaurant is configured with booth-style seating, but dressed in a sleek, pared-back palette that evokes a more modern feel.

gold premium restaurant Great Southern — Dine in the elegant new Gold Premium restaurant.

Lounge and onboard vibes

The lounge is the social heart of the train. This is where passengers go to soak in the views, sip a cocktail at the bar and chat to fellow passengers. There is a live musician onboard to provide entertainment, and passengers are encouraged to give song requests and sing along, too! The lounge definitely provides a communal element to the journey, meaning that even if you’re travelling solo, you won’t be travelling alone.

In keeping with the Queen Adelaide restaurant, the Gold Lounge is dressed in rich reds and Art Deco style. Sitting in a crimson armchair with a glass of sparkling wine in hand feels like stepping back in time to the golden age of rail travel.

gold lounge Great Southern — The lounge is the social hub of the train.

Platinum passengers have access to a modern, upscale and intimate dining and lounge carriage, although they are welcome to wander into the Gold Lounge, too.

Gold Premium passengers also have access to an exclusive lounge. Airy, chic and modern, thoughtful design touches take inspiration from the colours of the terrain you’re passing through.

gold premium lounge — Watch the scenery pass by from the Gold Premium Lounge.

Off-train experiences

The Great Southern has a great range of off-train experiences, with something to suit every kind of traveller. Food and wine aficionados can enjoy a variety of wine tasting experiences. I joined the adventurous passengers in a 4WD of Stockton sand dunes during the stop at Port Stephens. It was the least popular tour, but a personal highlight for me. And if you can’t decide between adventure and gastronomy, don’t worry. Each excursion is always bookended with a sumptuous lunch with drinks.

al fresco dining in Coffs Harbour — Dine al fresco in Coffs Harbour on an off-train experience.

What’s included in the fare?

Fare includes accommodation, all onboard meals, alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages and off-train experiences. The only exception to this is the few optional off-train experiences which require an extra fee, such as the helicopter tours.

The charm of Mildura is hidden in plain sight along the Sturt Highway. The capital of Tropical North Victoria is in a league of its own.

From the moment you arrive in Mildura , the warm air and palm trees invite you to slow down. While most Australians might drive right past it, Mildura is full of surprises. Here you’ll spend one day witnessing over 50,000 years of First Nations history in a UNESCO-listed National Park, and the next dining in a hatted restaurant after wandering through 12,500 fireflies as the outback sunset bursts to life above. From roadside fruit stalls and family-run wineries to houseboats and galleries, it’s time to explore Mildura.

Feast Street, at the heart of Langtree Avenue in Mildura. — Taste, wander and be surprised in Mildura.

Taste Mildura’s produce

It makes sense to start your trip by addressing the most important question: where to eat. In the beating heart of Australia’s food bowl, sample the local produce directly from the source. And then, of course, experience it through the menu of a hatted chef. Or sandwiched between pillowy slices of Nonna’s ciabatta.

Rows of orchards and olive groves invite you to spend the day traipsing from farm to farm. Taste olives propagated from Calabrian trees brought over in the 40s, oranges picked right from the tree and squeezed into juice and spoons full of honey . Bring the holiday back to your kitchen by stocking your pantry at roadside produce stalls, or calling into the ‘silver shed ’ (Sunraysia’s gourmand Mecca).

Thanks to the warm, balmy air and fertile soils, the wineries dotted along these hills produce award-winning local wines. Like Chalmers , a family-run, innovative winery dedicated to making their wines as sustainable as possible. And picturesque Trentham Estate offers views of the snaking Murray River as you sample their vintages.

Venture beyond the gnarled shadows of olive groves and fragrant rows of blossoming fruit trees and you’ll find an otherworldly side to Mildura. With Discover Mildura as your guide, visit Murray River Salt’s Mars-like stacks. The naturally pink salt is formed from an ancient inland sea and evaporated entirely by the sun to create one of the region’s most iconic exports.

Start your day with just-squeezed sunshine.

