I used to drive the Overland when it ran at night. We'd change crews at Dimboola and then the Dimmy driver/fireman (Fireman was a trainee driver in those days) crew (Us) would change at Serviceston (early 80's). Loved driving it, tried to give the Passengers as smooth a ride as possible. Fun Fact....Serviceston used to have jail cells under the west end of the station and house some the Australia's notorious criminals. As per crop burning, when the wheat is harvested the stubble left behind is burnt to control rye grasses.
I travel between Adelaide and Melbourne several times a year. I have used aircraft and a once only bus. The Overland has been my choice recently. A relaxing ride through the countryside, and wonderful service from the staff; you can choose to enjoy the excellent meals or bring your own picnic basket and save a few dollars. Unless you are very important and need to use jet aircraft, this is the way to travel. I enjoy your vieosw.
Hi Adam, this is a wonderful presentation with lots of educational information and amazing scenery. I remember riding on this train in its days of overnight travel and I loved it but I think I prefer daylight travel especially on this train. I am looking forward to your next presentation Adam.
Thanks so much John. I went on the overnight Overland in Year 7 as par of a school trip … but we were in seats, so sleep wasn’t great but it was still a great adventure!
Hey Adam...Another awesome vid from you as always!! Got the notification a couple of days ago but wanted a night with no interruptions so we could sit back, relax and enjoy... A nice lengthy one too!! So thanks for taking dad and I on your journey on the Overland... Loved every minute of it!! 🙂💙
Hey Corinne. Yes, I think this was my longest video yet. Wanted to include as much detail as I could. Thank you so much. Great to hear you and your dad enjoyed it. 😃
This video brings back memories of when I travelled on the Overland from Adelaide to Melbourne in year 12 with my art class back many years ago in 1996. I've since moved to Melbourne and will consider travelling by train to visit Adelaide given the recent lenghty delays I see on the news at our airports. Thank you for the video Adam.
I’m so glad to have come across this video. Besides being highly informative of sights along the way, you cover virtually everything you’d want to know about this train. One point that had me grinning with joy is that you show Mt Elephant next to the small western Victorian town of Derrinallum. I’ve just finished living there for almost four years and wonders if The Overland took that route or it went through Ballarat- which is where I was born. But I knew the Ballarat route was hilly and had some sharp curves. The very small town I was born is was Bungaree, which is just east of Ballarat. This town was where the The Overland derailed and crashed badly in the mid 1960’s cutting the main highway between Melbourne and Adelaide for over two weeks. But, getting back to Mt Elephant, I lived only one kilometre from it and it figured largely in my life while I was there as I could actually sit on my verandah with the sun setting over the mountain in my main view. They created incredible memories for me. Just one little technicality is that Mt Elephant is not actually considered dormant as it is less than about 5000 years old - it’s still conifers ‘active’ by geologists!! And thee we drop fire you saw is indeed farmers burning off of stubble leftover from wheat growing. Instead of plowing it into the soul which is expensive and doesn’t kill off many invasive pests that burning does. However, the stubble could be used for housing in cob houses or mulching in creating fertilisers. But Aust farmers are not able to sell it at the moment, and so burn the paddock. Those fires can be huge and you see the flames from many kilometres away! But they are very short lived.
Hi Stephen. Thank you so much for your comments! Really interesting to know that Mount Elephant is still considered active. Wow. And thank you for explaining about crop burning. Good to know. Cheers!
Hi Adam absolutely brilliant presentation. I did the Overland primaum Red Service back 2019 when I went over to Melbourne for my 2 week visit I absolutely loved the trip on the Overland both ways I love to do it again.
excellent coverage of two prime city connecting train of southern Australia. for a non Aussie like me but a fan of the great Southern continent, its veritable virtual travel.
I did the night trip in 1994 when Ballarat was a stop. Having a sleeper all to yourself means you get to enjoy the trip without listening to the yap of other passengers.
