5 Reasons Why Platinum Service Is the Only Way to Travel: The Ghan and Indian Pacific

Whether you're rewarding yourself with a retirement getaway or simply want to see more of your own backyard, Australia's luxury rail journeys are the perfect way to experience the most dramatic landscapes in style.

The Ghan and The Indian Pacific are Australia’s premier luxury trains and both offer a travel experience that is on par with the greatest train journeys on earth. If you are planning a trip on one of these Aussie rail icons you may be wondering whether it's worth spending that little bit more to travel in the most luxurious service class - Platinum Service. Here are 5 great reasons why so many travellers are going Platinum on the Ghan and Indian Pacific.  

 

All the space you need to feel at home  

When travelling on a long-haul journey by rail, it’s important to have ample space to relax, move about, and feel comfortable.

Platinum Class affords you a chic, spacious cabin with large picture windows where you look out from both sides of the train.

Almost twice the size of a Gold Service cabin, the Platinum Service suites are designed to provide a hotel style experience with deluxe lounge seating, a fully equipped ensuite, and in-cabin refreshments. All this space and privacy on-board ensures you feel refreshed and relaxed on every leg of your journey.  

 

 

 

Exclusive access to the first class lounge

One of the most recent additions to the Great Southern Rail trains is the Platinum Club carriage. An elegant lounge and dining location reserved exclusively for Platinum Service passengers, the Platinum Club is a combination bar, lounge and dining area where you can socialise and relax during the day, then dine and enjoy your favourite tipple after dark.

Aesthetically speaking, the Platinum Club takes its cues from the eternal beauty of the Australian outback with wooden floors, subdued leather furniture and luxe detailing like brass fittings and quartzite top tables.

 

 

Luxury dining experiences at every meal

A Platinum ticket aboard The Ghan or the Indian Pacific entitles you to sumptuous, regionally inspired meals three times a day. As a Platinum traveller, you can begin your day with a fresh and tasty continental breakfast brought to their cabin, or seek out a hearty cooked breakfast in one of the dining spaces.

Come midday, you can take your lunch in the Platinum Lounge and choose from a delectable seasonal menu that showcases the best of contemporary Australian cuisine, paired with award winning regional wines. As the sun sets over the dramatic desert landscape, you’ll again have the choice to dine on the fresh, bold flavours of the land and try indigenous ‘bush tucker’ ingredients like salt bush and wild rosella flower.

As the night winds down, you can polish your meal off with a decadent slice of something sweet and a Barossa Valley dessert wine.

 

 

Quintessential Australian landscapes

As a Platinum traveller, you’ll be able to revel in the sculptural beauty and diversity of the Australian landscape in absolute comfort.

With wide panoramic windows that enable you to look out both sides of the train, Platinum travellers are ideally placed to take in iconic sights like the jewel tones of the red centre at dusk, or the mystical bush landscape of the Blue Mountains.

Off train excursions are also included as part of platinum and gold service fares (they are not available for Red Service guests), so you’ll have the chance to see some of the great natural and cultural wonders of our great southern land.

 

Platinum passage aboard The Ghan includes excursions to see 40,000 year old indigenous rock art in the Katherine region, explore the alien landscape of Simpson’s Gap, and watch a desert sunrise. If you’re travelling in Platinum Service on the Indian Pacific, off train experiences include sipping wine in the famous Barossa Valley, exploring the historic town of Broken Hill, and marvelling at the vast, star studded night sky of the Nullarbor whilst lamb roasts over an open fire.

 

Little details that make your journey feel effortless

At the end of the day, the great hallmarks of luxury travel lie in the details and there are plenty of Platinum Service features that make your journey feel just that little bit more comfortable.

Things like transfers at the beginning and end of your journey, a generous 75kg baggage allowance, complimentary bathroom amenities, in-cabin refreshments and a courtesy wakeup call complete with coffee are the kinds of little details that make your trip all the more enjoyable.

Travelling Platinum also means you’ll be taken care of by friendly and professional cabin staff who will do their utmost to ensure you have everything you need to enjoy a carefree journey.

 

Discover rail travel at its best when you travel Platinum Service aboard The Ghan or The Indian Pacific. Australian luxury rail journeys are even easier to book now with our dedicated Great Train Journey specialists.

Speak to a member of the team on 03 8779 4828 or email GreatTrainJourneys@railplus.com.au.