Hi, my name's Adam. I’m at Southern Cross
station in Melbourne and today I’m travelling on The Overland to Adelaide. That's 828
kilometres and it'll take most of the day, so come along and find out
what the experience is like. In this video you'll get to see the food
and drink included in premium class, we'll explore the train, learn a bit about
the towns and landmarks along the way, and have a chat with the train manager. Today's journey will begin at Southern Cross
Station in the heart of Melbourne and take about ten and a half hours to cover the distance
to the capital of South Australia, Adelaide. Today's service departs from platform two. You can check in two bags of differing maximum
weights, depending on your class of travel. This is the overnight XPT arriving from Sydney. You need to check in for The
Overland 30 minutes before departure. A staff member will greet you and give you
a boarding card with your seat allocation. The Overland is Australia's oldest
intercapital passenger train. Our motive power is this NR
class loco, which needs a wash. This is the same class of loco used to haul The
Ghan, the Indian Pacific and the Great Southern – all trains operated by Journey Beyond, with the
locos and drivers provided by Pacific National. Today's train comprises a combined power
and luggage car, two Red Premium carriages, a cafe car … … and two Red Standard cars. The history of
The Overland dates back to 1887 when Melbourne and Adelaide were Australia's first two capital
cities to be connected by train. Let's hop aboard. Initially known as the Intercolonial Express,
it got its current name in the 1920s. Seating in Red Premium is in a two by one arrangement.
There are 36 seats in each Red Premium carriage. Seats can be rotated to face the direction of
travel. Here's my seat. Legroom is excellent. The staff will give you a menu and take your
breakfast and drink order before departure. We depart on schedule. Tea and percolated coffee is available,
however the espresso machine in the cafe car isn't ready until 9am, so
I went for an orange juice. There's no Wi-Fi or at-seat charging points,
so I recommend bringing a power bank given the length of the trip. [Train manager]: "We'll make various passenger stops along the way or to allow other trains to pass. Unless you're breaking your journey today,
you will not be permitted to leave the train. Please take a moment to read the
safety information chart posted on the wall near each exit so that you are aware of emergency
procedures and the location of fire extinguishers. As the train is subject to sudden movements,
please familiarise yourself with your environment and be aware of potential hazards like losing your
balance and jamming your fingers in closing doors. Smoking is not permitted in any area
of the train and this does include toilets and vestibule areas, where
smoke detectors have been fitted. The Overland is a licensed venue and bringing
and consuming your own alcohol on board is not permitted. Today folks, The Overland
will be travelling through North Shore followed by Ararat, Stawell, Horsham, Dimboola,
Nhill, Bordertown, Murray Bridge and then Adelaide. Now this is a reserved seat service so
if you do see a vacancy next to you or around you, please do not just move into it. There are
more people joining us today." We navigate the railyards and transport depots of Melbourne's
western suburbs. It's great for trainspotting. This area helps service the Port of Melbourne
– Australia's busiest container port. At Tottenham we veer off the standard gauge
line which continues to Sydney and cross the broad gauge suburban and regional rail lines.
There's a VLocity on the Regional Rail Link. Breakfast is served. I chose the yoghurt
parfait with plum compote and granola. We parallel a grain train. The grain train is running on broad gauge
whereas our train is on standard gauge. There's berries inside my
breakfast – it's delicious, but the far more popular breakfast
choice is the spinach and feta omelette with baked beans and bacon. This footage is
courtesy fellow Adelaide YouTuber Ryan So Fly. And now that we've left the railyards behind, we can reach the top line speed
of 115 kilometres per hour. This is the Regional Rail Link that V/Line
trains to Geelong and Warrnambool use. Here's a look at the route. There are overhead reading lights. The seats
also recline. We are now coming into North Shore, a northern suburb of Geelong. After North
Shore, the standard gauge line makes a sharp right hand curve, so we're not able to
reach Geelong's main railway station. Geelong is Victoria's second largest city and
one of Australia's fastest growing cities. The platform here is quite short and was built
in 1999 to allow The Overland to stop here. I love when you get a glimpse
of the engine on curves. Time for a wander. Let's check out the toilet. This is a large accessible toilet. The bathroom is basic but clean. I’ve heard of many names for a
toilet but never a closet pot. Some people bring their luggage onto
the train rather than checking it in. Let's take a look at the café, which
is located between the Red Premium and Red Standard carriages. It's called
cafe 828 after the distance in kilometres the train travels. Cafe 828 is licensed
and available to all passengers. There are some power points here if
you need to recharge your device. There's a range of snacks available for purchase. Tea, coffee, and soft drinks are
complimentary for Red Premium passengers. Barista made coffee in hand, I’m going to head
back to my seat. If you've ever driven between Adelaide and Melbourne, you probably know that
