Great Southern

The Great Southern is a sleeper train between Adelaide and Brisbane that runs only in the Australian summer, from December to February — the three months in which its sister train, the Ghan, does not run. It covers 2,885 kilometres of the south-east, through Victoria, New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory, and it is the youngest of Journey Beyond's long-distance trains: the first departure left Adelaide on 6 December 2019.

Where the Ghan and the Indian Pacific cross the desert and the Nullarbor, this train runs through wine country, along the coast and into two capitals, and stops each day so its passengers can spend it ashore. Going north it takes three days, with stops in the Grampians, Canberra and Coffs Harbour; going south it takes four, with a beach dinner at Coffs Harbour, a day in the Hunter Valley and a day in or near Melbourne. Every cabin is a sleeper, and meals, drinks and the excursions are included in the fare.

North: Adelaide to Brisbane

The northbound train leaves Adelaide Parklands Terminal at Keswick, 3 kilometres from the city, on a Friday morning and climbs through the Adelaide Hills into Victoria. In the afternoon it stops for the Grampians, where passengers choose between a coach tour of Halls Gap and Boroka Lookout, a walk to the Venus Baths, a cellar door, or the WAMA environmental art garden. Saturday is spent in Canberra, at the Australian War Memorial, Parliament House or the National Portrait Gallery, with lunch at Old Parliament House. On Sunday morning the train is at Coffs Harbour, for the jetty and the Sunday markets, the Forest Sky Pier at Sealy Lookout, or a walk at Urunga, before running up through northern New South Wales to Brisbane in the late afternoon.

South: Brisbane to Adelaide

Southbound passengers check in on Monday morning at The Hills of Rivermakers in Morningside and are taken by coach to the train, which leaves Brisbane before midday. That evening, at Coffs Harbour, dinner is served on the sand at Charlesworth Bay. Tuesday is spent in the Hunter Valley wineries, at Port Stephens — by 4WD over the Stockton Bight dunes or on a boat — or on a walking tour of Newcastle. On Wednesday the train crosses Victoria's high country, and passengers spend the day either at Clyde Park in the Moorabool Valley or in Melbourne, before the last night on board and a Thursday-morning arrival in Adelaide. A shorter Brisbane to Melbourne journey follows the same route and ends with an afternoon in the city.

The train

The train averages 711 metres and 28 carriages, hauled by two locomotives, led by NR class diesels painted orange in its livery, with the kangaroo that is the train's symbol on their sides. Its cabins and cars are the same classes as on the Ghan and the Indian Pacific: the Outback Explorer Lounge and the Queen Adelaide Restaurant for Gold, a lounge and restaurant of its own for Gold Premium, and the Platinum Club. The train is too long for Roma Street, Brisbane's long-distance station, so it starts and ends its run at the Acacia Ridge freight terminal, which is closed to the public; passengers transfer by coach. The stops along the way are for the excursions only — nobody may join or leave the train there.

The Great Southern runs from December to February only: one train a week each way, north from Adelaide on Fridays and south from Brisbane on Mondays. For the 2026/27 season the first trains leave on 4 December 2026 (Adelaide) and 7 December 2026 (Brisbane), and the last on 19 February 2027 and 22 February 2027.

The Brisbane to Melbourne journey ends with an afternoon in Melbourne until about 14:45; passengers who skip it can be collected at Broadmeadows station, about 30 minutes' drive from the city centre. It does not run every Monday — the operator lists the excluded dates on its package page.

Because of track works, the northbound trains of 4 December 2026, 8 January 2027 and 19 February 2027 are diverted and miss the stop at Coffs Harbour.

Getting to the train

In Adelaide the train uses Adelaide Parklands Terminal, on Richmond Road at Keswick, where check-in opens two hours before departure. In Brisbane it uses the Acacia Ridge freight terminal, which is closed to the public: southbound passengers check in between 07:00 and 08:45 at The Hills of Rivermakers, 82 Colmslie Road, Morningside, and go on to the train by coach; northbound passengers are taken by coach to central Brisbane, including Roma Street station.

Times are from Journey Beyond's 2026/2027 timetable, and dates from its booking calendar — as of October 2026. The operator notes that arrival and departure times may vary; check them on Journey Beyond's Great Southern timetable (opens in a new tab) before travelling.

The Great Southern is sold as an all-inclusive package: a sleeper cabin, every meal, drinks and the excursions at each stop. Fares are per person and depend on direction, cabin and fare type. Limited Advance Purchase fares are the cheapest; Everyday and Flexible fares cost more. The two Aurora Australis Suites on the train cost from A$9,290 a person going north.

Some departures around Christmas and New Year — 25 December and 2 January from Adelaide, 21 and 28 December from Brisbane — are sold at lower festive fares. Book online with Journey Beyond, or by phone on 1800 703 357.

No rail pass covers the Great Southern. Interrail and Eurail are European schemes, and Australia is not among the 33 countries in Interrail's list of covered railway companies (opens in a new tab). Journey Beyond sells the train only as a package, with the cabin, meals and excursions in one fare.

Is it worth it? There is nothing to buy: the fare is the package.

Checked October 2026 against Interrail's list of covered railway companies (opens in a new tab).

The train starts and ends in two state capitals, so there is time to spare on either side of it, and its stops are worth a return visit: the Adelaide Hills from Adelaide, Melbourne at the end of the shorter southbound journey, Newcastle and the coast of Port Stephens, the gardens of Coffs Harbour, and the river at Brisbane.

Northbound trains leave Adelaide at 09:00 and southbound passengers check in early in Brisbane, so a night in the city before boarding is the easy way to start. One hotel is on North Terrace in Adelaide; the other is above Brisbane's Central station, one of the places where the train's coaches set passengers down.

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