6 great Australian train trips
By:AG Staff
| July-9-2009
A ride on the iron horse is all about the journey, rather than the destination.
(Photo: Dick and Pip Smith)
1. Kuranda Scenic Railway, Cairns - Kuranda, QLDAptly named, this short trip carries you deep into World Heritage-listed rainforest and past plunging Barron Falls.
2. Gulflander, Normanton - Croydon, QLDThe “Rattler” or “Tin hare” carries its intimate, historic charm through the remote wetlands, grasslands and arid savannah of the Gulf Country.
3. The Ghan, Adelaide - Alice Springs - DarwinNamed for the Afghan cameleers who carted supplies before the railway was built, The Ghan passes right through the heart of Australia.
4. West Coast Wilderness Railway, Queenstown - Strahan, TASThis steam locomotive chugs on century-old tracks across rivers, through ancient rainforest and along the rims of plunging gorges.
5. Indian Pacific, Sydney - Adelaide - PerthTake in the vastness of Australia while rumbling 4352 km across three States and three time zones on one of the world’s longest train trips.
6. Puffing Billy, Belgrave - Gembrook, VICThis is a museum on wheels, passing through historic towns and picturesque farmland of the Dandenong Ranges, east of Melbourne.