going via Geelong is not the most direct route. The shortest route is via Ballarat. The line
between Adelaide and Melbourne was originally broad gauge and took a more direct route by
Ballarat. By the 1990s it was the only interstate connection that was not standard gauge. When the
line was converted to standard gauge in 1995, it was decided to use a route via Geelong. It's
54 kilometres longer but relatively flat – great for freight trains, particularly compared to
the steep grades on the route via Ballarat. We reach top speed near Cressy. The morning mist lifts and it
turns out, it's a lovely day. This is a dormant volcano. There are window blinds if you need them. For
interesting information about the scenery you'll see on this route, I highly recommend checking
out The Overland train guide on the Australian Rail Maps website. Now that it's mid-morning,
pies, pasties and sausage rolls are available in the café. Passengers traveling in Red Standard can
order the same meals as in Red Premium, they just need to pay for them. Tray tables are located in
the armrest. They can be a bit awkward to get out. They have half and full positions. Yes, that's coffee number two. Mount Langi Ghiran is also known as the
sleeping princess. If you look closely you'll be able to see her torso on the left
and her head and flowing hair on the right. We get a glimpse of a former psychiatric
hospital, Aradale, on the approach to Ararat. Ararat is a goldrush town. That's the broad
gauge line from Melbourne via Ballarat. Ararat is served by V/Line
VLocities, which travel via Ballarat. There's a VLocity that leaves Southern
Cross 12 minutes before The Overland but reaches Ararat about an hour before our train
because of the shorter broad gauge route. In its heyday The Overland was a
seven night a week sleeper train. The Overland used to be jointly operated by
the South Australian and Victorian railways and later by the Commonwealth
rail company, Australian National. In 1997, The Overland, along with the Ghan and
Indian Pacific, was sold to private operator Great Southern Rail. Today that company
is called Journey Beyond. As you can see, The Overland is now a daylight service and
operates twice a week in each direction. A few minutes later we're
rolling through vineyards renowned as the Australian home of sparkling wine. If you travel on the Great Southern
you can go on a tour of the winery as one of the off-train excursions. The scenery
becomes drier as we head towards the Grampians. We're now coming into Stawell, the closest
large town to Grampians National Park. Stawell is home to Australia's
most prestigious foot race, the Stawell Gift. It's held each
Easter and has been run since 1878. This station dates from 1876. The Overland is the only passenger
train that serves Stawell as well as every station west of here. The Overland relies heavily on government
subsidies and its future looked bleak in 2018 when the South Australian Liberal
government announced it was cutting funding. But the Victorian government came to the
rescue by covering the required subsidy. As part of this funding, 20 seats are set aside
on each train for trips within Victoria on V/Line fares. For example, fares from Melbourne
to Stawell with Journey Beyond start at $75 but the same journey can be booked
with V/Line for about half this price. We get a glimpse of the Grampians in the distance. This year, the newly elected South
Australian Labor government came to the party with a four-year funding
deal to keep The Overland running. We're now in the grain growing
region called the Wimmera. The staff take drinks orders for lunch. Alcoholic
drinks are not included in the fare. The mention of sparkling wine tempted me. This chardonnay
pinot noir sparkling is from the Barossa Valley. And lunch is served. I went for the focaccia.
And it’s served with a small salad. The focaccia tastes really fresh although I’d prefer it
to be a bit hotter. Call me uncivilised but I think the focaccia is going to be easier to
eat with my hands than with the knife and fork. The most popular dish is the curry with jasmine
rice. Again, this footage courtesy of Ryan So Fly, whose channel you'll want to check out
if you like journeys by plane or train. [Train manager]: "Ladies and gentlemen, our next stop for today is Horsham. Population is around 16,500 and it's known as the capital of the Wimmera region.
Horsham once had connection to the sale of horses and the name Horsham is believed to be derived
from horse ham, a settlement nearby where horses were kept. In 1880 horses were used to construct
a water supply distribution channel streaming from the Grampians to provide early settlers and
farmers with water to fill their dams, grow crops and have drinking water. Due to harsh ongoing
conditions over the decades, the reservoir water supply decreased dramatically. The Wimmera Mallee
Pipeline, funded by the government, was completed in 2010, costing $688 million, which gave life to
the farmers and the residents. Next up Horsham." Horsham is the largest town on our
route between Geelong and Murray Bridge. As you heard, the train manager provides
information about the towns The Overland serves. Horsham station was upgraded in 2007. However,
not all of the platform was resurfaced, meaning part of the platform is closed to passengers. Dessert! [Train manager]: "Ladies and gentlemen, in just
over 10 minutes time we'll be at our next stop, which is Dimboola. Dimboola is a quiet wheatbelt
town situated on a stretch of the Wimmera River on the edge of the Little Desert National
Park. The surrounding area is given over to the cultivation of wheat, oats, barley and wool.
