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Discover Australia by Train in 2027 aboard The Ghan, Indian Pacific & Great Southern
There’s a rhythm to travelling by train that no other journey can match. In 2027, discover Australia aboard one of Journey Beyond Rail’s iconic rail journeys.
Travel through the Red Centre on The Ghan, cross the vast Nullarbor on the Indian Pacific, or follow the stunning southern coastline on the Great Southern. Wherever the tracks take you, enjoy all-inclusive dining, premium beverages, unique Off Train Experiences and thoughtful hospitality, discovering Australia at a pace that lets you truly take it all in.
It’s Australia, by train.
All aboard The Ghan: The ultimate mother-daughter getaway
This week’s episode of Prime Time is a little different because I’m taking you on holiday with me!
The Ghan is one of those great Australian journeys I’ve wanted to do for a very long time: travelling through the heart of the country from Darwin all the way down to Adelaide.
And this trip was made even more special because I got to bring my 22-year-old daughter Paris along for the ride.
The last time Paris and I travelled together without the rest of the family, she was just 13. So, we were well overdue for another mother-daughter adventure.
Over four days and three nights, we travelled from Darwin through Katherine, Alice Springs and Coober Pedy before arriving in Adelaide, watching some of Australia’s most extraordinary landscapes roll past our window along the way.
For this special episode, we recorded a travel diary as we went. We take you aboard the train, out on our off-train adventures and introduce you to some of the wonderful people we met along the way.
So, if The Ghan has ever been on your bucket list, or you’re simply looking for some inspiration for your next Australian adventure, come along for the ride.
LISTEN TO THIS EPISODE OF THE PODCAST HERE:
Highlights of the conversation:
What it’s really like aboard The Ghan: From the cabins and dining cars to the all-inclusive service and nightly turndown, Paris and I take you behind the scenes of life aboard the train.
Cruising through Nitmiluk Gorge: Towering sandstone walls, freshwater crocodiles and learning about Jawoyn culture and the stories of this extraordinary landscape.
Exploring the Red Centre: We head through Simpsons Gap and Standley Chasm, experiencing how local Indigenous knowledge is incorporated into the journey.
Dinner under the stars: One of our favourite nights! Hundreds of travellers, fires, live music and dancing on a freezing night at the Alice Springs Telegraph Station.
The surprise of the trip: Underground homes, an underground church, an opal mine and even lunch underground. It wasn’t at all what we expected.
The joy of slow travel: Why travelling by train gave me something I hadn’t realised I needed.
Travelling with your adult children: Paris and I reflect on why sharing this experience at this stage of our lives made the journey about much more than the destination.
From Bec’s Desk
Happy Prime Time podcast day!
This one was really fun! We did the trip a couple of weeks ago now - but it feels like yesterday it was so much fun. Huge thanks to the Ghan for their very warm welcome and for such a terrific mother-daughter experience.
Now - this week is an interesting one. It’s Week One of our Epic Retirement Flagship Course and everyone is hopping with excitement for what they are learning inside the program. It’s delicious to see people so curious about retirement, and what it might mean for them. I’m pleased to say that everyone finds their own answers, and their confidence along the way.
And in the wider retirement world, yesterday the Financial Services Minister, Dr Daniel Mulino gave a speech that will open up the pathway to improving financial advice in Australia, both by reducing the amount of red tape hindering advice today and making it very expensive; and by letting super funds provide more types of advice - something the industry has been waiting with baited breath to see happen. Now we wait for draft legislation and consultations. Hopefully they don’t take too long progressing things. I already did a big piece on the frustrations everyday people feel about advice, last weekend, in The Sydney Morning Herald. But I’ll now dive deeper in this weekend’s paper - keep your eyes peeled.
And, if you missed it, I answered a really useful question about how much super people usually have in Australia at 50, 55 and 60 in my newsletter last weekend. People often ask me how they’re tracking - and these numbers provide some useful perspective. Read it here.
Thanks for listening! Cheers Bec Xx
