Indian-Pacific train experience

Are we there yet?

Trains seem to have always been somehow magical: steam trains (how does a gigantic metallic beast like that get driven by steam?), the joining of east and west in the US, the Orient Express in Europe, Hogwarts Express, the marvellous but oftentimes sordid mystery of trains running underground in many of the world's major cities, etc.

In an age of plane travel, the idea of travelling on a train can hold even more appeal than in the past. And given Zach's youthful love of trains, we decided to do the Indian-Pacific train journey, one of the world's great train journeys (as rated by no less than the Society of International Railway Travellers).

It is called the Indian-Pacific which implies travel from west to east, but you can choose to go the other way, Sydney to Perth. That route is a little more expensive, presumably due to greater demand. Who knows why. Perhaps because it is going to be a couple of hours longer due to the time difference. Or maybe because there is something exotic about riding the Indian-Pacific in the wrong direction.

Riding the train is an Experience with a capital E. The key Elements of that most Excellent Experience were as follows: