2023 - Great Southern Rail

I took the Great Southern train on the run from Brisbane to Adelaide. Check-in, breakfast and music at the historic Hanworth House in East Brisbane from where we were transported by coaches to Acacia Ridge to board the Great Southern. Our January 29 departure had 28 rail cars and a length over 665 metres. The first day we crossed in to New South Wales to stop at Coffs Harbour. We were taken to dinner at the Pacific Bay Resort. We travelled again, overnight to then disembark in the Hunter Valley at Maitland. Guests separated to four groups each to do a different day experience, either in the Hunter Valley, Port Stephens or Newcastle. I did the Newcastle Experience, a walk around the historic Newcastle East, within which I used to work over 30 years ago. My group's lunch was at the Rustic Newcastle Beach restaurant. All groups came together again later in Newcastle to reboard the GS at Broadmeadow Station. Overnight the train crossed in to Victoria and on to Melbourne to stop at the Broadmeadows Station. From there we separated to do one of four off-train day experiences. I chose the Melbourne Experience, to walk around the Melbourne downtown through laneways of street art and old arcades. Unfortunately rain reduced the laneways experience. Afterwards we made our way across the Yarra River to Southbank to the Eureka 89 tower. There we had lunch 300 metres above sea level in the restaurant, which has spectacular 360º views of Melbourne. Afterwards we boarded coaches again for a long drive out to the west of Geelong to the historic town of Inverleigh where our long train was waiting at a siding. The third night on the train was to travel across to South Australia, to arrive at Adelaide's Parklands Rail Terminal at 08:30, to then disembark for the final time. On board experiences throughout the trip were excellent.