Riding the Rails Across Australia Quiz

Answer: Sydney and Perth

Sydney NSW, on Australia's east coast, is on the Pacific Ocean, while Perth, the capital of Western Australia, lies on the Indian Ocean. The flying distance between the two cities is just under 3300 km; by road it is close to 4000 km. The rail journey has an official track length of 4352 km.

Answer: Each state built railway lines with their own choice of gauge

During the 19th century, each colony made their own choice of railway gauge: most commonly narrow (1067 mm), standard (1435 mm) or broad (1600 mm). There were also regional variations in lines constructed for the use of a single local industry, such as the sugar cane trains in Queensland, which had an extremely narrow gauge of 610 mm.

This made interstate travel by rail quite complex, as it was necessary to actually change trains at the state borders. Conversion to a standard gauge began in earnest in the 1950s, and completion of the east-west standard gauge line in 1969 made it possible for the Indian Pacific to start its first journey on 23 February 1970.

It was near the end of the 20th century before all state capitals were connected by a single common gauge track, but there continue to be a range of different gauges used for local trains around the country.

Answer: Around three days

The time can be found listed as anywhere between 65 and 75 hours, depending on where you look. That range is around three days (72 hours). The variations in schedule are due to a number of reasons, including slight changes of route to avoid track maintenance work and expected delays to make connections at a few stops.

The train offers sleeping cars (both single-berth and twin-berth), and at times has included an economy service with seats that reclined slightly for passengers to sleep in them. There is, of course, a dining car with meals included as part of your ticket.

The Indian-Pacific has run up to four times a week, and always at least once a week, since it started.

Answer: Tasmania

Originally the train was serviced with locomotives and crews provided by the owners of the railways it was using, which meant several changes along the way. Western Australian Government Railways covered the trip between Perth and Kalgoorlie WA, Commonwealth Railways between Kalgoorlie and Port Pirie SA, South Australian Railways between Port Pirie and Broken Hill NSW, and New South Wales Government Railways between Broken Hill and Sydney.

In 1993, a Commonwealth railways authority took over management of the entire trip.

In 1997 it was sold to private owners, and has changed hands several times since.

Answer: Parkes

Lithgow is still part of the Sydney suburban rail network, and Orange is where the Western line connects with the Broken Hill line, to which the Indian Pacific transfers. When rail maintenance is underway (most commonly on the first leg to Lithgow), the Indian-Pacific starts along a more southerly route and rejoins the Broken Hill line at Parkes.

If you saw the movie 'The Dish', you will have seen footage of the Parkes Observatory. Although the film played a bit fast and loose with historical details, the observatory has long been an important part of NASA's communication systems, with its radio telescopes acting as a southern hemisphere relay station. If you want to make a visit, however, you will need to plan for an extended stay, as the Indian-Pacific doesn't make a long enough stop to allow for the 20 km trip to the observatory.

Answer: Pro Hart Gallery

While in Broken Hill, you can choose between a visit to see the work of Pro Hart, a local artist with an international reputation, or a trip to the Miners Memorial and Trades Hall, which will provide insight into the history of the area. The other stops which offer excursions are Adelaide (where you can visit one of the wine regions, or the town of Hahndorf which is the oldest German settlement in Australia, or the South Australian Museum) and Rawlinna (an outback station with 80,000 sheep spread across 2.5 million acres of land). You can also book a Perth tour to end the trip with a bang.

Answer: The Ghan

Originally called the Afghan Express, in recognition of the massive contributions made to the development of rail transport in the Australian interior by the men who arrived here as camel handlers during the 19th century. Although most of them actually came from the area that is now Pakistan, they were generically described then as coming from Afghanistan. The Ghan started running north from Adelaide in 1929, going to Alice Springs. In 2004, the line was finally extended all the way to Darwin, allowing passengers to cover the country north-south and see not only the desert spaces, but also the tropical areas around Katherine. Like the Indian-Pacific, the Ghan offers a number of excursions at stops along the way. The trip from Adelaide to Darwin runs Sunday midday to Tuesday evening; the Darwin-Adelaide run departs Wednesday morning. On the return trip, you may want to take an excursion on offer at Coober Pedy, to see the opal mines.

Passengers can also transfer between the Indian-Pacific and the Ghan at several other towns in South Australia, as the two share the track, but the best connection is currently made in Adelaide.

Answer: Nullarbor Plain

The Nullarbor Plain is a flat, virtually treeless plain (as suggested by its name, which is Latin for "no tree") that extends along the southern part of Australia, from the Great Australian Bight northwards to the Great Victorian Desert. It is a massive area of exposed limestone bedrock, and considered to be an extremely inhospitable environment.

The first European to cross it was Edward John Eyre, after whom the highway that now crosses it was named. The Eyre Highway has the longest straight section of paved road in Australia (146 km without any curves), and the railway line used by the Indian Pacific similarly has no need for bends over a distance of 478 km (nearly 300 miles).

Answer: Cook

Cook was originally a supply depot for trains crossing the Nullarbor, but that need passed. In fact, although it does have diesel refueling facilities, they are rarely used. Cook is dependent on train delivery for all its needs, including water. There is a hospital, kept supplied with provisions for dealing with a rail emergency, but little else to offer the tourists.

Answer: Coolgardie gold rush

The area called the Golden Mile, one of the richest gold fields in the world, is located close to where Kalgoorlie was established. It was originally called Hannan's Find, after one of the prospectors who had discovered the nearby gold. Within ten years, the population was nearly 8,000 people, and Kalgoorlie became known as a bit of a rough and tumble place. Mining of various minerals continues to be one of the region's main industries.

Kalgoorlie long held the record for the longest railway platform in Western Australia, but upgrades to the East Perth station in 2018 made it 10m longer than Kalgoorlie. Sic transit gloria mundi.