You are right about avoiding yapping passengers and crying babies, for that matter. BOOK in CAR A on the Melbourne Sydney XPT. . . . . for a compartment, offing a quiet peaceful trip! Brisbane Sydney in CAR A. However, book two or three months in advance, to ensure your request. The OVERLAND should be operated by V/LINE, using a standard gauge train of five cars, based on the VLOSITY, Adelaide Ararat. With an identical Broad gave train, Ararat to Melbourne. A TWO HOUR TIME SAVING, will result, for that journey!
Another really great and informative video. I will definitely try to travel on the Overland next time I am going down to Adelaide. It looks really good.
I enjoyed this trip and would love to stay for a while in Murray Bridge. I hope we always have the beautiful old stations with their red brick and the other old ones.
Greetings Adam, I just finished watching your UA-cam on the Overlander from Melbourne Adelaide, which was very great for information because I’m gonna be doing it on 31 March from Adelaide back to Melbourne because I live in Melbourne basically in Rosebud where I retired to but one of the other great trips I’m doing will be in Queensland on the spirit of the outback from Brisbane to Longreach from Longreach back to Brisbane then flying down to Adelaide for five days and back home to Melbourne so you, UA-cam on the Overlander was great gave me a lots of information that I needed and to understand thank you very much well done, and the other thing I’ve been bread premium on the way back to Melbourne. Glad I did it because I’m on holiday and I can afford it yours, Jeff.
Hi Jeff. Great to hear - hope you enjoy The Overland! I also have a video about the Spirit of the Outback to Longreach, in case you haven't seen it. Cheers!
Having the V/Line service arriving into Ararat an hour before the Overland is actually quite convenient especially for people in the west. I took a V/Line service from Deer Park to Ararat and being there an hour before the Overland is nice as it allows for a break in the journey. Broke my trip to Nhill into roughly two halfs which was nice
"I love it when I get a glimpse of the engine on a curve" .. wonderful thing that is. I first saw that when I left England in 1959 .. and the engine was a steam locomotive. We left Devon and were headed to Tilbury Docks in London to board our ship .. the SS Orion to Australia.Magic comment. memory plus ❤
What a wonderful journey! I did the Overland trip from Adelaide to Melbourne in 1989 - the train broke down three times on the way and we ended up on busses into Melbourne from Burrumbeet. You gave such great narration of the trip - I'm a fan of your channel. Thanks!
Very enjoyable Adam, I held off watching this until I could be at home to see it on the big screen and it didn’t disappoint. As per a previous request in another one of your videos thanks for adding an interview 👍 Sadly I don’t think Journey Beyond will ever put as much effort into this train as there others, I can not agree with you more that an upgrade is required.
What a coincidence! I have just been searching their web site (JOURNEY BEYOND) with the intention of doing this very trip later this year just because! thank you for the video.
I absolutely love The Overland, and I'll do it again in a heartbeat. Heck, I've done it twice! I must say the transport options at Keswick is shameful. I've never had an issue since I park there and I have a car to drive away. But I've seen disembarking passengers crowding at the taxi rank waiting on cabs which might or might not appear. Not good. Thanks for this incredibly informative video!
Thanks Ryan! And also for the use of your footage! 🙏 Yes, the transport options from Keswick are very limited. When I was a journalism student back in 1999, I made a TV news report for an assignment about the issue of taxis not serving Keswick. Crazy that it’s still an issue! However (on this latest trip), it was good to see a Journey Beyond crew member assisting passengers at the taxi rank.
