Now for something completely different

[GUT2407]

3 hours ago, Blackduck59 said:

Watching Mighty Trains, Indian Pacific edition. That may be something to look at foe our next trip to Oz. And I think there will probably be a a second visit to New Zealand for a land trip next time. We will have to see what the budget looks like after we retire.

Check the price but, a great experience, but costly.

[MMDown Under]

4 hours ago, Blackduck59 said:

Watching Mighty Trains, Indian Pacific edition. That may be something to look at foe our next trip to Oz. And I think there will probably be a a second visit to New Zealand for a land trip next time. We will have to see what the budget looks like after we retire.

A train trip across Australia on the Indian Pacific would be a memorable experience.  Combine with a car trip around Southern WA, as far as the beautiful Cape Le Grande National Park. 

[Blackduck59]

2 hours ago, GUT2407 said:

Check the price but, a great experience, but costly.

 

At the time of the show it was $4,500.00 (CAD) for platinum which is very nice, expensive but nice. Like I said after we retire, Maybe the train across and a cruise back🤔

[MMDown Under]

42 minutes ago, Blackduck59 said:

 

At the time of the show it was $4,500.00 (CAD) for platinum which is very nice, expensive but nice. Like I said after we retire, Maybe the train across and a cruise back🤔

I cruised over via southern route and took the Indian Pacific back.  Decided I didn't want to cruise the Great Australia Bight again because of rough seas, with most of the passengers sick.  However, the northern cruise across the top is the best route and most popular.  

[Blackduck59]

9 minutes ago, MMDown Under said:

I cruised over via southern route and took the Indian Pacific back.  Decided I didn't want to cruise the Great Australia Bight again because of rough seas, with most of the passengers sick.  However, the northern cruise across the top is the best route and most popular.  

 Thanks for the info. We will be exploring part coastal route Sydney to Melbourne and a chunk of Victoria on the 2022 adventure.

I don't think that will be our only trip to Oz.

Edited August 22, 2020 by Blackduck59

[MMDown Under]

1 minute ago, Blackduck59 said:

 Thanks for the info. We will be exploring part coastal route Sydney to Melbourne and a chunk of Victoria on the 2022 adventure.

I don't think that trip will be our only trip to Oz.

Sydney to Melbourne by the coastal route is a beautiful scenic trip, with lots of beaches, National Parks and wildlife.

[Blackduck59]

Just now, MMDown Under said:

Sydney to Melbourne by the coastal route is a beautiful scenic trip, with lots of beaches, National Parks and wildlife.

 It's been a long and winding road to get there. I the original plan...Adventure v1.1 our cruise ended in Melbourne and we were going to do a self drive to sights in Victoria and drive to Sydney by the coast road. Then Australia burst into flames and we changed tacks adventure v1.2 the self drive in Victoria remained and then fly to Sydney. Now we have had to postpone the Adventure and now Down Under Adventure v2.0 Has us on a longer cruise in New Zealand and the disembarkation point is Sydney. So we are hoping that 2 years removed from the fires we are back driving the coast road again and maybe helping inject a few dollars into the local recovery.

[Docker123]

22 minutes ago, MMDown Under said:

I cruised over via southern route and took the Indian Pacific back.  Decided I didn't want to cruise the Great Australia Bight again because of rough seas, with most of the passengers sick.  However, the northern cruise across the top is the best route and most popular.  

I took QE from Fremantle to Melbourne last December.

 

Very smooth sailing until we hit the edge of Bass Strait..

 

As with all oceans, it depends on how lumpy the sea decides to be.

 

[MMDown Under]

1 minute ago, Docker123 said:

I took QE from Fremantle to Melbourne last December.

 

Very smooth sailing until we hit the edge of Bass Strait..

 

As with all oceans, it depends on how lumpy the sea decides to be.

 

Great Australia Bight experience turned me off cruising for thirty years!  And I didn't get seasick.  Have had rough Bass Strait seas, but not in same league. 

[Blackduck59]

23 minutes ago, MMDown Under said:

Great Australia Bight experience turned me off cruising for thirty years!  And I didn't get seasick.  Have had rough Bass Strait seas, but not in same league. 

 

Huh? Thirty Years? I'm thinking hull designs have come a long way in 30 years, and ships are much larger and stable than they were 30 years ago. I went through Navy grid reference whiskey 601 45 years ago we were plowing through waves that were breaking over the bridge when we went through the trough, I was sicker than a dog. I still went to sea.

[ilikeanswers]

I did the Indian Pacific from Perth to Sydney years ago. It was an interesting experience but can't say it was my favourite thing I have done 🤔. You really do it for the experience of the train rather than any sightseeing. 

[OzKiwiJJ]

We did it years ago too. I really enjoyed it. It was the first of the "rail cruises" we've done. We also did Brisbane to Cairns when they still used the sleeper cars. Then we did the Eastern and Oriental Express from Singapore, the Royal Scotsman, and the Maharajah's Express in India. Plus we've used the overnight sleeper train from Paris to Italy twice - once to Rome and once to Venice, and the Caledonian sleeper from Inverness to London. 