The railway played a major part in the development of Dimboola, it is a major changeover point for
the train crews and many people who maintain the railway lines." Dimboola is the smallest town that
The Overland stops in. A key reason to stop here is that it's roughly halfway between Adelaide and
Melbourne by rail, so is a crew changeover point. The drivers change but the onboard staff
stay with us for the whole journey. Many years ago, V/Line ran a regular passenger
train between Melbourne and Dimboola but this was cut in 1993. Dimboola Station opened in 1882. It is now home to a crew depot for Pacific National. [Train manager]: "Coming up in about 10 minutes time will be our next stop, which is Nhill." Nhill is halfway if you're travelling by road. This is the last stop before we cross
the border into South Australia. The town's name is believed to come from an
Aboriginal word relating to mist over water. During the 1990s, the BL class loco
regularly hauled The Overland. Coincidentally this loco is named after Bob Hawke,
whose birthplace we’ll stop in later. Nhill's station dates from 1887. Nhill has an unusual claim to fame, being home
to Australia's largest collection of playable pinball machines at the Australian Pinball Museum. Kaniva is home to a private museum dedicated
to preserving the history of The Overland. If you've looked at a map of Australia you
might assume the border between South Australia, New South Wales and Victoria is
a straight line, but look closer. Once you hit Victoria it jumps 3.3
kilometres west – this is the result of a surveying error and led to a dispute that
went all the way to the Privy Council in London in 1914. South Australia lost the case, hence
why the border is further west than it should be. When the railway line was built, linking
Melbourne and Adelaide, a station was built in the disputed territory and paid for equally by both
governments to provide a place for the exchange of locomotives and crews. And this is that station
– Serviceton. The station was completed in 1889. Here's the road sign to announce we're
entering South Australia, which means we need to put our clocks back 30 minutes.
We're now on Australian central standard time. This appears to be some type of
crop burning, but if you know please let me know in the comments below. Our first stop in South Australia is Bordertown,
which despite the town's name, is actually 18 kilometres west of the border. Bordertown was the
birthplace of Australian prime minister Bob Hawke. This is a timber processing and intermodal freight
terminal serving the southeast of South Australia [Train manager]: "Which means that we do need to change
our clocks our timepieces, our sundials, to go back by half an hour to come
into line with central standard time. Correct time on train now is 12, sorry 13 minutes
past two." That's the voice of the train manager, Charlie Nicholas, who I had a chat with. [Charlie Nicholas]: "The best part about the job is travelling, travelling and same trip, but you meet new people every trip,
every trip is different, it really is. So I’ve been doing this for a while now, but, you can
guarantee that it's not at all a boring job. Well, The Overland is 135 years old, don't know whether
everybody knows that. It's a fantastic way to travel from Adelaide to Melbourne. You've got
a lot of space, it's a comfortable journey, you get to see things along the way that you
don't see when you are driving, and it is a very iconic train. There's a lot of feeling,
supporting The Overland, there are people, the small towns that we go through, there's
lots of support for The Overland, and it's yeah, it's a very much loved train." Here's a quick
look at the seats in Red Standard class. Seating is in a two by two arrangement. There are
60 seats per carriage. Although the seats have a different upholstery and not quite as much legroom
as Red Premium, I think they're the same design. We pass through lots of small towns
in a region known as the Mallee. We're paralleling the Dukes Highway,
which links Adelaide and Melbourne. These pipes carry water from the River
Murray to the towns of the Mallee. These salt lakes feature in Journey
Beyond's latest promotion for The Overland. It's time for afternoon tea. There's
a choice between cheese and crackers, or carrot cake. I don't really need it but
I find it hard to say no to carrot cake. It's served with tea or coffee. I went
for tea, it certainly hit the spot. This solar farm has more
than 390,000 solar panels. We're now in Tailem Bend, named
after a bend in the River Murray. This is the largest town on the route that we
don't stop at. Tailem Bend used to be a major rail junction, locos are still kept here to assist
heavy freight trains across the Adelaide Hills. The cockatoos are enjoying
the grain around these silos. As we close in on the city of Murray Bridge,
let's take a look at fares on The Overland. One-way fares in Red Premium are
available from 220 Australian dollars. Red Standard fares start at $115. I don't think
that's unreasonable for an 828 kilometre journey. You can also earn frequent flyer points. Occasionally you can find cheaper promotional
fares. And there's the Murray – Australia's longest river, stretching 2500 kilometres
from its origins in the Great Dividing Range. The rail bridge we're about
to cross opened in 1925. All these years later it remains
an impressive piece of engineering. This was once one of the largest and
busiest ports in the Murray Darling Basin, handling around 200 steamers and barges each year,
with wool, grain and fruit from upriver unloaded and transferred by rail to Adelaide or Melbourne.
