Outback opulence: Adelaide to Perth on the Indian Pacific

Posted 11 May, 2021 Samuel Smith

Stepping on board the Indian Pacific is like entering a temporal vortex. A delicious, luxurious one, at that.

For 42 blissful hours, my only concerns were which dishes to select from an ever-changing roster of 5-star menus, how many glasses of (all-inclusive) Bollinger I’d consume in the Outback Explorer Lounge afterwards, and whether I’d develop a repetitive strain injury from the number of photos I was manically snapping.

For 2 short, sweet days, the rest of the world simply ceased to exist.

When it comes to luxury train travel, Ralph Waldo Emerson’s (supposed) words, “It’s not the destination. It’s the journey,” ring true, especially when getting from A to B involves a sumptuous, regionally inspired menu, all-inclusive fine wine, stunning Art Deco décor and quality conversation with colourful characters.

In every sense, the Indian Pacific embodies outback opulence.

I was lucky enough to spend two days and two nights aboard, travelling from Adelaide to Perth across the extra-terrestrial Nullarbor Plain.

Here are just some of the highlights from my journey.

Quality company

Never before have I shared a table with such a varied group of people. Under the stars at Rawlinna – a remote locality on the Trans-Australian Railway – I tucked into roast lamb with a private investigator, two bird watchers, a finance officer who lived on Christmas Island and an ex-member of Sinead O’Connor’s band.

As expected, the food and wine were sensational, but it was the effortlessly flowing conversation, struck out of nowhere, that kept me buzzing well into the night.

Surprising encounters with fascinating people became a theme throughout my trip. Conversations would start out of nowhere, at the bar, over dinner, in crowded corridors, taking me out of my head – a place I tend to spend a lot of time – and into the lives of my travel companions.

I met Colleen and John – a retired couple travelling from Sydney to Perth – while nibbling on a quandong tartlet next to a whale skeleton.

We were wrapping up our welcome dinner at the South Australian Museum, when Professor Steve Donnellan handed us a razor-sharp stingray spine. Gingerly passing the spine to Colleen, I felt obliged to strike up conversation. I was so glad I did.

“Travelling on the Indian Pacific has always been on our bucket list,” Colleen said.

“One day, we just said ‘stuff it’, so we sold our caravan and thought, we’ll just travel the other way now and have everything taken care of.”

The food and hospitality were highlights for Colleen and John.

“The service is absolutely brilliant, and the food is just outstanding. You can’t sit down in the platinum car for 10 minutes without someone offering you a coffee or a drink,” John said.

“The staff are incredible – you can really tell they love their jobs. Plus, we don’t have to cook or do the dishes,” he added with a laugh.

5-star food, 5-star service

Chicken with pancetta and lemon myrtle stuffing, beef eye fillet with sweet potato purée and red wine jus, smoked trout frittata – the list of fine food on offer went on, and on and on.

To match, we were treated to an impeccably curated all-inclusive wine list.

Never before had my taste buds been treated to such a consistently delicious line-up of dishes.

Breakfast, lunch and dinner – each multi-course meal was an event in itself, whether dining in the Queen Adelaide Restaurant with its regal timber accents and Art Deco charm or the ultra-luxe Platinum Club, complete with quartzite table tops, brass fittings and leather banquette seating.

But it wasn’t just the food and drink that made dining aboard the Indian Pacific such a special experience. The staff, led by Journey Manager Mario Gleeson, well and truly went beyond, from table and bar service to room turndowns.

As Colleen and John mentioned, it’s clear from the second you step aboard, they love what they do.

“I’m very passionate about this industry. It’s unbelievable – every journey is a unique journey for us,” Mario said.

“You meet people from so many different walks of life, and I’m so lucky to work with an amazing crew.

“We travel for 4352 kilometres, from the Pacific Ocean to the Indian Ocean. For guests, it’s absolutely a once-in-a lifetime experience.”

Stunning surrounds

Looking out the window of my cabin on the first night, watching the starry night sky whiz by, I felt a sense of calm wash over me.

This feeling permeated the entire trip. Time itself seemed to slow down. Everything from conversations with fellow passengers, to the transition from day to night seemed easier, softer, simpler.

Golden hour was a sight to behold. I could’ve spent hours nestled in the 1920s-esque Outback Explorer Lounge, watching

the deep red earth of the Nullarbor pass by as late afternoon sun spilled through the windows.

But had I done that, I would’ve missed out on a number of fascinating off-train excursions.

These included a stop-off in Cook – once a support town for the railway, now a ghost town, plonked in the middle of South Australia’s desolate outback – and dinner under the stars at Rawlinna – a remote railway siding, five hours from Kalgoorlie, bordering the largest sheep station in the world.

The final word

While I experienced just two days aboard the Indian Pacific, the entire trip stretches from Sydney, stopping in Broken Hill, Adelaide and Cook, before arriving in Perth.

I began my journey with an open mind and curious disposition. I ended it feeling refreshed, reconnected, exceptionally well-fed and reminded of just how much beauty lies waiting to be discovered in Australia’s outback.