[Aus Traveller]

7 minutes ago, ilikeanswers said:

I did the Indian Pacific from Perth to Sydney years ago. It was an interesting experience but can't say it was my favourite thing I have done 🤔. You really do it for the experience of the train rather than any sightseeing. 

I agree with your comment. We have driven across the Nullarbor a few times in a motorhome. It is very interesting, but probably once is enough. There are several short side roads that lead to the Bunda Cliffs (where the limestone plain meets the Southern Ocean). In season, whales can be seen at close quarters from a lookout near Head of the Bight.

 

For someone with limited time, I think the best way to get to WA is by air.

[OzKiwiJJ]

6 minutes ago, Aus Traveller said:

 

For someone with limited time, I think the best way to get to WA is by air.

True but it gives you a real sense of just how big Australia is when you do it by train.

 

It's the train equivalent of a transatlantic crossing. Sometimes it's nice to go the slow way.

[NSWP]

16 minutes ago, ilikeanswers said:

I did the Indian Pacific from Perth to Sydney years ago. It was an interesting experience but can't say it was my favourite thing I have done 🤔. You really do it for the experience of the train rather than any sightseeing. 

Did the Indian Pacific and Ghan, some years ago, very expensive, an experience, but would not do it again, got a bit bored at times with the the desert and the prices are over the top.

[OzKiwiJJ]

1 hour ago, NSWP said:

Did the Indian Pacific and Ghan, some years ago, very expensive, an experience, but would not do it again, got a bit bored at times with the the desert and the prices are over the top.

They certainly are over the top now. It was quite reasonable when we did it but drinks were extra then, I think they're included now.

 

Still, I'd do it again, or the Ghan, if the price was lower. I enjoy train travel.

[NSWP]

7 minutes ago, OzKiwiJJ said:

They certainly are over the top now. It was quite reasonable when we did it but drinks were extra then, I think they're included now.

 

Still, I'd do it again, or the Ghan, if the price was lower. I enjoy train travel.

Drinks and meals and excursions included. No Red Roo sleepr seat class any more, all Gold Roo and Platinum.  One of the highlights on the IP and Ghan for me was the young staff, they were great and the cuisine was great, considering the very small galley they cook in.

[OzKiwiJJ]

8 minutes ago, NSWP said:

Drinks and meals and excursions included. No Red Roo sleepr seat class any more, all Gold Roo and Platinum.  One of the highlights on the IP and Ghan for me was the young staff, they were great and the cuisine was great, considering the very small galley they cook in.

I can't recall if excursions were included when we went on it. I don't think they were but the only one we did was at Kalgoolie. They didn't have Platinum class then but did have Red Roo, both sleepers and seats.

 

The cuisine was fantastic.

Edited August 23, 2020 by OzKiwiJJ

[NSWP]

4 minutes ago, OzKiwiJJ said:

I can't recall if excursions were included when we went on it. I don't think they were but the only one we did was at Kalgoolie. They didn't have Platinum class then but did have Red Roo, both sleepers and seats.

 

The cuisine was fantastic.

There was not enough profit to be made from the Red Roo class.   I remember there was a piano in the Gold Lounge car, plenty of choir practice after a few adult beverages.

[OzKiwiJJ]

20 minutes ago, NSWP said:

There was not enough profit to be made from the Red Roo class.   I remember there was a piano in the Gold Lounge car, plenty of choir practice after a few adult beverages.

I don't remember a piano there. We did have fun around the piano on the Eastern and Orient Express though. 

[Blackduck59]

The show talked about gold class but didn't show it, they did show the platinum compartment though. Very posh but if you're going to splurge then do it right. There is also an episode of that show for Revos rail in Africa which looks very interesting. And the Ghan which is also interesting but if we could only afford 1 train in Oz it would be the India Pacific.

[Blackduck59]

It really is interesting how I feel the Rocky Mountaineer is over priced for me (probably because I have driven the route both Via Jasper and Via Banff and the Icefield Parkway). Driving cost much less money and we stayed in some really nice B&Bs.

That being said I would seriously consider $9,000.00 in air fare just to get to Oz plus another $10,000.00 for the train trip.

[NSWP]

28 minutes ago, Blackduck59 said:

The show talked about gold class but didn't show it, they did show the platinum compartment though. Very posh but if you're going to splurge then do it right. There is also an episode of that show for Revos rail in Africa which looks very interesting. And the Ghan which is also interesting but if we could only afford 1 train in Oz it would be the India Pacific.

The Ghan and Indian Pacific trains are the same rolling stock Lyle, same company - Great Southern Rail, different routes of course.

[OzKiwiJJ]

54 minutes ago, Blackduck59 said:

The show talked about gold class but didn't show it, they did show the platinum compartment though. Very posh but if you're going to splurge then do it right. There is also an episode of that show for Revos rail in Africa which looks very interesting. And the Ghan which is also interesting but if we could only afford 1 train in Oz it would be the India Pacific.

Gold class is pullman style ie bunks which convert into a sofa during the day.

[NSWP]

2 minutes ago, OzKiwiJJ said:

Gold class is pullman style ie bunks which convert into a sofa during the day.

And a bathroom cubicle the size of a telephone box.

Edited August 23, 2020 by NSWP