Great Southern, The Ghan and Indian Pacific add capacity to meet soaring demand

Launched in December 2019, the Great Southern opened up the Australian east coast to locomotive lovers.

The sister train to The Ghan (Adelaide-Darwin) and Indian Pacific (Sydney-Perth) in the Journey Beyond stable, The Great Southern, linking Adelaide and Brisbane, excited with its capacity for 214 guests across 28 carriages and three cabin classes accompanied by great food, wine and service, plus off-train excursions exploring the likes of the Great Ocean Road, Grampians National Park, Canberra and surrounds, the Hunter Valley and the northern NSW coast.

But of course within months after the launch, the pandemic shut the world down.

Now with travelling starting again, so too, have the Journey Beyond trains gone back to the tracks, proving absence really does make the heart grow fonder. With Australians keen to experience more of their own backyards, many have booked (or re-booked) their Australian holidays for 2022, leaving Journey Beyond's rail experiences with limited availability this year. (There is still some capacity on Great Southern in December thanks to its a split season and there are "occasional" cabin availabilities on The Ghan and Indian Pacific.)

To meet robust 2023 demand, Journey Beyond has expanded its offerings with The Ghan moving to twice weekly departures from April to September, the Indian Pacific having greater capacity and The Great Southern running for an extended 12-week season from December 2 to February 23, 2023.

That season also includes the new 10-night Southern Wines & Wildlife package, focusing on the fine wines and produce of South Australia.

Says Journey Beyond's Peter Egglestone, "With Adelaide as our home base, we're keen to share some of the spectacular sites we have on our doorstep, not to mention the fine wines and superb local produce available here."

The three-night train journey begins in Brisbane with opportunities along the way for a beachside dinner in Coffs Harbour, time in the Hunter Valley, Port Stephens or Newcastle, and a choice of Melbourne city experiences or visits to the Moorabool Valley on the Bellarine Peninsula, where a farmgate and providore food trail awaits.

Arriving in Adelaide, the five-night add-on including hotel accommodation, comprises a day trip to the northern Barossa Valley with tastings and lunch, and the Iconic Penfolds Experience Tour, that includes a three-course lunch with wine pairings.