2026 Grand Australian Rail Tour inc. Indian Pacific & The Ghan

We commence the tour with a direct flight to Perth, departing Auckland around midday. On arrival in Perth, we are transferred to our city hotel for a 2-night stay. We enjoy our first dinner together this evening

An early morning today as we transfer to the Barrack Street Jetty to catch the 8.30am departure to Rottnest Island. Here, we enjoy a special tour highlight and join a half day Luxe Island 7-Course Seafood Cruise.  The 4-hour cruise begins on Rottnest’s waterfront, among luxury boats moored in Thomson Bay. We are welcomed with a cocktail on arrival, before setting off into crystal clear waters for an unforgettable afternoon. As we sip on chilled drinks and enjoy the first of our lunch courses, we cruise past the famous Bathurst Lighthouse on our way offshore, in search of Western Rock Lobster. Lobster pots are hauled in and then we travel further along the Island’s coastline to find the most beautiful bay on the day (Longreach or Parakeet Bay), where we anchor close to shore. Nestled in paradise, we can relax on deck or swim and unwind on a float mat. Then, it’s seated white tablecloth dining for main courses and dessert. Following our feast, we pull-up anchor and journey back to Thomson Bay.  We join the 4.30pm ferry back to Perth and the rest of the evening is at leisure.

The morning is free for you to explore this wonderful city, until early this afternoon when we are transferred to the Railway Station in time to join the “Indian Pacific” service to Adelaide. As our train departs Perth mid-afternoon and commences its journey towards Adelaide, sit back and relax in your own “Gold Service” class private compartment. This evening enjoy dinner on board in the Queen Adelaide Restaurant Car and maybe spend time in the Outback Explorer Lounge Car – a great opportunity to meet and mix with your fellow travellers.

Early this morning, our train arrives in the mining city of Kalgoorlie-Boulder. If places could talk, Kalgoorlie would have some interesting stories to tell. Explore Australia’s largest outback town to uncover its fascinating past and present. There are a range of included off-train excursions, such as an up-close tour of one of Australia’s largest gold producing mines, The Super Pit. Or instead, visit Hannans North Tourist Mine. Here, you’ll delve into the history of gold mining while exploring over 30 exhibits. The train continues on, and our next stop is Cook. Hidden in the vast interior of South Australia lies a ghost town that once bustled with life. Today, the town of Cook is home to lonely buildings and a population you can count on one hand – but in its heyday the location was an important part of the development of Australia’s interior. Established in 1917, Cook was originally built as a support town for the railway, with more than 50 people helping to maintain the tracks. Step off the train for a nightcap and late-night bonfire, while you can bask under the vast Nullarbor sky and lose yourself counting shooting stars.

Mid-afternoon, the train pulls into Long Plains, where you’ll disembark and transfer in comfortable coaches to the world-renowned, wine-producing region of the Barossa Valley. Early evening, our train arrives in Adelaide, where we will disembark and transfer to our central city hotel for a 2-night stay.

Today, we enjoy a morning tour of the city’s main attractions which will allow us to get our bearings.  Our Coach Captain will share his local knowledge on things to see and do including the charm and character of the buildings and famous landmarks. A perfect introduction for first-time visitors, we visit the Botanic Park, Adelaide Oval, St Peters Cathedral and the National Wine Centre of Australia. The afternoon is at leisure before we enjoy dinner at a local restaurant this evening.

Late in the morning, we transfer to the railway station where we join “The Ghan”. We depart Adelaide just after midday for the 2979km journey through to Darwin, truly one of the great train journeys of the world. Sit back and marvel at the great Australian landscapes from the rusty reds of the outback to the lush tropical splendour of Darwin. Why not enjoy a pre-dinner drink in the Outback Explorer Lounge while taking in the scenery as we wind our way north?

Our train arrives into the gateway to the heart of Australia, Alice Springs, early afternoon for a 4-hour stopover. An included sightseeing tour offers the opportunity to explore the iconic sites of the Alice including The Flying Doctor Base and the Telegraph Station which played a pivotal role in bridging the communications between remote towns and settlements. Other tours are available at additional cost for the more adventurous including helicopter flights and camel rides.  We re-join the train early this evening to depart for Katherine.

