Best Buys
East Meets Western Wonderland
18 Day Guided Vacation | Sydney to Perth
Travel Period
One of the world’s most epic train holidays, the Indian Pacific connects two Australian coasts across three states and 4,353 kilometres. In between the two oceans are dozens of time-forgot towns, bewildering natural attractions, a bundle of country characters – and a whole lot of nothingness. And that’s why we love it; the hypnotic click-clack of the rails, sunburnt landscapes, blazing sunsets, all seen in supreme style thanks to your chariot.
Prices From Code: WEMPRE
$8580
Above lowest price is based on 2023-05-31 departure
$11765
Above lowest price is based on 2023-05-31 departure
Child prices are available on request
Secure your trip with a deposit
Trip Details
What's included
- • Specialist team of two highly experienced Travel Director and Driver Guide
- • Local Specialists (Guides)
- • Centrally located premium hotels
Dining
- • 14 Full Breakfasts
- • 4 Lunches
- • 12 Dinners
- • 1 Farewell Dinner
- • 3 A la carte breakfasts
Flight Information
- • Day 1: flights to arrive prior to 9.00am into Sydney Airport
- • Day 2: flights to arrive prior to 5.00pm into Adelaide Airport
- • Day 18: flights to depart any time from Perth Airport
- • Airline schedules may change at short notice. Please consider possible flight disruption when booking your flights.
What to Bring
- • Sunglasses, sunscreen and hat
- • Water bottle
- • Warm layers in cooler months
- • Camera
- • Comfortable walking shoes
Fitness Requirements
- • Low level of fitness required
Itinerary
East Meets Western Wonderland (Travel Period: 01 Apr 2023 – 31 Mar 2024)
As the gleaming Indian Pacific pulls out of Sydney, the towers of Australia’s largest city soon fade into the silvery gums and serrated rock formations of the Blue Mountains. Talk about starting on a high. All you have to do is become acquainted with your cabin and staff, meet fellow guests over a cocktail or two in the Outback Explorer Lounge, and enjoy the scenery. Because boy does it dazzle.
Hotel:
Indian Pacific Gold Service,
4 Nights
Included Meals:
Dinner
Just about as far west as you can travel in NSW, Broken Hill is your backdrop when you wake to the smell of freshly brewed coffee. This frontier mining town enjoys a colourful creative scene and cast of quirky characters, not to mention galleries and museums that re-tell the region’s heritage. Back onboard the Indian Pacific, breakfast is served as you pull out of the station and ease into South Australia. The state dials up the natural drama as you chug through the Flinders Ranges, all rocky peaks and weathered gorges. It’s a fitting entrée to lunch and then Adelaide, where yet more indulgences await. Scour the city’s Central Market for tasty treats, or sip your way around the Barossa, McLaren Vale or Adelaide Hills. The choice is yours.
Note : Guests beginning their journey in Adelaide will start with a Welcome Dinner at the Adelaide Parklands Terminal.
Included Meals:
A la carte breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
The Nullarbor Plain breaks records. For starters, it’s enormous – around four times the size of Belgium. It’s also home to the longest strait stretch of rail in the world, as you discover as you make your way west. It’s hauntingly beautiful, in a way that only deserts are. Quiet, endless, meditative. The tiny town of Rawlinna is in the middle of nowhere. Free from light pollution, the stars here appear like glitter dousing the sky, as you’ll discover when you step of the train for an alfresco dinner under the milky Way.
Included Meals:
A la carte breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Your rail journey comes to an end on arrival into the Western Australian capital of Perth after lunch. Make your own way to the Rendezvous Hotel, where tonight's accommodation and l breakfast tomorrow morning is included. Meet your Travel Director tomorrow afternoon for the start of your Western Wonderland tour.
Hotel:
Rendezvous Studio Hotel Perth Central
Included Meals:
Breakfast
Perth may be the West Australian capital, but it’s home to a remarkable amount of green space. Spend your day here exploring inner-city Kings Park, perhaps, to witness more than 3,000 floral species in the Botanic Gardens, overlooking the Swan River. It’s hard to believe how far you’ve come already – and what’s yet to come. Get the low-down with your Travel Director over dinner.
