Cars & Transportation Australian interstate train/bus travel

[Silent Alarm]

Primarily from Southern Cross to Wollongong.

The PTV and NSW train websites are quite appalling. You can only look at trips within the next week, and they're all booked out, so you can't even window shop and check out their pricing. I understand it's approximately 12 hours to The Gong, but how have people found trips via public transport to Canberra and Sydney?

I did a bus from Sydney to Canberra, then a night or two there, then a train to Melbs once as a kid, but I obviously didn't deal in the logistics.

Also wouldn't mind knowing about a Vic to SA trip as well. Adelaide Oval is an ugly mess these days but perhaps a trip for the footy wouldn't be too bad. I know plenty of Port bogans and Crows geriatrics get a bus for Melbourne matches.

Basically – anyone have any idea on this? Ever done it? A religious user or once was more than enough? Pricing? Stop overs? Is it basically cheaper to just get a plane?

Cheers.

 

[Bostonian]

I did the Sydney to Melbourne by train experience once. One of the most horrific nights of my life.

Never again without a sleeper cabin.

 

[Silent Alarm]

I did the Sydney to Melbourne by train experience once. One of the most horrific nights of my life.

Never again without a sleeper cabin.

Soft. Went from Paris to Budapest (via Berlin), about 25 hours, once. Try their idea of a 'sleeper cabin' (aka not even), alone with a German bloke staring you down the whole time with no one else in your section. You'll be right.

Anything else aside from this? Price?

 

[Howard Littlejohn]

Its probably cheaper to fly to Sydney and train from there if you can get a cheap Deathstar or Tiger flight.

Otherwise, it looks like overnight on the XPT to Moss Vale and swap to a bus there. Going via Canberra means train to Albury, bus from there to Canberra, then bus to Woolongong. I've done bus Canberra-Melbourne (including V-Line saying there would be a train at Albury then there being no train) a few times, its not fun but it is doable if you are used to long haul bus trips.

 

[Herne Hill Hammer]

I did the Sydney to Melbourne by train experience once. One of the most horrific nights of my life.

Never again without a sleeper cabin.

First time I came to WA was in 1988 on the Indian Pacific from Victoria. It was an overnighter from Melbourne to Adelaide (the Overlander I think it was called), booring as batshit. Stopping what seemed like every 10 mins, no bar service, just sitting there boored shitless all night. Had a 9 hour layover in Adelaide before hopping on the Indian Pacific to Kalgoorlie.

Best 2 or 3 days I've every had. Sit up the whole way in the last carriage, full of backpackers from all over the world, sharing stories, drinking, sing-a-longs. Got to Kal and slept for the next day and a half.