Three new heritage train trips let you explore the outback in comfort

It’s a delight to be departing Brisbane via sleeper train. This is no dig at the Queensland capital – more an expression of delight in being aboard the Spirit of the Outback for its epic 26-hour trek to the outback town of Longreach. I’m enjoying my neat little compartment, sitting in its armchair as we roll through the darkness once clear of city lights.

The Tuckerbox dining car.Credit: Tim Richards

My unvarying habit on sleepers is to head for a drink once I’ve unpacked, so I weave my way along the narrow corridors to the Shearer’s Rest, a wood-panelled bar with comfortable seats facing each other across an aisle. As I sip a beer, I chat with Alison and Liz, friends from Sydney taking a holiday together. The Spirit has all the natural sociability of more famous counterparts such as the Indian Pacific, but it feels cosier, more down-to-earth.

There are four meals included in the fare, served in the adjoining Tuckerbox restaurant which features tables with white tablecloths, booth seating and a sheet of corrugated iron as a rustic ceiling. The menu is impressive, with dinner a choice of steak, a pork fillet or a pumpkin and spinach lasagne. Apple and apricot crumble or chocolate torte are the dessert choices. There’s even a little serve of damper as a nod to outback traditions.

After a decent sleep in a narrow single bed which the crew create by pulling the armchair into a flat position, I discover we’ve left the coast behind at Rockhampton and are bearing west toward the cattle-grazing grasslands of the interior.

The day ahead is a mix of socialising over meals and drinks and relaxing in my tiny compartment. There’s also the occasional foray outdoors. The first extended stop is at Emerald, where I admire the beautiful old station with its intricate iron lace. The second is at Barcaldine, where passengers have time to take in the historic Tree of Knowledge, a focal point of the developing union movement in the 19th century.

Between those two places, the train ascends the Drummond Range, creaking and swaying through great S-shaped bends of rail which allow it to conquer the slopes.

The Spirit of the Outback … ever-changing scenery.

At last we pull into Longreach’s attractive 1916 railway station, and our happy band of passengers disperses into the night. Luckily for me, there are more trains to come.

On the Friday afternoon after my arrival, I’m back at Longreach Station. Local operator Outback Aussie Tours has recently leased two restored 2000-class trains built in 1971 from Queensland Rail. Our handsome transport for the Silver-Tails Rail Sunset excursion, RM 2036, has an appealing streamlined body, vinyl seats and a curved nose with a chunky QR logo.

As driver Rob readies the train for departure, guide Mick advises us of the so-called “air-conditioning”, which involves opening the drop-down windows. “It works better the faster the train goes,” he jokes.

An excursion train operated by Outback Aussie Tours.

We pull out to the northwest, the rails going “clickety-clack” in old-school style as Mick points out black kites soaring in the sky, red kangaroos by the rails, and a wallaroo and her joey on a hillock. As the sun lowers and cool evening air wafts through the carriage, the whole experience becomes very relaxing; there’s something mesmerising about the motion of the train.

Next to a former quarry, Rob swaps ends, so the train can reverse direction. We’re invited to take turns to accompany the driver, so I sit with Rob for a few minutes and chat about his decades of experience as a train driver (this job being a post-retirement comeback).

As the train is parked on a bridge over a creek, we’re each served a platter of canapes, with drinks available for purchase. We relax, eating and sipping, as the sun goes down over the creek and the trees beyond.

The next morning, I’m back on the train for a half-day excursion: the Great Darr River Rail Run.

“In big floods, the Thomson River can swell to nine kilometres wide,” says Mick, as we pass over that waterway. On the right we can see – improbably – a paddle steamer propped up on dry land, having sunk and been salvaged.

An outback trek without the hardship.

We pass cattle yards in flat, sparsely treed country, an emu runs pass, and more wallaroos appear. Then, about 40 minutes in, Rob stops the train, and we climb out for a nature walk. As we follow him along a curving path through a patch of red-soil country – different from the usual black soil of these parts – Mick points out vegetation and tells us what the Iningai, the local First Nations people, traditionally used it for. There’s wait-a-while vine, konkerberry trees, bush oranges and Australian sandalwood, among others.

Back on the train, we head to the Darr River, a broad waterway lazily flowing past a derelict windmill which forms the centrepiece of our camp. Here we drink billy tea and eat damper, along with other snacks, while sitting on logs on the riverbank. Rob gives a demonstration of how to crack a stockwhip. It’s an ideal setting as we absorb the outback vibe beneath a cloudless blue sky.

My final ride in RM 2036 is upon the Historic Ilfracombe excursion. Where the previous trips were focused on nature, this tour takes in local history. This time the train is heading east, and we pass the big Boeing 747 of the Qantas Founders Museum on the way. There’s also a vast solar farm with enough panels to produce electricity to power 5000 homes, says Mick.

From the station at Ilfracombe, we follow our guide along the main road to take in museums at the Machinery Mile, which concentrates on historic farming equipment, and one in the Wellshot Centre, a former police station, that tells the story of the sheep station of that name – once the biggest in Australia.

But the true star of Ilfracombe is the Wellshot Hotel. This pub was moved here from Barcaldine when the railway reached the town in the 1890s and is oozing with character. A classic outback pub, it’s made of timber throughout, the upper walls decorated with stockman’s hats.

Another unusual decoration is the cash stuck to the wooden ceiling. Patrons are invited to weight their notes with a drawing pin and a coin, then throw them upwards. All cash collected this way is donated to the Royal Flying Doctor Service. After sitting together for an included light lunch, our group naturally has a go at this unconventional activity, and some notes actually stick. It’s the perfect end to a fun visit to the perfect outback pub.

The details

Tour
Outback Aussie Tours’ rail excursions range from $119 to $139 a person, see outbackaussietours.com.au

Fly + ride
Qantas flies to Brisbane, see qantas.com

The Spirit of the Outback heads from Brisbane to Longreach twice-weekly. Sleeper berths from $427 one-way. See queenslandrailtravel.com.au

Stay
Central Motel is in walking distance from Longreach railway station. Rooms from $155 a night. See centralmotellongreach.com.au

More
experiencelongreach.com.au

The writer paid for his flights and accommodation and was hosted aboard trains by Queensland Rail Travel and Outback Aussie Tours.