Included Meals:
A la carte breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Wave Rock deserves its name – the cliff resembles an enormous surf wave about to crash into the bush. Stretching 110 metres, the rainbow-hued granite swell was formed more than three million years ago. It’s a short walk from another imaginatively named rock formation: Hippo’s Yawn. You can actually climb through the hippo’s ‘neck’ to grab a happy snap. Wave Rock locals are a friendly bunch, and they’re truly passionate about the place they call home. But don’t take our word for it. Meet Sheena, who will proudly show you around her farm and discuss life on the land. Which can be harsh, but also extremely healing, in a way unique to the wide open spaces of the Aussie outback. You even get to feed her cattle and glimpse her collection of vintage cars.
Hotel:
Wave Rock Motel, Hyden
Included Meals:
Breakfast, Dinner
Get your bearings on a Kalgoorlie town tour, including vistas over the staggering ‘Super Pit’ open-cut gold mine. Today’s outings continue to gleam as you visit Hannans North Mine – the history here is overwhelming – Kalgoorlie’s ‘Golden Mile’. Nothing quite puts things into perspective like standing next to enormous U-Haul trucks and loaders.
Hotel:
Rydges Kalgoorlie
Included Meals:
Breakfast, Dinner
More than 31,000 hectares of sweeping heathlands, rugged coastal peaks and white sandy beaches… it’s no wonder Cape Le Grand National Park is regularly voted among the most alluring of its kind in Australia. Just when you thought Western Australia couldn’t get any prettier, you arrive at Thistle Cove – sun, sand, sea and sculpted rock formations that ‘whistle’ with the sounds of the wind and waves – and Lucky Bay, a postcard-worthy cove where kangaroos sunbake on the sand.
Hotel:
Comfort Inn Bay of Isles
Included Meals:
Breakfast, Dinner
Today’s tour from Perth continues through some of the most bountiful wilderness areas in the state. First the Fitzgerald River National Park, a designated UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, then the Stirling Range National Park, blanketed with a staggering range of wildflowers – more than 1,500 different species, some of which are found nowhere else on Earth. Get an overview from the Bluff Knoll Lookout, topping one of WA’s highest peaks.
Hotel:
The Dog Rock Motel,
2 Nights
Included Meals:
Breakfast, Dinner
Nature, history, food and wine… there’s not much that Albany can’t do. The hardest thing you have to do today is decide which direction you want to travel. Perhaps opt for an Albany tour that relives the town’s heritage as the last port of call for ANZAC troopships departing Australia in WWI. Being here is a moving experience that tells the tale of thousands of servicemen. Maybe explore Torndirrup National Park, where steep cliffs give way to dramatic rock formations and whales are a common sight during migration. Or get a taste for the region on a culinary excursion that includes tastings of local cheeses, fudge, chocolate, ice-cream, cider, wines and gins. Better wear your elastic-waisted pants for this one. But don’t fill up too much – Margaret River tours await.
Included Meals:
Breakfast
Suspended 40 metres above the forest floor, the Tree Top Walk gives you a bird’s-eye view of the soaring tingle trees that stand large through the Valley of the Giants. More lofty attractions await at the Cape Leeuwin Lighthouse, the tallest of its kind in Australia, set at the tip of a peninsula where the Indian and Southern oceans meet. Standing here, the wind in your hair, you’ll feel like you’re on the edge of the Earth. Being amid nature makes you thirsty. It’s a good thing the Margaret River wine region is on the horizon.
Hotel:
Stay Margaret River,
2 Nights
Included Meals:
Breakfast, Dinner
The Margaret River’s 200 vineyards produce 25 per cent of Australia’s premium wines. And then there are the gourmet purveyors in between… you’re in for a tasty day. Vasse Virgin makes olive oil that’s sweet enough to drink. We recommend you savour it with bread, however, while learning how it’s made and browsing other products it’s used in – like delicately scented soaps. Lunch is leisurely, at a vineyard with plenty of time to sip and savour local drops, many of chich take home global awards. If you still have room for dinner, ask us for recommendations.
Included Meals:
Breakfast, Lunch
The Margaret River is one of the only wine regions in the world where grapes are grown just metres from the sand. The coastal backdrop follows you all the way to Busselton, home to the longest wooden jetty in the Southern Hemisphere. Tip your cap to those who built this 1.8-kilometre structure out into Geographe Bay. The afternoon is all yours in Freo. Hot tip: The city’s markets feature 150 stalls under one roof, and there are hip new lifestyle precincts to while away the evening in.
Hotel:
Esplanade Hotel Fremantle - by Rydges,
2 Nights
Included Meals:
Breakfast, Dinner
Sometimes, the most memorable travel days are those where you lose yourself wandering the foreshore, lingering over lunch or a cool ale. We highly recommend you spend this day of leisure doing just that (Freo’s Little Creatures Brewery is legendary). Of course, having a local show you around also has its benefits, with a Fremantle tour revealing those hidden haunts most visitors pass right on by. If you’re catching the ferry for a Rottnest Island tour, make sure you have your phone ready to capture selfies with the island’s smiley quokkas, not to mention the blindingly turquoise water.
Included Meals:
Breakfast
Yanchep National Park is staggeringly beautiful. It’s also incredibly spiritual, as you’ll discover on an Aboriginal cultural experience revealing First Nations history through Dreamtime stories and didgeridoo sessions. It’s a hands-on experience – don’t worry if you can’t make the didg hum; there are traditional tools to play with and bush tucker to sample. We’ve left some of the best to last: entering Nambung National Park you’re greeted by an ethereal moonscape. Your Pinnacles tour meanders around this collection of head-scratching limestone formations. This afternoon, Geraldton’s moving HMAS Sydney Memorial beckons.
Hotel:
Mantra Geraldton
Included Meals:
Breakfast
The colours of UNESCO World Heritage-listed Shark Bay are so vivid, you’ll think they’re painted on, a patchwork of blues fading into powdery sand so white you’ll need your sunglasses. This is what awaits in Monkey Mia, where the day is all yours. We wouldn’t blame you wandering barefoot along the beach, ordering sundowners as the day disappears in a blaze of glory. Other than a cruise to spot all sea creatures great and small, perhaps the best way to gain perspective of the vast coastline is on an optional scenic flight over Shark Bay Marine Park.
Hotel:
Monkey Mia Dolphin Resort
Included Meals:
Breakfast, Dinner
Bring your stamina – today’s adventures begin early. But if there’s anything worth getting out of bed for, it’s Monkey Mia’s wild dolphins, which swim close to shore to greet visitors every morning. Keep your sunnies handy at Shell Beach, a powder-white cove formed from billions of coquina bivalve shells up to 10 metres deep, and Hamelin Pool, the world’s best-known colony of stromatolites. Believe it or not, these rock-like formations are alive. Arriving at Kalbarri National Park you’ll take in the Murchison River Gorge from the Hawks Head Lookour. If you’re here during wildflower season, expect acacia, banksia and caladenia in full bloom.
Hotel:
Kalbarri Edge Resort
Included Meals:
Breakfast, Dinner
Just when you thought WA couldn’t get any more colourful, Hutt Lagoon appears on the horizon – just one of the state’s bubblegum pink lakes. Arriving back in Perth you have a Farewell Dinner to swap contact details with your new friends and reminisce about the last two weeks.
Hotel:
Travelodge Perth
Included Meals:
Breakfast, Farewell Dinner
Bid farewell to your fellow travellers when your trip concludes after breakfast.
Included Meals:
Breakfast
Please note: This itinerary may be subject to change.
East Meets Western Wonderland
Best Buys
18 Day Guided Vacation
Sydney to Perth
One of the world’s most epic train holidays, the Indian Pacific connects two Australian coasts across three states and 4,353 kilometres. In between the two oceans are dozens of time-forgot towns, bewildering natural attractions, a bundle of country characters – and a whole lot of nothingness. And that’s why we love it; the hypnotic click-clack of the rails, sunburnt landscapes, blazing sunsets, all seen in supreme style thanks to your chariot.