The Closest ADL Metro / Trans ADL Urban Rail Stn is: ADL Showground Stn; a 500Meter / 8Min. Walk from JBR ADL Parklands Terminal… hopefully it would be easier to navigate then the previous now closed & heavily dilapidated Keswick Urban Stn it replaced (that was closed in 2013)
@@Peter-ob6ue in~all~fairness; Adelaide is; but a backwater hole, so not entirely surprising, & the state of Sth Australia’s Long Distance Rural Regional Country Passenger Railways entered the beginning of it’s terminal decline in 1975, when The South Australian Railways (S.A.R) was sold (or more likely: responsibly for it; transferred) to a federal government agency: Commonwealth Railways (of Australia) this arrangement would last the next 15Yrs; when country passenger services thru out Sth Australia gradually ended altogether in 1990… Commonwealth Railways, South Australian Railways and the Tasmanian Government Railways merged to form Australian National (railways) In 1978. Australian National took over operating all federal and non-urban South Australian railway lines from this year that had formally been merged in with Commonwealth Railways (of Australia) in 1975, On 1 July 1975, the Federal Government took over financial responsibility for the non-metropolitan railways in South Australia and reimbursed the South Australian government for operating deficits incurred after this time. After formation of the Rail Division on 8 December 1975, the STA continued to administer and operate all the ex South Australian Railways (SAR) on behalf of the Federal government. This interim arrangement lasted for over two years while the precise details of the sale of South Australia's railways were devised, disputed and re-negotiated, and the operating and management structures of the new Federal-controlled railway were put into place. Eventually, on 1 March 1978 the responsibility for management of all South Australia's non-metropolitan railways was transferred to the Australian National Railways Commission. This included much of the former SAR infrastructure, rolling stock and staff; meanwhile what was left of Australian National Passenger Services (post the 1990 abandonment of Sth Australian Country / Rural Passenger; was privatised by The Howard LNP Government in Nov. 1997 & sold to the UK 🇬🇧 ~ based service company Serco Group whom formed Great Southern Rail (GSR) Serco Group later sold out to Allegro Funds (Private Equity Firm) on 29 May 2015; & in 2016: The Journey Beyond Tourism Enterprises Grp was born out of Allegro’s majority sale of Great Southern Rail (GSR) to Quadrant PE in October 2016: This GSR was the platform asset of Journey Beyond with the GSR management team being appointed to run the broader Journey Beyond group, while through the sale to Quadrant PE Allegro retained a minority ownership stake in the newly formed Journey Beyond Grp Over the next 5 years, Journey Beyond was transformed into Australia’s leading experiential tourism business. While Continuing to this day; to be run out of the former GSR head office in Adelaide, Journey Beyond added a number of leading Australian tourism businesses to the portfolio including Outback Spirit Tours, Horizontal Falls Seaplanes, Cruise Whitsundays, Rottnest Express & Eureka Skydeck. This created one of Australia’s largest tourism businesses providing customers with premium, interconnected journeys across Australia. In February 2022, Journey Beyond was sold to the American travel & tourism group, Hornblower. This resulted in a 100% sale for all Australian shareholders including the minority stake held by the previous owner Allegro Funds
Loved the video, and the journey. I took the train from Adelaide to Sydney via Melbourne in 1966 when I was a student at the University of Adelaide. The first leg was an overnight trip to Melbourne which wasn’t very interesting. So this video gives me a glimpse of what I missed the first time. I’ve always loved traveling by train and would love to do this one again. I’ve subscribed. Look forward to seeing your other videos.
Thank you! Yes, the Overland was previously an overnight train. While the scenery is not breathtaking, it’s still pleasant enough and a very relaxing day trip.
Hi Adam, What a wonderful trip report that was. I was on a train myself watching the second half of your report. However, that was only a Brisbane QR suburban train. I look forward to seeing your next reports. Keep up the good work and take care Cheers Kev
Great video. Last traveled on the Overland with my partner in the late 1990’s in a cabin on an overnight journey. Was fun. Lot different now. Food certainly looks better at least. Disappointing they have not in the 21st century installed at seat power outlets specially for such a long journey. Seats do look very comfortable.
A very impressive presentation Adam....I might just travel by train for the first time since the 1960s. 🤗👍 in those days, it was a bugger of a trip in red rattler carriages, with no heating apart from foot warmers. 😵💫😳
Yes they often burn the stubble of the crops after harvest. And the ash provides great fertiliser into the ground as well. PS: learnt something: thought the Malle was only in Victoria; didn’t know it spread across SA as well. Had to look it up for the full story.
@@FromtheWindowSeat burning is a bit of an oldfashioned management technique - with different equipment these days, stubble retention to protect the soil is more what I expect to see.
I must go on this one day soon, travelled on the old Overland many times as a kid when my dad worked for the SAR/ANR and for a while he worked as the consist manager in the pre computer reservation systems day. When I was at university I built a computer reservation for the interstate coach industry as my final year project and had the ANR Executive who implemented the computer reservatiion system at ANR as my industry reviewer as part of my assessment.
