Trains travel to most places around Australia, although don't offer as extensive a service as buses. There are a number of different rail companies around Australia.
The major interstate services include the famous Ghan travelling between Adelaide and Darwin and covering 2979km (1850 miles), the Indian Pacific travelling between Sydney and Perth via Adelaide and covering 4352km (2704 miles), the Overland travelling between Melbourne and Adelaide and covering 828km (514 miles), and the Southern Spirit travelling between Brisbane and Adelaide via Sydney and Melbourne. Queensland Rail operate "Australia's Orient Express", offering stylish transport aboard the Sunlander between Brisbane and Cairns.
There are also various services within the various states around Australia. Queensland Rail offers a service in Queensland, between Brisbane and Cairns. CountryLink offers a rail and coach service around New South Wales. V/Line offers a service around Victoria. CityRail offers a service around the greater Sydney area. TransAdelaide offer a service around the Adelaide area. TransPerth offer a service around the Perth area. West Coast Railway offers a service around the Melbourne area.
Tickets
You can purchase tickets for regional services from the relevant train travel service providers. To purchase train tickets for interstate travel within Australian Capital Territory, New South Wales, Queensland and Victoria you can call 13 2232. There are a number of different tickets which you can buy, covering different areas as well as different time scales. Several of the available flexible train passes, which cover Australia's main rail network are listed below:
The Austrail Flexipass
The Austrail Flexipass offers International travellers 15 days travel or 22 days travel within a 6 month period from the first day of travel. If your visit to Australia is limited but you want to travel extensively, then the Flexipass is your ticket. You can stopover at various places along the way and then resume your travel when you are ready to move on.
Duration: 6 months from first day of service
The East Coast Discovery Pass
Discover the fabulous East Coast of Australia with the East Coast Discovery Pass. Explore world famous beaches and rainforests, meet hospitable locals and find a great way of life. Travel from the magnificent South to the tropical North or vice versa on the CountryLink and Traveltrain rail and coach networks, enjoying unlimited stopovers. But remember, you can travel in one direction only – no backtracking.
Coverage: CountryLink and Queensland Rail East Coast Services
Duration: 6 months from first day of service
Backtracker Rail Pass
CountryLink’s train and coach network operates to over 360 destinations, linking Melbourne, Canberra, Sydney and Brisbane with regional New South Wales. The best way to see it all is with a Backtracker Pass, combining flexibility with great savings.
The Backtracker Pass provides you with unlimited journeys on the entire network, including the Gold Coast, Byron Bay, Tamworth, Broken Hill and Albury. The Backtracker Pass also includes four vouchers on Sydney’s CityRail network – a DayTripper ticket (all day trains, buses and ferries), a return Bondi Beach ticket on the train or bus and one way train tickets to the Blue Mountains and back.
Coverage: Unlimited Travel on all CountryLink Train and Coach services
Duration: 14 Days, 1 Month, 3 Months and 6 Months
Transport NSW
transportnsw.info
Journey Beyond Rail
Ph: 13 2147
www.journeybeyondrail.com.au
Queensland Rail
www.queenslandrail.com.au
Adelaide Metro
www.adelaidemetro.com.au
TransPerth
www.transperth.wa.gov.au
Queensland Rail Travel
Ph: 1300 131 722
queenslandrailtravel.com.au
V/Line
www.vline.com.au
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