Highlights
Flexible Vacations
We’ve curated optional experiences to reveal Albany. Or find your own adventure in this historic WA town.
Iconic Sites
Nature humbles at Wave Rock and the Pinnacles, kangaroos sleep on beaches in Esperance, and ocean awaits along Busselton’s jetty.
Time For You
It’s hard not to smile when you spot a quokka on Rottnest. Explore the island’s powdery beaches and turquoise waters at your own pace.
Sustainable Travel
The Aboriginal connection to Yanchep National Park is strong, your enlightening visit supporting custodians of the land.
Natural Wonders
Crossing the Nullarbor is a rite of passage, your commute through Australia’s desert all rusty reds as far as you can see. Mesmerising is an understatement.
Accommodation
Your Guided Holiday includes a range of quality accommodation for your comfort.
The accommodation you will enjoy on this tour includes:
Stepping aboard the mighty Indian Pacific, you’ll feel a great sense of anticipation as this unforgettable Australian adventure begins to unfold. Whether you’re journeying from the Indian Ocean to the Pacific or the other way round, you’ll be making your way across the longest stretch of straight railway track in the world.
- Compact sleeper accommodation
- Lounge Car for relaxation and refreshments
- Cabin Steward service
- In-cabin music and detailed journey commentary
- Complimentary toiletries kit
- Free ‘Platform’ magazine
- Complimentary tea and coffee
Features
We are situated in the heart of Australia's Golden Outback. Hyden is only four kilometres from Wave Rock.We have a swimming pool (seasonal), gym and the Salmon Gum Lounge offers card and board games for your enjoyment as well as an open fire with baby grand piano and a guitar. The Salmon Gum Lounge has free tea and coffee for in-house quests. Please relax and enjoy this comfort area with its natural timbers and leather furniture, cold beer and wine.
- Ensuite
- Tea & Coffee Facilities
- TV
- Swimming Pool
- Gym facilities
Features
Centrally located within the twin towns of Kalgoorlie-Boulder and just minutes from the famous Hannan Street central business and shopping precinct, Rydges Kalgoorlie Resort and Spa offers a new level of luxury accommodation to both the business and leisure market. With over 91 rooms varying from our deluxe studios through to executive apartments, Rydges Kalgoorlie Resort and Spa can ensure that you are kept comfortable for whatever purpose of your stay.
- Air-conditioning
- Mini Bar
- Iron / Ironing Board
- In-room spa bath / Jacuzzi
- Wireless Internet access
- Refrigerator
- Hair Dryer
- LCD TV
- Free Bottled Water
- Foxtel
Features
Comfort Inn Bay of Isles Motel Esperance is your perfect beachfront accommodation solution for business travellers and holiday makers who want to get the most from their time in beautiful Esperance.
- Free wireless internet access
- Room service
- Direct Dial Telephone
- LCD TV
- Foxtel
- Tea & Coffee Facilities
- Mini-bar (surcharge)
- Air-conditioning
- Ensuite
- Bathtub and shower
- Hairdryer
- Clock radio
- Iron
Features
The Dog Rock Motel is situated in the heart of the city, close to all the action and local attractions. Family owned with friendly service, the motel aim's is for you to have the best experience of Albany accommodation and the beautiful town of Albany.
- Wi-Fi
- Foxtel
- Air-conditioning
- Ensuite
- Flat Screen TV
- Tea & Coffee Facilities
Features
Stay Margaret River is the ultimate destination to relax and explore the famous wineries, caves, forests and beaches of the Margaret River Region.
- Flat Screen TV
- DVD players
- Air-conditioning
- Tea & Coffee Facilities
- Foxtel
- Iron / Ironing Board
- Hairdryer
- Wi-Fi
- Radio
Features
Savour the culture and tradition of Western Australia’s premier tourist destination when staying at the reimagined Esplanade Hotel Fremantle – by Rydges. Fremantle as a port city, creating an environment that is rich, warm and sophisticated for business and leisure travellers alike. Ideal location near the Perth CBD, while those on holiday can easily access Bathers Beach, Rottnest Island and Kings Park and Botanic Gardens.