Ah - very interesting! I travelled on the Overland in primary school but it was a school trip and we were in seats not sleeping accommodation so didn’t get a lot of sleep but it was still a great adventure.
This is a lovely presentation, the commentator is lovely to listen to, with a very respectful & gentle voice. Interesting information informs the viewer this current and historical well researched and accurate information. Highly recommended for people wanted a glimpse of the scenery on route. Excellent footage
I enjoyed watching this and I must say it does seem like a bit if a throw-back in terms of railway travel. HOWEVER, I much prefer this slower, more civilised style of travel, where you can savour the countryside you're traveling through and enjoy a meal and walk to the cafe bar. A lot of high-speed lines are soulless, built in tunnel or have high sound barriers blocking the view. Talking of views, I am sorry for those who found their seats lined up with a blank panel. I think the woman opposite you moved seats (despite the injunction not to) because she was struggling to look out. Thanks Adam. I always smile when I see you've posted another train video because I know it will be good.
Thank you so much Chris. Yes, it certainly is a civilised way to travel. Unfortunately some seats don’t align with a window but this service was not full so there was space for people to move if needed.
I just wanted to share a little interesting train fact with people. These trains going south and north around major Australian cities were often also mail trains and the reason they are now so strict about alcohol is people used to booze a lot on these trains, pass out and throw up. They were referred to as the Red Eye and so forth. They had compartments and fellow travellers use to bring their own and booze up, smoke, play cards and generally pass the time amusing themselves. All you could get for food was railway pies, sausage rolls and pasties as well as tea and coffee. People brought their own food and drink. You met all sorts of people and you would hear life stories. Now people have lap tops and smart phones to pass the time.
Back in the 80's I went from Mt Gambier to Adelaide by train. The first leg of the journey from Mt Gambier to Tailem Bend was by freight train where I rode in the guards van which had seating for around 10 passengers. At Tailem Bend I vividly remember standing on the platform in the freezing cold at 4:00am waiting for the ' Overland' to arrive from Melbourne. Hopping on to the ' Overland ' after travelling on a very slow and uncomfortable mixed goods train was like stepping into Heaven.
That's so Cool to see you going on this train the overland goes through my town area Dimboola in Wimmera area in Victoria love watching all the train vlogs
Proud of you As a malaysian one day i will take two or 3 weeks go to australia and ride every single train an tram I’ve been shepparton before and i miss a lot with scenery and birds sound when i wake up in the morning
I think the locomotive and the carriages need more than a clean haha we need full conversion to HSR like in China...I think this route would be good to convert to HSR. But really enjoyed the information throughout the video and brought back some memories we use to drive to Adelaide during holidays. Oh and very uncivilised Adam how dare you use those big hands of yours haha to eat that Foccacia which looked yum. The scenary along the way was nice always great to see rural area's.
Yes, I’d love high speed rail between our major cities but sadly, I can’t see it happening. If anywhere it will happen between Melbourne and Sydney (one of the busiest flight routes in the world) but it’s long been talked about with no action other than countless studies.
@@FromtheWindowSeat agree of we had population & economy like China it could work because we'd have enough ppl wanting to travel on HSR. It's always a nice dream to think about in terms of transport.
Thoroughly enjoyed this Vlog, I’ve always wanted to travel on this service, so one day hope to do for real , but in the meantime,your journey is an excellent way to do the trip from my armchair, thumbs up,❤️🦘🦘🦘
Good video, Adam. Keep up the good work. I have picked up one thing that may not be correct. About 21:30 minutes into the video, you say that BL class locomotives regularly worked the Overland in the 1990's. To the best of my knowledge, this is not correct. In the early 1990's, two V/Line N Class locomotives were used. After standardisation, CLP locomotives were used. Since then, Great Serco Railway and Journey Beyond have used NR class locomotives. There has been at least one occasion when a BL class locomotive took The Overland to Melbourne. That was in March 1986 when BL31 replaced an S Class locomotive at Mitcham. I was a passenger on the train and enjoyed the extra time I got to spend in the Club Car.
