OT/ Rail Travel in Australia

On 11/26/06 2:21 PM, in article ,
"Alan S" wrote:

On Sun, 26 Nov 2006 17:28:02 GMT, MI
wrote:




On 11/26/06 1:41 AM, in article ,
"Alan S" wrote:

On Sun, 26 Nov 2006 04:37:09 GMT, MI
wrote:




On 11/24/06 6:12 PM, in article ,
"Alan S" wrote:

On Sat, 25 Nov 2006 01:29:39 GMT, MI
wrote:

snip

On slowness - Jetstar and Virgin (airlines) are quick, but I
enjoy the train for the ability to look at the passing
scenery. It is a long journey from Brisbane to Sydney (7:30
am to 10 pm) but it is through some quite spectacular
scenery. You don't get many water views until Broken Bay,
towards the end of the trip (apart from crossing some big
rivers en-route) but the scenery varies quite a lot over
that trip.
snip

Hi, Alan.

I just had another thought.How many kilometres is it (by train)
Approximately from Brisbane to Sydney and Sydney to Melbourne. I like
trains
and we have hardly any passenger trains any more. It would be nice to spend
some time on the train and as you say get to see some of the locals.

I'm getting a little frustrated‹so little time‹so much to see‹and a country
nearly as big as my own.

Thanks, Martha.


I'm not sure of the exact rail distances. I'm exactly
892km(555 miles) from Sydney by road and 135km(84 miles)
from Brisbane. Oddly, Melbourne is 892km from Sydney by road
(that's why I remember it:-)

So, in round figures, Brisbane would be about 1050km (650
miles) from Sydney.

Time is probably more relevant. The Brisbane-Sydney train
takes 14 1/2 hours if you don't break the journey.

Of course, it's not possible to see it all. If time is your
problem, then the corridor you are looking at is probably
your best option: possibly fly into Brisbane, then go to
Sydney, stopping at one or two towns for a day or so
en-route then possibly Melbourne (or Canberra) by train -
then fly back to your departure point.

Allow enough time for Sydney; there is not just the city
itself and it's attractions, but the Blue Mountains, the
harbour, the beaches and the zoo.

Cheers, Alan, T2, Australia.
d&e, metformin 1000mg, ezetrol 10mg
Everything in Moderation - Except Laughter.
--
http://loraldiabetes.blogspot.com/
http://loraltravel.blogspot.com/
latest: Pompeii, Amalfi, Bari

Thanks. I intend to spend several days in both Sydney and Melbourne. The
plan is to fly to Melbourne from Sydney and then down to Hobart. I
originally thought I would go to Adelaide, but I do want to see part of the
coast at a leisurely pace, thus I'll fly to Brisbane in all likelihood and
meander down from there. My physiotherapist is from Melbourne and he of
course thinks I should spend my time there! Thank goodness I'm not seeing
one of the others in the clinic as well, as he is from Perth.

IK appreciate the distance information. It gives me an idea at how fast the
trains move and where I would like to break my trip. Does the train stop in
Pottsville or you too far off the track?

Martha T2 Canada

Hi Martha

The train from Brisbane goes much further inland, via Kyogle
and Casino if you look at the map. Pottsville is on the
coast, between Byron Bay and the state border. Kyogle is due
west about 140 km (80mi).

http://www.countrylink.info/__data/assets/pdf_file/2692/CountryLink_network.pd
f

There is a local train service from Brisbane to Robina on
the Gold Coast, then bus from there to my place. There is a
"Rail" bus which replaced the train from here, which takes
about 2 1/2 hours from here to connect to the train at
Casino. You can also use that bus to drop in on Byron Bay.

Subject to timing and other commitments I'd be happy to pick
you up in Robina and act as a free "tour guide". Email
direct to discuss that closer to the day if you're
interested.

Cheers, Alan, T2, Australia.
d&e, metformin 1000mg, ezetrol 10mg
Everything in Moderation - Except Laughter.
--
http://loraldiabetes.blogspot.com/
http://loraltravel.blogspot.com/u
latest: Pompeii, Amalfi, Bari

Thanks, Alan. I shall file this away and correspond directly with you closer
to the time

I've take our correspondence off asd. Should have done it sooner, but some
days the brains not all there!

Martha T2 Canada

Roger wrote:

Sydney - Melbourne is all inland and unless the drought breaks soon in
those areas will not be a pleasant viewing trip - just lots of very brown
land.


True, if you go via the Hume Hway, but the coast way via the Princess Hway is
very nice


The coach services like McCaffertys/Greyhound travel along the Pacific
Highway (BNE - SYD) and the Princes Highway (SYD - MEL) and call
into selected towns along the route.

So, the coast way is the way to go



Have you thought of renting a campervan as your accomodation on wheels,
you'd get to see a lot more than being stuck in a train or on a bus. Choose
where and when you stop, plus meet a lot more locals than you would staying
in hotels or motels.

IIRC he/she doesn't drive

David

Last year, I took the train from Brisbane to Sydney, breaking the
journey at Coffs Harbour, where the train comes close to the sea. Cooks
timetable indicates a rail distance of 987 Km from Brisbane to Sydney
and 608 from Coffs to Sydney. I don't drive either and found that Coffs
Harbour was quite spread out. The harbour is quite pretty with good fish
restaurants. There are some nice places to stay not far from the rail
station. I stayed at the oddly named Carribean Motel, with a somewhat
distant view of the sea from my room. It was very pleasant. I found it
in the Lonely Planet Guide. Beyond the harbour is Mutton Bird island to
which you can walk on a causeway. From it's headland I saw dolphins.
There's a nice botanic garden in town, but I wanted a taxi to get back
from it to the harbour. The train journey has some good, mixed scenery.

--
Andrew Nightingale of Cambridge (UK)