While the Indian Pacific is a relative new train, starting transcontinental service in 1970, one of the oldest inter-capital trains in Australis is the Overland, between Melbourne and Adelaide. That run started in 1887 as a sleeper train. It was called the Adelaide Express. In 1926 it was renamed “The Overland.” Post World War Two added air conditioning and was the first train in the world to offer showers in its sleeping cars. The Overland ran on broad gauge until 1995 when new track on standard gauge was installed. It became a day train this century with two classes. First class has three seats across and in-seat dining service. Second class has four across and a diner with cafeteria service. We opted for first class. The Overland run takes about twelve hours to run the 514 miles (828 km) between the two cities.
The train leaves Adelaide at the awful hour of 6:55 from Parkland Terminal, a new facility designed to accommodate long distance passenger trains. Leaving on the Overland does not have the sense of occasion of the Indian Pacific. It has many stops and carries passengers between several communities along the route.
Because we left so early, we enjoyed sunrise from the train. The sound of the train sent Kangaroos scattering from their cool and shady resting places in the trees near the track, hopping away from the train.
We headed out across the Murray River and through mostly farm country.
I could feel my nose starting to itch, started sneezing as we passed grain elevators. Grain mill dust is one of my worst allergies and we were going through grain growing country. I also saw some volcanic cones after we passed the town of Border into Victoria state. That surprised me because Australia sits in the middle of a plate, but I looked it up and, indeed there are some old cones in Western Victoria.
The twelve hours passed quickly. They served us breakfast, lunch, and tea before arrival in Melbourne at around seven. A little more than an hour before we reached Melbourne we were in in Geelong, the grain port for the region. Then we were into Melbourne’s Southern Cross Station.