Thank you! Oh right, that reference came from Wikipedia although I didn’t check the original source (below). Growing up in Adelaide, the BL were my favourite class. [4] "SA Standard Gauge" Railway Digest May 1999 page 37
Highlight of my Sunday was seeing a new video of yours was posted. Woohoo! I do wonder how many annual leave you have, with all this travel haha. Great video, as always, Adam!
That’s very kind of you to say - thank you! I certainly make the most of my available leave although this trip was taken on a public holiday / long weekend, so no annual leave required. 😉
I only heard of Mt Elephant when I watched this a few months ago. I figured I’d have no reason to go out that way so I thought I’d never see it. And then I unexpectedly drove past it on a meandering drive from Bendigo to Warrnambool, via Ballarat, a few weeks back.
You did it again: You produced an incredible documentary educational video. I enjoyed, I learned. Suggestion: anytime you mention kilometers also mention it in miles for us non-metric Americans. Also, mention the month you're traveling since we are opposite hemispheres.
I really enjoy your videos and have been binge-watching. I'll never get to Australia so it's nice to see parts of your country. BTW, I was surprised by the unchecked luggage. Seems like that's a potential safety hazard.
Alas, few trains in Oz go at speeds (or accelerate to speed) sufficient to worry about that! The Overland is deliberately kept in genteel carriage layout. Other long distance trains like Tilt Train in Queensland have luggage compartments in carriages.
Love the comments “…needs a little wash”….and don’t ever stop with the little hand waves in the mirror….I’m based in Europe and love train travel….I hope you will continue to enjoy and expand your journeys
I used to do Sydney to Adelaide via Melbourne back in the mid 80s when I was really young. This train looks like the same one we travelled on back then Nothing has really changed. I guess the experience is the same But obviously greatly improved services and technology. I would say they're definitely removed half the seats in the carriage my memory was a lot of seats in crowded carriage.
In the 1980s The Overland would have been an overnight service. I think the seating may have been similar to the economy class (Red Class) carriages (with two by two rows) rather than Red Premium seating (which is more like first class). 🤔
Great video! Although all coaches were we silver snd blue and not red! 😂 And I have a suspicion that Horsham may just have been named after the town in Sussex, England.
Thanks Andrea. I think the “red” name is a carryover from the classes on the Indian Pacific and Ghan where they have Platinum and Gold sleeping accommodation and Red was the economy sit-up option but nowadays neither of those trains offers sit-up seating. Yes, I believe you’re probably right re Horsham.
Even running the Prospector (Kalgoorlie to Perth train) on this route, I believe the journey time would already be reduced by about 2 hours. This route really deserves faster and more modern trainsets.
The fact that you can travel on v/line fares between melbourne and nhill for about $10 makes travelling 454km an absolute steal
True!
A very informative review. Brought back memories of when I used to take The Prospector between Perth and Kalgoorlie. Look forward to your next video.
Thank you!
I used to drive the Overland when it ran at night. We'd change crews at Dimboola and then the Dimmy driver/fireman (Fireman was a trainee driver in those days) crew (Us) would change at Serviceston (early 80's). Loved driving it, tried to give the Passengers as smooth a ride as possible. Fun Fact....Serviceston used to have jail cells under the west end of the station and house some the Australia's notorious criminals. As per crop burning, when the wheat is harvested the stubble left behind is burnt to control rye grasses.
Oh wow. Sounds like a wonderful experience!
I travel between Adelaide and Melbourne several times a year. I have used aircraft and a once only bus.
The Overland has been my choice recently.
A relaxing ride through the countryside, and wonderful service from the staff; you can choose to enjoy the excellent meals or bring your own picnic basket and save a few dollars.
Unless you are very important and need to use jet aircraft, this is the way to travel.
I enjoy your vieosw.
Another great vlog Adam!
Awwww. Thank you Paul!
I’m a Melbournean so this is fantastic info. The train passed my house at Tottenham station. Add to bucket list.
Glad you liked it. Cheers!
Hi Adam, this is a wonderful presentation with lots of educational information and amazing scenery. I remember riding on this train in its days of overnight travel and I loved it but I think I prefer daylight travel especially on this train. I am looking forward to your next presentation Adam.
