Australia is blessed with two trans-continental train journeys that are both bucket list worthy experiences. The Indian Pacific and The Ghan are legendary adventures, crossing thousands of kilometres and taking you to some of Australia’s most iconic destinations.
Picking between the two can be tricky, and it’s a discussion that we found ourselves having with many people we met onboard the trains. Everyone has their own opinion about these two epic journeys, and there are more differences than just the destinations they stop at. Each journey has a distinct character that will suit different interests.
We were lucky enough to experience both the Indian Pacific and The Ghan within six months of each other and have put together this comparison guide to help you pick the train journey that is best suited to you.
The Ghan vs Indian Pacific
We’ll start with a quick summary of each train journey.
The Ghan
The Ghan spans 2979km from Darwin to Adelaide and is an historic train journey that’s been operating for over 90 years, following the route of explorer John McDouall Stuart and the overland telegraph line.
There are two choices of itinerary on The Ghan: The Ghan Expedition (4 days/3 nights) or The Ghan (3 days/2 nights).
The main difference between the two is that the expedition version includes an additional day in Coober Pedy.
You can also do one night journeys if you are very limited on time.
It’s also important to note that The Ghan doesn’t operate year round due to the Northern Territory wet season.
The Indian Pacific
The Indian Pacific is the longer distance of the two, running between Perth and Sydney - a whopping 4352km! This epic journey is incredibly diverse, crossing deserts, mountains, lush farmlands and even goldfields.
The full journey is a 4 day/3 night adventure, but you can choose to do half of the journey in either direction, between Perth and Adelaide or Sydney and Adelaide.
The differences: time onboard the train
The biggest difference between the two is the amount of time you spend on the train. They are both incredibly long journeys, but it probably comes as no surprise that you spend a lot longer onboard the Indian Pacific as it is 1400km longer than The Ghan, whilst still being a 4 day/3 night journey.
The Ghan
On The Ghan Expedition you spend a lot less time on the train itself as much of the the day time is spent out on excursions, and the train travels primarily during the night.
This is something to note particularly if you are planning your trip during the winter, when the daylight hours are shorter.
The Indian Pacific
If you love the idea of spending a lot of time during daylight hours onboard the train, watching the landscape change out your window, you will be better suited to the Indian Pacific.
The section between Adelaide and Perth has a few short stops, but is ultimately the perfect way to disconnect from the outside world, indulge in the incredible food and drink on the train, and watch the world go by. There’s nothing like crossing the Nullabor - a famously inhospitable desert that goes on for over a thousand kilometres - on the Indian Pacific, it’s a mesmerising experience.
If you’re the kind of person who enjoys being on the train, but likes to get out and explore the destinations during the day time, you should opt for The Ghan, and The Ghan Expedition in particular, where you have three hours exploring Katherine, six hours in Alice Springs plus a few hours in the evening for the BBQ under the stars and seven hours touring around Coober Pedy.
Only the Ghan Expedition (the 4 day version) visits Coober Pedy or has the outback BBQ. However the 3 day version does spend the same amount of time at Katherine and Alice during the day time.
The excursions
The excursions are included in the cost of both trains (apart from upgrades like a flight over Uluru) and they are very different between the two trains.
The Ghan
Personally, we think the excursions on The Ghan visit more of Australia’s more iconic locations with unique places such as Nitmiluk Gorge, Alice Springs and Coober Pedy.
Coober Pedy
Alice Springs Telegraph Station
These excursions showcase the beauty and quirkiness of the Outback. The meal at the Alice Springs Telegraph Station in the evening is truly magical and something which everyone on the train said was the highlight of their trip.
We felt exactly the same, it is one of the most memorable meals we’ve had in our seven years living in Australia!
The Indian Pacific
Whilst the excursions on the Indian Pacific are fun, they are very different to The Ghan. The Indian Pacific stops at the Kalgoorlie Gold Mine, the outback stations of Rawlinna and Cook, Adelaide, Broken Hill and the Blue Mountains.
The Blue Mountains
Adelaide Markets
The excursions are more diverse than The Ghan, including the markets of Adelaide, the greenery of the Blue Mountains and the desert stations of Cook, but we always felt that the Indian Pacific was always about the ginormous journey, and the stops were put in to have a break.
That said they were still good fun and we did love that we got to see little ‘towns’ (can you call a place with a population of two a town?!) that you would otherwise never get the chance to experience.
The trains & comfort
This is something you do not need to worry about as both trains are equally luxurious! The experience onboard the Ghan and Indian Pacific are almost exactly the same, including the cabin layouts.
We travelled in Gold Class aboard both trains and they were identical - on the second trip we felt like we were returning to the same cabin we’d been on in the first trip, even mistakenly walking in the wrong direction when going for dinner!
The Dining Car
The standard of food, drink and hospitality is impeccable and there is nothing to choose between the two. The only difference we noticed was something that the train can’t really control: the bumpiness of the line.
The Lounge Car
The Cabin
Personally, we found The Ghan to be a smoother ride than the Indian Pacific. Maybe it was that we had become used to train travel on the second trip, but it just didn’t feel very bumpy at all.
Speaking to the staff on board the train, they seemed to agree with us, stating that the journey between Darwin and Alice Springs (on The Ghan) was the smoothest section and the section between Adelaide and Sydney (on the Indian Pacific) was the least.
The en-suite bathroom
The cabin at night
This only matters if you are a very light sleeper (and the difference isn’t that big), so don’t let it be a reason to choose one over the other! It was just a difference we noticed.
Meals
When it comes to food, again, there is virtually nothing to choose between the two trains. Both The Ghan and Indian Pacific serve up mouth-watering food, with menus based on the regions they pass through (The Ghan even had croc on the menu!).
You’ll find yourself counting down the hours until the next meal and the beautiful wines that accompany them. We kept saying we’d skip dessert the next time but we never did.
You’ll definitely want to ditch the diet for either journey.
The only other thing to reiterate with meals, is that the outback BBQ at the Alice Springs Telegraph Station is very special, a truly unforgettable experience.
The scenery
The Indian Pacific
I would say that the scenery is more diverse on the Indian Pacific, as it travels much further and you cross more varied landscape. In addition, as you are onboard the train more during the day time, you will of course see more.
We also spotted kangaroos and emu on the Indian Pacific and didn’t spot any wildlife on The Ghan, but again I expect that is more to do with time spent looking out the window on the Indian Pacific.
On the Indian Pacific you’ll experience the lush greens of NSW, the deep red deserts of the outback, endless scrub in the Nullabor and the rolling farmland of South Australia.
The Ghan
The Ghan has the tropical scenery of the Top End with deep greens and lots of huge termite mounds. You will also spend a lot of time in the red soil of the Outback, along with some of that SA farmland. Crossing the Outback is always our favourite, as it’s just such a different landscape.
Which is the best for you?
We’ll start by saying that these are two incredible experiences - whichever you pick - we’re sure that you will absolutely love it and have no regrets! They were both on our bucket list and we feel very lucky to have been able to do both.
We think overall the big difference is about how much time you want onboard the train. If you are looking for a trip which is mostly on the train, watching the world go by between meals - then the Indian Pacific is the one for you. If you are looking for less time on the train and more on some epic excursions, then The Ghan is the best bet.
No matter which you pick, there’s nothing like a trans-continental train journey in Australia, and we met many people who do one and then immediately start planning the next!
Full disclaimer: We travelled on both the Indian Pacific and the Ghan as guests of Journey Beyond, however all opinions and thoughts expressed in this article are completely our own.
