The Overland is a scheduled train service that operates twice a week in both directions between the city of Melbourne in Victoria and Adelaide in South Australia. The train covers a distance of 828km and takes ten hours and thirty minutes to complete the journey.

The service was inaugurated in 1887. Today, it is operated by a company called Journey Beyond, which also runs the Indian Pacific and the Ghan services.

Getting to Melbourne Southern Cross Station

My train will depart from Melbourne’s Southern Cross Station at 08h05. There is a tram stop right in front of the entrance to the Sofitel. I exit the hotel at 06h50 and catch a line 11 tram down Collins Street to Southern Cross Station. It’s about ten minutes by tram from the Sofitel to Southern Cross.

Check-In

According to the email I received from Journey Beyond with the tickets, passengers need to check-in to board the train. Passengers can check in large luggage items, which are transported in the luggage carriage of the train. However, that is a service available only to passengers going all the way through to the Adelaide terminus.

The luggage allowance is organised in the same way it is with the airlines. Small pieces of up to 10kg can go in the cabin. The checked luggage allowance varies according to the booking class. Checked luggage is dropped off in the luggage hall in Melbourne, and is picked up on the platform in Adelaide.

Boarding

At 07h40 I board The Overland. Apparently, the train is usually made up of eight cars. However, the attendant checking me in as I board the train tells me that three cars have been taken off the train for maintenance – which means that there are only five cars on today’s train.

The Cabin & Seat

There are three classes on The Overland. I’m travelling in the Red Premium cabin in coach B. The seats are arranged in a 1 + 2 configuration. They can rotate so that passengers can either sit facing the direction of travel, or to create a compartment for two or four facing seats if you’re travelling as a group.

The seat pitch is generous, and the recline is also good. I have two rather long and refreshing jetlag induced naps during the ride. In total, there are only 36 seats in the entire Red Premium carriage.

There is also a large wheelchair accessible toilet, which is kept spotlessly clean throughout the journey. The carriages look rather old and have zero facilities. If you think you can get some work done while you’re travelling, think again because there are no electrical sockets in the entire car, and there’s also no wifi. However, while it may be old and dated, the train is obviously well maintained and clean.

The Service & Crew

There are several crew working the Red Premium cabin. The most senior is a Frenchman called Toni. And he’s great. Nothing is ever too much trouble and he’s constantly making sure passengers are comfortable. For example, before we even depart, he passes through the cabin offering footstools to some of the shorter passengers, so that they can put their feet up. During the journey, an elderly lady complains about the noises the train is making, so he quickly brings her some earplugs, which seem to do the trick.

His colleague is a young and, honestly, a bit ditzy young lady. She makes the welcome on board announcement and she’s a riot! What makes it even funnier is that fact that it’s completely unintentional. Already at my seat when I board the train is a bottle of still water stored in the seat pocket in front of me. Before we depart, the crew pass through the cabin handing out the menus for today’s service.

At exactly 08h05, our signal turns to green and The Overland begins on its long journey from Melbourne to Adelaide. For the first forty minutes or so, the train moves at a fairly slow speed as we trundle along heading in a southwesterly direction. Once we leave the city behind, the train speeds up to 90km/h.

First Service – Breakfast

In Red Premium, three meals, hot drinks and all soft drinks are included in the ticket price. At the time of booking it is possible to indicate any dietary requirements and the crew will accommodate that. On today’s journey, for example, there is a passenger who is vegetarian, gluten and lactose intolerant. When the crew take her order and she reminds them of her dietary requirements, they don’t even bat an eye and tell her not to worry about anything.

The crew pass through the cabin with drinks for the breakfast service, which starts just as we’re pulling out of Southern Cross Station. There is a choice of teas, coffee, and orange juice.

I have the spinach and feta omelette, which is served with some really tasty baked beans and a slice of toast served with butter. The food is served on proper chinaware and with metal cutlery. Once the breakfast service is done, the dishes are quickly removed. The crew tell passengers to let them know if there’s anything they’d like, or to simply head to the adjacent dining car.

I spend the next few hours reading, dosing, or looking out across the immensity of the Australian landscape. I try taking pictures, but somehow, they just can’t do justice to the grandness of the landscape we’re passing through.

For most of the journey, we’re travelling through vast stretches of farmland that seem to extend to the horizon like a vision of infinity. That is, I think, what fascinates me about Australia. In Europe, and especially in Switzerland, we rarely see these big skies stretching as far as the eye can see. Europe is way more densely populated. And in Switzerland at least, the horizon is always framed by hills and the Alps, the Jura, or the Schwarzwald mountain ranges.

Second Service – Lunch

At 12h30, four hours into our journey, preparations start for the meal service. The crew pass through the cabin taking orders for drinks. And a short while later, the food starts arriving. I’ve ordered the Japanese style beef curry. The meat is so tender it literally flakes apart when you touch it with a fork. The curry is served with rice and chutney. Again, it’s a very nice and flavourful meal.

For dessert, the crew serve what they refer to as a vanilla slice with puff pastry. In Switzerland we’d call that a Cremeschnitte. To be honest, this is a bit too sweet for me.

Third Service – Afternoon Tea

At four in the afternoon, the tea trolley is rolled back into the cabin and it’s time for an afternoon snack. With the tea there is a choice of packaged cheese and crackers or a slice of carrot cake. I go with the latter, and it’s very good. What I like about the anglosaxon tradition of making a carrot cake is the cream cheese frosting on top. I love it. It’s just so indulgent!

The landscape on the last stretch of the journey between Murray Bridge and Adelaide changes dramatically, as we leave the farmlands behind us and journey through a hilly landscape with thick and lush vegetation. We travel over a pass before, eventually, we descend into Adelaide for the final stretch of our journey.

Arrival in Adelaide

Eventually, we pull into the station at 18h08, three minutes behind schedule – which is quite impressive on a journey of 828km. The Deutsche Bahn manages to build up a substantial delay on far shorter routes!

The terminus at Adelaide Parklands is the meeting point of three of Australia’s most iconic trains: The Overland, the Indian Pacific that runs from Perth to Sydney, and the Ghan which runs from Adelaide through the centre of Australia and up to Darwin. It’s rather an unprepossessing, squat building out in the middle of nowhere, really.

Getting into Adelaide

Unfortunately, there is no public transport to and from Parklands Station. The only means of getting away is by taxi. The Overland crew are great though, and do a good job managing the queue for the taxis. From the station to the centre of Adelaide it’s a journey of about fifteen minutes by taxi, and costs about AUD15.

Conclusion

When I booked The Overland, I was a bit concerned that I might get bored sitting on a train with nothing much to do other than read and watch the world outside go by. Much to my surprise, though, the journey passed surprisingly quickly. In fact, I rather enjoyed this trip. The food was nicely prepared and well presented and the crew were all just great. The train is very retro. Nonetheless, everything was in good working order and the seat was comfortable.