the Indian Pacific

The Indian Pacific

Bill Healy Travel Editor
There was the slightest jolt then the train glided smoothly along the rails beside the platform at Sydney’s Central Railway Station.

Finally, my journey was under way.

Not finally in the sense of the train’s late departure, but finally in the sense that this was a journey I had wanted to undertake for many years.

Whenever people discussed, in my presence, the one trip they really wanted to make, suggestions generally included South America, safari in Africa, trekking in Nepal, cruising the Alaskan inside passage.

Mine? Always the same for the last ten years……the Indian Pacific crossing of this wonderful country of ours, from Sydney to Perth.

I had it slotted in for a few years time, but the opportunity of a lifetime presented itself when I received an invitation from Great Southern Railway, the operators of the Indian Pacific, to join their annual good will Xmas special. Invites go out to members of the travel industry and media to enjoy this once a year special which does a wonderful job by bringing joy to inhabitants of outback towns along the journey.

Great Southern Railway employs a leading entertainer for this special each year. This year it was David Campbell and his band.

Santa is another addition distributing gifts to kids along the way. Both additions combine to bring Xmas cheer to several thousand people. David Campbell had just released his new CD, “The Swing Session 2” so we knew we were going to be treated to some great musical interludes along the way.

Yes, it’s a PR exercise, but later I will show you how genuine the company is.

Let me start with the Indian Pacific accommodation.
There are two categories, Red Kangaroo Service which has sleeper cabins or Day/Nighter seats, and Gold Kangaroo Service with two person cabins.

Gold Kangaroo Service is ideal for our age group, so I was please to be ensconced in this area. Included with the Gold Kangaroo Fare are your meals in the dining car, with waiter service, a welcome on board complimentary glass of bubbly, wine, beer of soft drink.

The staff are excellent. You can request an early morning cup of tea delivered to your cabin half an hour before breakfast and can walk to the end of each of carriages and make a cup of tea and take some biscuits

The cabin;
is pleasing, frugal but functional.

A three seater settee provides day time solace. At night the back of the settee is folded forward and down to make a single bed. Above which is another single bed or bunk. The staff folds the bed down and up so all you have to do is use it. There are two slim wardrobes with a couple of coat hangers each and storage space for baggage. An “on-track” newsletter is delivered each day plus you will receive the “Platform” magazine.

The bathroom;

is a marvel of design and engineering. Many of you will have used similar bathroom facilities if you travelled overnight between Melbourne and Sydney in years gone by. A double wardrobe sized room houses a shower, washbasin and toilet.

Essentially, the bathroom consists of a pull down metal washbasin, pulling down to reveal hot and cold taps. The metal toilet with normal seat is another pull down, housed below the washbasin, with flush. Both these are found in a metal unit with a small ledge and mirror above the basin.

The bathroom is a “wet” room which means that you close the door, pull a curtain around the basin/toilet housing and turn on the shower. Simple and very effective with instant hot water. I just love the space saving design.

Two “toilet packs” are waiting in the bathroom in case you forgot something.
The dining car;
is elegant with tables for four. Meals are a wonderful surprise with excellent presentation, quality, quantity and variety. An interesting range of wines are available with lunch and dinner. Unless you are travelling as a group of four, the dining experience also creates an opportunity to make new friends since, on most trips, the train is full therefore the dinning seating will be too.

Lounge/Bar area;
The dining car adjoins a large bright lounge/bar area which, again, provides an excellent opportunity to relax and chat to others who are enjoying the rail experience. I don’t drink but bar prices seem to be normal.

The journey;
takes in Broken Hill, Adelaide, Cook, Kalgoorlie then Perth, if you are travelling east to west or the same stops in reverse order if travelling west to east.

On this Xmas special David Campbell performed a set of songs at each stop, usually after the local school choir has sung some carols. As an adult performer of swing favourites, it was amazing to see how the kids took to him and how he performed just for them. At one stop he was offered a proposal of marriage by a ten year girl, then went on to chat to a young boy, asking if the very young boy with him was his brother. The reply was classic kid’s response…”Yes, but you can keep him if you want.”

Whilst this was a PR trip in terms of the media, absolutely no effort was made to marshal the invitees to the performances. But the endless flashes from their cameras tells me that the low key approach didn’t dim the interest in whatever was happening.

As well as the regular stops, Bathurst, Watson, and Rawlinna were added to this trip to provide entertainment and presents from Santa.

Watson ;
is in the middle of nowhere. No platform, no anything for miles around. Yet the train stops and we alight down temporary steps to be greeted by a group of aboriginal children whose parents and teachers have driven for almost three hours so that they can get presents from Santa and be entertained by David Campbell.

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David was the first to admit they had no idea who he is, yet he entertained with the same real enthusiasm he displayed at Adelaide or other major stops. In fact he lay on the dirt to talk to one tiny child who just wanted to touch him.
It was beautiful to see the children all point at the train as Santa alighted, then to watch them all shuffle backwards as they lost confidence. Santa quickly won them over and the presents were happily received.

Rawlinna;
is a jackeroo and jillaroo stop providing a pre Xmas break and, again, to share presents with their kids.
Cook;
population two!! Train drivers transit their waiting for the next engine to arrive, and the two inhabitants run the souvenir store, what else?
Prior to the mid 1990s Cook had a population of 300, a two-storey school, swimming pool and hospital.

I loved a sign which read, “Cook hospital needs you, get sick!”

The good deed;
I mentioned early in the article that Great Southern Railway did not overplay the PR approach to this Xmas special. The train slows and stops from time to time since much of the track is a single one causing trains to go into sidings to allow others to pass.

After a while we all got used to this, glanced out the window and if there was no platform, continued reading or chatting.

On one such stop there appeared to be no reason, but I took a longer look as I had notice Santa in his outfit jumping out of the train near a parked ute. Beside the ute stood a young mum and her child of around four. The train had been stopped in the real middle of nowhere for the simple reason that the child would miss Xmas as his parents were tending a nearby radio station. The young mum sobbed as Santa handed the boy presents and I had a tear in my eye because I realised that, despite many travel media being on board, this was just something personal between Great Southern Railway and a young child.

I was later told that it costs $300 in energy to get the train moving again, so this was a real gesture, as were the other special stops, by the rail company.

Great Southern Railway also collects money at each stop for the Royal Flying Doctor Service and matches the collection with money of its own.
Finally, I have found a company that has a heart as big as the country it serves.

Facts;
The Indian Pacific travels twice a week in each direction. You can purchase “Whistle Stop Tours” at regular stops or can break the journey to stay in those towns. These can be purchased on board, but a cautionary note, if the train is running late or the weather is inclement, the tours will not run.

You can break the journey and purchase stop over packages, something I would recommend so that the Indian Pacific is a holiday, not a means of transport.
The train caters for 276 passengers and has an average length of 498 meters! One stretch of rail is the longest straight rail in the world at 478kms.

For more information and prices or bookings ring Trainways on 1300 13 21 47 or visit http://www.trainways.com.au/
Note:
The government has introduced new funding for The Ghan, also run by Great Southern Railways, allowing pensioners to gain a 32% discount on a Adelaide to Darwin journey or Adelaide to Alice or vice versa. Again, Trainways has all the prices.