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| Cairns to Brisbane 02/10/2017 at 09:30 #102011 | |
clive
2789 posts |
I'm going to be in Australia in February, first Cairns and then Sydney. Is it worth taking the train from Cairns to Brisbane and then flying, or is it a totally boring journey? What about just going as far as Townsville or Proserpine and then flying from there, thus missing the overnight bit?
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| Cairns to Brisbane 02/10/2017 at 14:43 #102015 | |
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47417
13 posts |
That's in the middle of the wet season/cyclone season, it's always a wild ride then, often train does not even get north of Townsville.
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| Cairns to Brisbane 03/10/2017 at 05:40 #102022 | |
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Coolah
26 posts |
G'day Clive, I did Sydney - Proserpine - Sydney about three weeks ago. As far as Proserpine To Sydney goes, it wasn't too bad for a narrow gauge train. If your looking at detraining at Proserpine you may need to spend the night there. The train arrives at Proserpine about 6.30pm with the last plane to Brisbane (I use Feb 1st 2018 as an example) is the Jetstar service leaving at 5.45pm. My own personal experience on the train (The Queenslander) was pretty good. I had a single railbed which wasn't too bad. It also has an entertainment feature that shows movies, tv shows and music clips. They feed you as well (included in the fare). If you are continuing on to Sydney you would need to spend the night in Brisbane. I spent the night in the Hotel Jen, a two minute walk from Roma Street station, where The Queenslander terminates and the XPT train to Sydney commences early the next morning. This trip is mostly in daylight until about Maitland, which is about 2 and a half hours from Sydney. Hope this helps.
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| Cairns to Brisbane 04/10/2017 at 23:59 #102049 | |
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pbinnersley
431 posts |
Clive, I did Sydney-Brisbane-Cairns last February as part of an Australian tour with my wife. The railbed service on the Sunlander was excellent. I struggled a bit on the Sydney-Cairns XPT as we only booked a seat (the sleepers are expensive and can't be booked online), but we had a hotel in Brisbane booked so that we could check- in when the train arrived at 4am. Brisbane can fill a couple of days if you are stopping off there. Townsville looks worth a visit, but we didn't have time on our trip. I would recommend the train over flying if you can spare the time/money as you see the parts of Australia that you miss flying, and you get to appreciate the size of the country. 24 hours on a train and you are still in the same state! There are a few stops where you can get out and stretch your legs/take photos for a few minutes. Full details of train times and fares are on the Seat61 web site: https://www.seat61.com/Australia.htm. Don't miss the Kuranda Scenic Railway in Cairns. Kuranda has the only mechanical signal box left in Queensland. If you would like any more information feel free to PM me. Regards, Peter. Last edited: 05/10/2017 at 00:01 by pbinnersley Reason: None given Log in to reply |
| Cairns to Brisbane 26/11/2017 at 04:20 #103370 | |
Nazarail
6 posts |
Can't really comment on the Cairns to Brisbane section, But the Brisbane to Sydney section is alright, You'll travel through some beautiful country coming down the North Coast to Sydney, you'll arrive in Sydney just on nightfall. What are the plans for Sydney, I Maybe able to Help with train related activities.
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