However, river trade had mostly dried up by 1930. It's worth visiting this precinct
if you're ever in the area. Murray Bridge railway station dates from 1886.
quite a few passengers alight or board here. In its heyday, the station had a refreshment
room and trains would stop here for 15 minutes so passengers could buy food and drink. We get a few more glimpses of the Murray. There used to be expansive rail yards here.
When Murray Bridge was a busy river port up to 16 trains departed from here each day. From here we begin an almost continuous climb
for the next 65 kilometres into the Mount Lofty Ranges. Be sure to check out the Australian Rail
Maps website for facts such as these about the route. The staff hand out feedback forms. [Train manager]: "Ladies and gentlemen that of course was Murray Bridge. Now, just having a chat with the drivers, we do
have an ETA of 6pm into the Adelaide Parklands Terminal, but I think we might get there maybe a
few minutes earlier. So if you do have any friends or family picking you up from the train station at
Adelaide Parklands Terminal, now note that this is not the train station in the city, it's just
five minutes out of the city, let them know that the train will be there, at the very latest at 6pm. If there's any changes along the way folks, I will let you know. Now also folks, the
cafe car will be closing in the next 10 to 15 minutes. If you'd like any last-minute drinks or
refreshments, please come down and see the crew." Our speed gets as low as 40 kilometres per hour as
we navigate the curves and gradient. Our average speed for the total journey between Melbourne
and Adelaide is about 80 kilometres per hour. And this is the old broad gauge
railway line to Victor Harbor, which was isolated when the line we're
on was converted to standard gauge. The old Mount Barker Junction
Station is a sorry sight. The cool climate of the Adelaide
Hills is ideal for making white wine. If you're ever in Adelaide, I recommend
visiting some of the cellar doors up here. The colours are beautiful at this time of year. Another railway station that's seen
better days. The station closed in 1964. We're still climbing towards Mount Lofty Station. This is the highest railway station between
Adelaide and Melbourne, although it closed in 1987 when suburban trains to Bridgewater
were withdrawn. It's now downhill to Adelaide. At Belair we reach the start of
the Adelaide suburban rail network, which runs on broad gauge. [Train manager]: "If you do require a taxi, so you know, that we have phoned ahead, you can also yourself call for taxis and book
them personally, but just letting you know that through past experience they have taken a while
to get to the terminal, so just letting you know." The challenge of getting taxis to the
terminal at Keswick is a long-standing one. The station here dates from 1883. We're treated to a lovely sunset
over the beachside suburb of Glenelg. [Train manager]: "Ladies and gentlemen, the drivers have done very well. We are around about 10 minutes away from alighting at the Adelaide Parklands Terminal. [Train manager]: "Your checked-in luggage will be placed directly onto the platform at the front of the train approximately 10 minutes after arrival. Please
use the luggage check ticket you were issued with this morning. On behalf of Journey Beyond
and the entire crew, we would like to thank you for travelling on board The Overland today with us
and we look forward to seeing you another day. For those of you who are now home,
welcome back, for those of you on holiday, enjoy your stay." Adelaide Showground is
the nearest station on the suburban network to Adelaide Parklands Terminal,
but it's about an 800-metre walk. Adelaide Parklands Terminal,
originally called Keswick Terminal, was developed by Australian National as a
dedicated long-haul passenger station. It opened in 1984 and could accommodate
both standard and broad gauge trains, unlike Adelaide Railway Station, which only has
broad gauge tracks to serve suburban trains. This terminal serves transcontinental trains in
both the north-south and east-west directions: the Indian Pacific from Sydney to Perth via
Adelaide; and The Ghan from Adelaide to Darwin. So what did I make of this journey? The Overland
is a very enjoyable, laidback way to travel between Melbourne and Adelaide. The service and
food in Red Premium is very good. I really enjoyed the experience. That said, it would
be great to see some investment in this train including the provision of at-seat charging
points, Wi-Fi and more modern tray tables. In an ideal world The Overland would run more
frequently with increased line speeds but this may be wishful thinking. We arrive about 10 minutes
early. A final look at the seats in Red Premium. They do look a little dated
but they are comfortable. If you want a relaxing way to travel interstate, avoiding the hassle of air travel and
have the time, give the train a go. Checked luggage is available on the platform. Let's get a final look at our loco
before it heads back to the depot. Taxis start to filter in,
although many people get Ubers. I hope The Overland will be on
the tracks for another 135 years. In my next video I’m travelling from
one side of the country to the other in a wide body aircraft, an A330, in
business class. Be sure to subscribe and hit the notification bell so
you don't miss it. See you soon!
