ALWAYS double check.
I assumed we were taking the train this morning from Adelaide’s gorgeous central train station just 10 minutes from our hotel.
Nope.
That station is only used for metropolitan Adelaide trains.
Thank goodness we reviewed our booking details yesterday, and noticed that in fact The Overland leaves from the decidedly less picturesque Adelaide Parklands Terminal. That meant needing an Uber instead of just our feet.
When we booked this train, I was drawn in by the description on the Journey Beyond website: “The Overland was Australia’s first inter-capital passenger train. This grand lady has been servicing guests from Adelaide, Melbourne, and the regional towns in between for over 135 years, as she makes her way between the vibrant capital cities of South Australia and Victoria. The much-loved daylight journey runs twice weekly in each direction at a relaxed pace, encouraging guests to sit back and enjoy the evolving countryside views.”
The trip takes 10-1/2 hours, spanning 828km/515miles.
As we’d done on our long New Zealand train journey (Episode 796) we booked the highest available category full-service option.
The bonus to train travel is the time it provides for quiet enjoyment of the scenery, although today’s journey had the dubious added bonus of enough vibration to rival the most intense massage chair.
Our breakfast plates rattled a bit ominously on our tray tables, but Ted’s yogurt parfait and pastry, and my grilled banana bread with syrup and lemon yogurt were both tasty – although we had to be careful eating them in order not to wear them.
Along our route we saw vast swaths of rock-strewn land unsuitable for farming or grazing; the only crops amid the rocks and tussock grass were fields of solar panels.
We saw vibrant green forests of eucalypts, growing amid dry brown grass and arid sand, making me wonder whether the land always looked like this or the notoriously thirsty trees have created a landscape where they have simply used all the available water (a problem not dissimilar to growing almond trees).
Aside:
Ted keeps asking me why I call the trees we’re seeing “eucalypts” instead of “eucalyptus”; it’s because I don’t know exactly which one they are!
A eucalypt is “any woody plant with capsule fruiting bodies belonging to one of seven closely related genera of the tribe Eucalypteae found across Australia.”
Eucalypts are the iconic Australian forest plants. Eucalyptus forest covers 101 million hectares in Australia, which is 77% of Australia’s total native forest area. The term “eucalypt” includes about 800 individual species, which explains why the decorative branches we see in floral arrangements in Canada look nothing like the eucalyptus leaves that koalas eat!
There’s something particularly artistically appealing about the trees on the flat plains silhouetted against the sky.
Surprisingly, there were a couple of hardy vineyards along the way as well.
Early in the trip we saw, but missed photographing, a few lone kangaroos sitting under trees avoiding the rain. Later on, as we sped by at 90kph/55mph, Ted managed to capture a single roo bounding across a field.
There were occasional sparse herds of sheep and steer grazing on dry grass, in sharp contrast to the huge sheep and cattle stations covered in bright green grass that we saw in NZ.
And yet it was all incredibly beautiful.
At the aptly named Bordertown, located at the border between the states of South Australia and Victoria, our time zone jumped by 30 minutes. As if the heavens above adhered to earthly borders, as we crossed into Victoria the skies suddenly erupted in torrents of rain.
Just past Bordertown we were served our lunch: a sandwich combining fresh warm focaccia with crisp cold ham and vegetables, with a side salad, followed by a cool delicious vanilla cream slice as dessert.
A few comments by the train’s hospitality captain kept us informed as to where we were on those occasions when the train stopped to pick up or disembark passengers.
Once in Victoria, there seemed to be more small towns in quicker succession, and slightly greener grass, although that may simply have been because it had been raining steadily for 4 hours.
Before reaching Melbourne, about 20 minutes behind schedule, we got coffee and pastries.
We arrived at Melbourne’s Southern Cross Train Station, less than a ten minute stroll from the Aspire Melbourne, our apartment for the next 6 nights. After a long day sitting on the train we were ready for a bit of a walk.
The cost for this train journey was about half that of our New Zealand train trip and, while both journeys featured comfortable seats with loads of legroom, there were significant differences. You get what you pay for.
- The Overland’s cars have traditional windows; the NZ Northern Explorer had much larger panoramic windows.
- The Overland had no commentary. Also no wifi on board. The Northern Explorer offered an app that provided scenic commentary throughout the journey. It could be read, or listened to using headphones.
- The Overland had lovely menu choices, but the Northern Explorer had a menu specifically designed to highlight regional NZ produce and cuisine.
- The Overland included only non-alcoholic drinks, and outside of mealtimes we had to go to the café car to get them. The Northern Explorer included NZ wines, cocktails featuring NZ spirits, and regular checks to see what we’d like delivered to us.
- The Overland has airplane style tray tables at each seat; the NZ Northern Explorer had permanent tables with white linen tablecloths and proper place settings.
- Barista coffees? Available on the Overland. A dedicated barista for our car on the Northern Explorer.
Bottom line: the train fare was almost exactly the same as the price of a JetStar StarterPlus fare with our required luggage allowance, which would have included a coffee and a chocolate bar. The flight would only have taken about 90 minutes , giving us an extra half day in Melbourne, and might actually have been less bumpy than the train ride. However, we were comfortable, got fed, and saw countryside up close that we would otherwise simply have flown over.
Our new friends Pierre and Lynn, who took the train a few days ahead of us, described it as “very much a 1970s experience.” I don’t disagree.
I wouldn’t do this particular journey a second time, but I’m glad we chose it this time. And, despite being assured that all the tracks in Australia are equally bumpy, I wouldn’t rule out doing one of the multi-day cross-country luxury sleeper train experiences when we return to Australia in 2028.
Our Aspire apartment is the first we’ve had on this trip with a real oven – not just a 2 burner hob and microwave – and a full-sized fridge plus lots of prep utensils, so we did a quick shop for tomorrow (Monday) at the huge nearby Coles, which is open late, but will shop at Victoria Market on Tuesday morning for some more interesting fresh options (the market is closed Mondays and Wednesdays).
We both feel like this 18th floor apartment is perfect, except for very spotty wifi which is frustrating Ted. The concierge has promised they’ll have someone look at it tomorrow (or worst case scenario move us to a different apartment).
Tomorrow we’ll also get started on my “little list” of things to see and do in Melbourne.
Rose and Ted’s Excellent Adventure 