- 32-inch flat-screen TV
- Foxtel
- Room service
- Mini-bar (surcharge)
- Free wireless internet access
- Private balcony
- Work Desk
- Tea & Coffee Facilities
- In-room safe
- Hairdryer
- Iron / Ironing Board
- Individual heater control
- Air-conditioning
- Direct Dial Telephone
- ISD/STD phone
Features
Looking for somewhere to stay in Geraldton? You want location, you want comfort, you want value. Mantra Geraldton hotel has it all and it's right on the Batavia Coast Marina, Champion Bay.
Mantra Geraldton's spacious apartments are close to the region's best attractions like the Western Australian Museum, Geraldton CBD and the HMAS Sydney Memorial.
- Swimming Pool
- Barbecue facilities
- Room service
- Internet Access
- Laundry facilities (Self-Service)
- Private balcony
- Air Conditioning
Features
Located in the heart of Western Australia’s Shark Bay, Monkey Mia is one of the world’s premier natural dolphin sighting areas.
- Air-conditioning
- Ensuite
- TV
- In-house movies
- Refrigerator
- Tea & Coffee Facilities
- Balcony or Terrace
- Linen
Features
Best Western Plus Kalbarri Edge Resort comes alive at sunrise, coaxing guests to wake to uninterrupted views of the Coral Coast. Enjoy a five minute walk into Kalbarri town centre, The Murchison River foreshore, or a 5 minutes' drive to Kalbarri Golf Club.
- Kitchenette
- Flat Screen TV
- Bathroom Amenities
- Foxtel
- Wi-Fi
- Air-conditioning
- Satellite/cable colour TV
- Gym facilities
- Room service
Features
Situated in the heart of the Perth CBD, Travelodge Perth is nestled in a picturesque location, close to the major shopping areas, and a short stroll from the beautiful Swan River.
- Air Conditioning
- Ensuite
- Satellite TV
- Radio
- Work Desk
- Wi-Fi
- In-room safe
- Phone
- Iron / Ironing Board
- Coffee/tea making facilities
Features
Need accommodation before or after your tour?
Our special discounted rates make booking accommodation with us during your holiday both easy and affordable at selected AAT Kings hotels and resorts. Ask our friendly reservations at the time of booking.
Optional Experiences
To ensure your holiday is filled with memorable experiences, we have included a range of quality Optional Excursions for you to choose from and partake in, if you wish, during your holiday. The excursions can be booked on tour through your Travel Director.
Albany History & Highlights (Albany)
Adult Price: AUD $140.00 Child Price: AUD $133.00
The history of the Great Southern is revealed in stories with a guided tour at Mt Clarence and the Padre White Lookout, and discover Albany’s role in Australia’s ANZAC story at the National ANZAC Centre. From whalers to warships, explorers to entrepreneurs, wool to wheat, and story-telling to sculptures Amazing Albany comes to life.
Didgeridoo Dreaming - Aboriginal Night Tour (Monkey Mia)
Adult: 85.00
Child: $50.00
After the sunsets relax around a campfire with didgeridoo meditation. Your local aboriginal host will teach you about local Aboriginal culture and history. As the fire flares up some cooking of bush tucker or seafood over the open campfire begins as you are stepped through how to play the didgeridoo
Francois Peron National Park 4WD Tour (Monkey Mia)
Adult Price: AUD 215.00 Child Price: AUD 215.00
This is a full day trip adventuring through a spectacular, special piece of earth, right where outback Australia meets the coast. Your tour is a combination of cultural history, sensational scenery, fascinating plants, wild animals and bush survival skills. Includes lunch, morning and afternoon tea, sunscreen, use of binoculars, polarised sunglasses and an expert local guide.
