Tripadvisor Hotels London - Train Holidays - Keeping on the Straight and Narrow in Australia

Jump aboard the Indian Pacific, if you ever have the urge to travel in a dead-straight line for 438kms.

It's a tourist train linking the Pacific and Indian Oceans on a 4352km journey across Australia between Sydney and Perth.

That's about the same as a trip from London to Moscow.

Is on the dry and desolate Nullarbor Plain of central Australia, said to the longest in the world, the straight bit.

But also the nature of Australia's long-distance passenger rail network, it symbolises not only the engineering skills of those who laboured in harsh conditions more than a century ago to build the transcontinental link.

Unless you're lucky enough to spot a wedge-tailed eagle or kangaroos, and on the Nullarbor Plain there is pretty much nothing to see, two of them little more than large mining towns, the Indian Pacific passes through only three cities.

Suburban flatlands or lush pastures, aren't looking for a succession of city skylines, lasting three days and nights, but the thousands of people each year who make the east-west journey.

Where hour after hour a clear line of horizon separates a seemingly endless expanse of red earth from a rich blue sky, they've chosen a rail holiday because they want to experience the vastness of the Australian Outback.

And they can do it in air-conditioned comfort and with access to facilities and standards of service which compare with many of the world's higher-profile luxury trains.

The Indian Pacific has twin compartments with upper and lower sleeping berths and private shower and toilet.

Liquor is served aboard the train at standard prices. There are club carriages for social gatherings and dining carriages offering restaurant-type meals with waiter service.

The Indian Pacific is one of several long-distance trains offering rail holidays in Australia.

The 2979km journey takes two days and two nights. From Darwin to Adelaide and vice versa, runs north to south through the centre of Australia, great Southern Railway, with similar features and owned by the same company, the Ghan.

With stops of several hours each en route for local touring, both trains operates twice a week in each direction.

And $1312 for single cabins, fares for The Ghan's 'gold service' twin cabins are about $1970 a person.

Foreign tourists and younger travellers, seasonal discounts are usually available and there are concessions for age pensioners.

With similar discounts and concessions, comparable Indian Pacific fares are $2008 and $1362.

But there are other trains available to those who prefer to keep on the straight and narrow with their Australian holiday, australia doesn't have the rail networks of countries in Europe, 70% of it in five coastal cities, with a total population of only 21 million.

And Queensland has several tourist trains. Brisbane and regional centres around NSW, xPT trains operate from Sydney to Melbourne. The Overland is a daylight service linking Melbourne and Adelaide.

The Kuranda Scenic Railway near Cairns takes tourists twice-daily on a 90-minute journey through 34kms of rainforest. The Sunlander links Brisbane and Cairns three times a week on a 32-hour journey and The Inlander runs between Townsville and the mining town of Mt Isa.

This is an independent site which gathers details of the best train holidays in Australia on the market at any given time and presents it all in one place. All rail systems have special offers from time to time and a website like Travel Monitor can help in finding out what is available.