Spirit of the Outback

The Spirit of the Outback runs 1,325 kilometres from Brisbane to Longreach, in the middle of outback Queensland, in about 26 hours. It follows the coast north overnight to Rockhampton, then turns inland on the Central Western line, through the coalfields to Emerald, over the Drummond Range, and across the plains beside the Tropic of Capricorn to Longreach.

That inland line was built a stretch at a time, between 1867 and 1892, and wherever the rails stopped for a year or two, a town grew up at the railhead. Some faded when the line moved on; Emerald, Alpha, Barcaldine and Longreach stayed. Barcaldine was the end of the line in 1886, and the shearers, navvies and carriers it drew formed the unions behind the great strike of 1891 — which met under a gum tree outside the station.

The train has Economy Seats and Single and Twin Sleepers, the only private cabins on any train in Queensland, with every main meal in the Tuckerbox Restaurant. It runs twice a week in each direction.

Brisbane to Rockhampton

Westbound trains leave Roma Street at 18:10 on Tuesdays and 14:40 on Saturdays. The first hours retrace the coast line north: Caboolture, Nambour, Gympie North, where the train waits ten minutes, and Maryborough West. On the Tuesday train all of this passes in the dark; on Saturdays it is still light past the Sunshine Coast hinterland. Bundaberg comes at midnight or just before nine, then Gladstone and Rockhampton in the small hours, where the train leaves the coast and turns west.

Into the Central West

Beyond Rockhampton the line climbs into the Bowen Basin, coal country, with long coal trains running to and from the mines around Blackwater. Emerald, reached at 09:36 on Wednesdays and 06:32 on Sundays, is a twenty-minute halt at a heritage station of 1900. West of it the train calls at Anakie, the station for the sapphire fields, and then slows for the Drummond Range: the timetable allows more than three hours to Alpha, on grades of 1 in 33 and the tightest curves on the line.

Across the plains to Longreach

From Alpha the line runs almost due west, close to the Tropic of Capricorn, through Jericho and Barcaldine — where the Tree of Knowledge memorial stands outside the station — and Ilfracombe. It reaches Longreach at 19:50 on Wednesdays and 16:30 on Sundays. Eastbound trains leave Longreach at 10:00 on Mondays and Thursdays, cross the range in the afternoon, and are back in Brisbane at 11:50 the next morning.

The train

The Spirit of the Outback is locomotive-hauled, by diesel all the way, even under the wires that run as far as Emerald. It first ran in November 1993, replacing two older trains, the Capricornian and the Midlander, and its carriages were refurbished in 2015. Sleepers come as Single or Twin cabins, each with a washbasin, a wardrobe and a 240-volt socket, and the beds are made up at night. Sleeper passengers eat every main meal in the Tuckerbox Restaurant, which is theirs alone, and drinks are sold in the Shearers Rest lounge. Economy seats recline and all face the direction of travel, and takeaway meals come from the Economy Lounge. The Sleeper carriages have showers at the end.

The Spirit of the Outback runs twice a week in each direction, all year. Westbound trains leave Brisbane on Tuesday evening and Saturday afternoon; eastbound trains leave Longreach on Monday and Thursday mornings. Every seat and Sleeper must be booked.

Westbound the journey takes 25 hours 40 minutes on Tuesdays and 25 hours 50 minutes on Saturdays; eastbound, 25 hours 50 minutes. Times at the larger stations are arrivals, and the train waits there for 10 to 20 minutes. Alpha and Barcaldine are request stops, as are Cooroy, Miriam Vale, Mount Larcom, Duaringa, Bluff, Blackwater, Anakie, Jericho and Ilfracombe: the train calls only if a passenger has booked to or from them.

A few dates differ. The booking system shows no westbound train on Tuesday 27 October or Tuesday 22 December 2026, and some services run to an altered timetable around planned maintenance — the Saturday 31 October 2026 departure leaves at 19:10 and reaches Longreach at 21:00 the next day. Check the time of your own train when booking.

Connections

A RailBus runs from Longreach station to Winton after each westbound arrival — 19:55 on Wednesdays and 16:35 on Sundays, reaching the Waltzing Matilda Centre at 21:55 and 18:35 — and back from Winton at 06:45 on Mondays and Thursdays in time for the eastbound train. For the return, call Outback Aussie Tours on 0488 583 000 the day before to give your pick-up point. Coaches also link Maryborough West with Hervey Bay.

Times are from Queensland Rail Travel's timetable, checked against its booking system for every westbound departure from late November 2026 to late January 2027 — as of October 2026. Fares are published to 31 March 2027. Check the Spirit of the Outback timetable (opens in a new tab) before travelling.

Tickets are sold by Queensland Rail Travel, online, by phone or through travel agents, one way and for a seat or Sleeper on a named train. The cheapest are BQuick advance fares, limited in number and paid at once; AChoice is the standard fare. Sleeper fares are per person, the same in a Single or a Twin cabin, and include every main meal; Sleeper passengers may check in two 20 kg bags.

From 1 November 2026 to 31 March 2027 the 2 for 1 Outback Rail offer lets two people travel together for one fare on journeys starting or ending west of Rockhampton, or a single traveller for half the AChoice fare. It cannot be booked online: call 1800 872 467 or go to a Queensland Rail Travel Centre. The prices below are for travel until 31 March 2027.

Queensland Rail Travel's Queensland Explorer Pass covers the Spirit of the Outback. Sold to international visitors, it costs A$299 for a month or A$389 for two, and gives unlimited Economy Seat travel on the Spirit of the Outback, the Spirit of Queensland, the Tilt Train, the Inlander and the Westlander, with the RailBus to Winton included. A Sleeper costs the difference in fare, every journey must still be reserved, and no more than two trips may be made between the same two stations.

Is it worth it? Not for Longreach and back alone: two BQuick Economy fares come to A$291.60, less than the pass. It pays when the outback trip is joined to another train — up the coast from Brisbane to Cairns on the Spirit of Queensland, say. Between November and March, two people travelling together do better with the 2 for 1 Outback Rail fare.

Checked October 2026 against Queensland Rail Travel's Queensland Explorer Pass page (opens in a new tab).

The train calls at each of these but Winton, which is reached by the RailBus from Longreach. Anakie and Barcaldine are request stops, booked with the ticket. With two trains a week each way, a break of journey means a stay of three or four days.

The Sleeper is the night on the train. For the nights at the far end, the places below are in Longreach, near the station and the museums, and in Winton, at the end of the RailBus.

Planning this trip and stuck on something, or spotted a time, fare or detail that has changed? Send us a message about Spirit of the Outback. We read every one, and we update this page when something has changed.