Our train arrives into Katherine in the morning for a stopover of 4 hours. This sub-tropical town is the gateway to Nitmiluk National Park and the spectacular Katherine Gorge with its 25-million-year-old canyons. We have the morning in Katherine with plenty of time for an included sightseeing – maybe a cruise on the Katherine River to Nitmiluk Gorge or the Katherine Outback Experience to learn about the inner workings of life on a remote cattle station. Other tours are available at additional cost for the more adventurous including scenic flights through the gorge. This afternoon, we travel the final 300km of our epic journey as we continue on to the northern sub-tropical capital of Darwin arriving late afternoon. On arrival, we are met and transferred to our city hotel for a 3-night stay.

Our morning sightseeing tour is a perfect introduction to Darwin. We see the Chinese Temple and the lush Botanic Gardens and tour the historic sights of the city including the East Point Military precinct, an area rich in World War II memorabilia. We see the Stokes Hill Wharf area and the Mooring Basin. There is also time available to explore the Museum and Art Gallery. The afternoon is at leisure.

Today is left free to relax and enjoy the wonderful winter tropical climate of the city. Maybe explore the waterfront and take part in the fish feeding ritual at Doctors Gully, visit the Defence of Darwin Experience, or just relax and watch the world go by at an outdoor café. This evening, we conclude our stay with a dinner cruise on Darwin Harbour which will hopefully present us with fantastic views of a fiery sunset.

Today, we join our early afternoon flight to Cairns. On arrival, we will be met and transferred by coach to our central accommodation in Port Douglas (approx. 1.5hrs). We arrive mid-evening and the rest of the evening is at leisure. We stay in Port Douglas for 3 nights.

A full day tour today. We take a guided tour through the Wildlife Habitat. We then cross the Daintree River to visit Cape Tribulation National Park, a World Heritage Listed site, where we have a BBQ lunch. We return to Port Douglas late afternoon.

A highlight of our time in Port Douglas is a cruise out to Low Isles, an idyllic unspoilt coral cay encircled by a spectacular fringing reef of beautiful coral gardens, teeming with colourful marine life. We board the 30-metre luxury sailing catamaran, Wavedancer, for a day to remember with a wide range of activities to fully experience Low Isles unique environment. There is a chance to snorkel, or if you don’t want to get wet, enjoy a glass-bottom boat tour, a guided beach walk or just relax on the beach under a thatched umbrella before we return to our hotel late this afternoon. Tonight, we enjoy dinner together.

The morning is at leisure before we are transferred back to Cairns. On arrival we will have a short sightseeing tour of the city. We will check in to our hotel with some time to rest & relax before we enjoy dinner at the hotel.

This morning we board the Skyrail Cableway which takes us above the tropical rainforest of the Barron Gorge National Park and onto Kuranda. Visit the Butterfly Sanctuary before heading to Kuranda village, with time to browse through the various stalls of the colourful Kuranda Markets. We then take the historic journey through the picturesque countryside on the Kuranda Scenic Train back to Cairns, arriving late afternoon.

We enjoy a city tour this morning, including a visit to the Botanic Gardens – a tropical paradise, renowned as one of the best exhibitions of tropical plants in Australia. We also visit the Australian Armour & Artillery Museum, dedicated to the collection, preservation, restoration and display of Armoured Vehicles and Artillery from the 1800’s to the present day. The Collection includes armoured vehicles and artillery from both world wars with a particular focus on WWII. The remainder of the day is at leisure, until we meet for dinner this evening.

After breakfast, we transfer to the railway station and board the Spirit of Queensland for the overnight trip to Brisbane. Our accommodation aboard is in the “Railbed” accommodation, an exclusive section of the train featuring spacious and comfortable seats by day with state-of-the-art personal entertainment systems, which convert to a lie flat bed in the evening.

We arrive at Brisbane Roma Street Station at 9.00am this morning. We are collected from the station by our coach and will enjoy a short orientation tour of the city before we transfer to our hotel to check in (or store luggage until such time as our rooms are ready). The remainder of the day is at leisure – a good opportunity to enjoy some retail therapy!

Our final day in Australia! Today, we join a cruise – enjoying informative commentary as we glide along Brisbane’s waterfront, before arriving at Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary – the oldest and largest Koala Sanctuary in the world.  There is plenty of time to explore the sanctuary, where we can see over 130 koalas, hand feed kangaroos and emus, experience an authentic Australian sheep dog show, spy on a shy platypus swimming, and see the amazing birds of prey. Returning mid-afternoon, the rest of the day is yours until such time as we meet this evening for our farewell dinner.

Back to the airport today in time to join flights back to Auckland.