Fremantle Walking Tour- Convicts, Culture & Street Art (Two Feet & a Heart Beat )
Adult Price: AUD $50.00 Child Price: AUD $50.00
Fremantle is Perth’s hip and historical cousin with streets full of heritage buildings, cafés, street art and amazing stories waiting to be shared. Starting at the Fremantle Town Hall, this walking tour is no boring history lesson, but rather takes a non-traditional route, discovering factual, anecdotal, and downright fascinating local stories, all as you wander Freo’s vibrant cappuccino strip, boat harbour, narrow West End streets and see the landmarks, including the Fremantle Prison and the Roundhouse. Once home to whaling stations and mass immigration, Freo is now a charming town celebrated for its variety of culture and multicultural history. The locals here were as hard as nails salty sea dogs who rubbed shoulders with newly arrived immigrants to create a town full of characters – some of who’s stories you’ll be amazed to hear about from your local guide! You’ll hear tales from prisoner escapes and convict antics to the expulsion of Indigenous peoples to Rottnest Island. Find out why almost 10,000 men were transported from Great Britain and Ireland, how they built their own prison and helped shape the future of Western Australia. There is no better way to explore Freo than with a local guide to share all its fascinating stories and visit the amazing sites, of which there are many, if you hadn’t guessed!
Fremantle Walking Tour - Food Lovers Tour (Fremantle )
Adult: $120.00
Child: $120.00
Fremantle is a foodie’s delight full of funky restaurants, historic pubs, cool cafes and the old world charm of a colonial port. Experience a festival of food on the Fremantle Food Lovers Tour.
Enjoy a selection of the best foods and venues, from cheese and charcuterie in a private courtyard, to hole-in-the wall takeaways and uber cool restaurants. You will visit at least 4 venues and enjoy the time to delight in their house specialties.
Learn the neighbourhood’s legendary stories while you dine, drink, and experience the the high streets and the narrow lanes with an expert local guide. Artisan foods, ethnic flavours, street art and fun history – We promise that you will leave satisfied!
Sail With A Bunch of Animals Cruise (Monkey Mia)
Adult Price: AUD 99.00 Child Price: AUD 99.00
Cruising the waters around Monkey Mia to spot marine life and the unique dugong in the Restricted- Access, Dugong Management Zone, which we are allowed into only once a day. Dugong feed on sea-grass. Shark Bay has the largest sea-grass banks in the world, and its 10,000 dugongs represent about 10% of the world’s dugong population. Although dugongs are shy and extremely difficult creatures to find and approach, we have over the last 14 years developed techniques for getting you close without disturbing them..
Rottnest Island Day Tour (Fremantle)
Adult Price: AUD $168.00 Child Price: AUD $86.00
Enjoy a ferry cruise to and from the island. Explore the beauty and tranquility as you tour the island in the comfort of an air-conditioned coach. Enjoy commentary of historical, cultural and natural points of interest along the way. After your buffet lunch there is free time to explore more of the island by bike or by foot. Don't forget to pack your swimwear for a refreshing dip in the beautiful turquoise water.
Taste of the Territory Sunset Cruise (Darwin)
Adult Price: From AUD 74.00
The ‘Tumlaren’ is a beautifully presented sailing schooner. This cruise includes complimentary sparkling wine at sunset and a delicious light tasting plate of Territory style food including smoked kangaroo with bush tomato relish, semi-dried tomatoes, Australian olives and a variety of cheeses. Experienced crew share interesting and informative commentary on the sites and rich history of Darwin Harbour, Cyclone Tracy and WWII. Return transfers can be organised at extra cost.
*Post tour bookings only
The Gap & Natural Wonders (Albany)
Adult Price: AUD $109.00 Child Price: AUD $103.00
Your tour begins curving around Princess Royal Harbour with a view to King George Sound and the Southern Ocean beyond. Be delighted by the floral displays of the native vegetation preserved in the National Park. Enjoy the pristine marine environment of the southern Australian coastline, seen in magnificent splendour on the journey through the Torndirrup National Park. Take in the vista of the powerful ocean as it heaves itself against the granite walls and feel the exhilarating force. Simply breathtaking! Later, relax, reflect and savour morning tea. An Amazing South Coast experience.