Hatted dining & Italian history

Mildura is home to a proud community of Calabrians and Sicilians. This, paired with the exceptional local produce, means that you can find paninos on par with those in Italy. The Italian is a Paninoteca serving up made-to-order, hefty, authentic Sicilian paninos. Nonna Rosa’s pork meatballs, slowly cooked in tomato ragu and served in a crusty, fluffy roll topped with gratings of Grana Padano cheese and salsa verde, will call you back to Mildura for the rest of your days.

To find hatted dining in Mildura, simply follow the staircase down into the basement of the historic Mildura Grand Hotel to find Stefano’s . Following the muscle memory and instinct of his Italian roots, he delivers on the principle of ‘cucina povera’. That is, the Italian cooking ideology that turns simple, local ingredients into magic.

Things to do in Mildura include dining at the acclaimed Stefano’s, where simple local ingredients are transformed into Italian culinary magic beneath the historic Grand Hotel. — Bite into Mildura’s Italian heritage.

Discover a thriving culture scene

The city is alive with culture. Whether it’s painted on the town’s walls, told in ancient yarns, or waiting for you in a gallery.

The Mildura Arts Centre was Australia’s first regional art gallery. Behind the walls of Rio Vista Historic House, you’ll find a lineup of ever-changing exhibitions. The gallery’s wall space pays tribute to the art and songlines of local First Nations People, the region’s awe-inspiring landscapes and more. Outside, on the gallery’s lawn, find 12 contemporary sculptures in the Sculpture Park.

Mildura’s streetscapes are a punch of colour. Swirling strokes of paint blend the winding artery of the Murray River, red dirt and local characters into a story you can see with your own eyes, thanks to the Mildura City Heart’s Mural Art Project . Pick up a copy of the Murals of Mildura guide from the Visitor Information Centre.

Follow the border of NSW and Victoria on a map and you’ll see it hugs the curves of a tiny island on the Murray. That’s Lock Island, where, as the sun and moon trade places, the island comes alive as darkness falls. The island is dotted with 12,500 firefly lights that lead you on a meandering path through the outback sunset. The installation is known as Trail of Lights and was created by the same visionary who dreamt up Field of Light at Uluṟu, Bruce Munro.

Things to do in Mildura include exploring its rich cultural scene. From vibrant street art and ancient stories to exhibitions at the Mildura Arts Centre, Australia’s first regional gallery. — Find culture around every corner.

Wonder at ancient landscapes

The landscapes of Mildura feel almost transcendental. The skyline bursts to life with reds, pinks, and deep, sparkly night skies.

The nature will leave you in awe. See hues of pink water changing with the weather at Pink Lakes inside Victoria’s largest national park, Murray Sunset National Oark. Cast a line into Ouyen Lake. Watch the sunset against 70-metre tall red cliffs that reflect the setting sun. Or get the heart racing and sandboard down the Perry Sandhills dunes, formed 40,000 years ago at the end of an ice age.

Just don’t leave without following the twists and turns of the Murray. Stroll or ride along the Shared River Front Path, or jump onboard a boat for a scenic ride.

Your itinerary will be incomplete without a visit to UNESCO World Heritage-listed Mungo National Park . Head out with an Indigenous ranger to witness ancient campsites and footprints, before standing in awe of ancient civilisation near the discovery site of Mungo Man—Australia’s oldest human skeleton at 42,000 years old.

Mungo National Park at night is a vast, silent landscape where ancient dunes glow under moonlight and stars blanket the sky in breathtaking clarity. — Walk in the footsteps of ancient civilisation.

Meet your home away from home

On equal par with planning your meals and adventures, is finding the perfect place to relax at the end of each day.

Sleep inside a Palm Springs postcard at Kar-Rama . A sleek boutique hotel complete with a butterfly shaped, sun-soaked pool. Here you’re staying right in the heart of Mildura but you’ll feel worlds away. Or if you really wish to connect with nature, a night glamping under the stars at Outback Almonds will have you spellbound.

When in Mildura it’s only right to stay on one of the Murray River’s iconic houseboats . Wake up each day to the calm waters of the Murray lapping outside your window. Enjoy days full of river swims, fishing and exploring. All boats are solar-powered and can be self-skippered or moored along the river.

A solar-powered houseboat on the Murray River in Mildura. — Stay and play on the Murray in a solar houseboat.

Start planning the perfect getaway at mildura.com .

What it’s like to travel on the luxury Great Southern train