Thanks so much John. I went on the overnight Overland in Year 7 as par of a school trip … but we were in seats, so sleep wasn’t great but it was still a great adventure!
@@FromtheWindowSeat Hey me too. We went to Taralgon,Vic in Year 7
@@Trace2042 Small world!
Hey Adam...Another awesome vid from you as always!!
Got the notification a couple of days ago but wanted a night with no interruptions so we could sit back, relax and enjoy...
A nice lengthy one too!!
So thanks for taking dad and I on your journey on the Overland...
Loved every minute of it!!
🙂💙
Hey Corinne. Yes, I think this was my longest video yet. Wanted to include as much detail as I could. Thank you so much. Great to hear you and your dad enjoyed it. 😃
This video brings back memories of when I travelled on the Overland from Adelaide to Melbourne in year 12 with my art class back many years ago in 1996. I've since moved to Melbourne and will consider travelling by train to visit Adelaide given the recent lenghty delays I see on the news at our airports. Thank you for the video Adam.
Great to hear that. Thank you!
Another informative review, and your choice of checked shirts is impeccable. Thanks to Ryan as well
Thanks so much Richard! ☺️
I’m so glad to have come across this video. Besides being highly informative of sights along the way, you cover virtually everything you’d want to know about this train.
One point that had me grinning with joy is that you show Mt Elephant next to the small western Victorian town of Derrinallum. I’ve just finished living there for almost four years and wonders if The Overland took that route or it went through Ballarat- which is where I was born. But I knew the Ballarat route was hilly and had some sharp curves. The very small town I was born is was Bungaree, which is just east of Ballarat. This town was where the The Overland derailed and crashed badly in the mid 1960’s cutting the main highway between Melbourne and Adelaide for over two weeks. But, getting back to Mt Elephant, I lived only one kilometre from it and it figured largely in my life while I was there as I could actually sit on my verandah with the sun setting over the mountain in my main view. They created incredible memories for me. Just one little technicality is that Mt Elephant is not actually considered dormant as it is less than about 5000 years old - it’s still conifers ‘active’ by geologists!!
And thee we drop fire you saw is indeed farmers burning off of stubble leftover from wheat growing. Instead of plowing it into the soul which is expensive and doesn’t kill off many invasive pests that burning does. However, the stubble could be used for housing in cob houses or mulching in creating fertilisers. But Aust farmers are not able to sell it at the moment, and so burn the paddock. Those fires can be huge and you see the flames from many kilometres away! But they are very short lived.
Hi Stephen. Thank you so much for your comments! Really interesting to know that Mount Elephant is still considered active. Wow. And thank you for explaining about crop burning. Good to know. Cheers!
Well composed video with an informative history lesson of the areas the train passes through
Thanks so much! Appreciate your comments.
Hi Adam absolutely brilliant presentation. I did the Overland primaum Red Service back 2019 when I went over to Melbourne for my 2 week visit I absolutely loved the trip on the Overland both ways I love to do it again.
Hi Dane. Thank you so much! Yes, it’s a great trip.
excellent coverage of two prime city connecting train of southern Australia. for a non Aussie like me but a fan of the great Southern continent, its veritable virtual travel.
Thank you!
I did the night trip in 1994 when Ballarat was a stop. Having a sleeper all to yourself means you get to enjoy the trip without listening to the yap of other passengers.
Sounds great. I travelled The Overland overnight as a kid but it was a school trip so we were all in seats. Not much sleep was had! 😝
You are right about avoiding yapping passengers and crying babies, for that matter. BOOK in CAR A on the Melbourne Sydney XPT. . . . . for a compartment, offing a quiet peaceful trip! Brisbane Sydney in CAR A. However, book two or three months in advance, to ensure your request. The OVERLAND should be operated by V/LINE, using a standard gauge train of five cars, based on the VLOSITY, Adelaide Ararat. With an identical Broad gave train, Ararat to Melbourne. A TWO HOUR TIME SAVING, will result, for that journey!
What a lovely trip! Country Victoria is just lovely and spending the day perambulating to Adelaide sounds just lovely! Another great video, thankyou:)
Wonderful to hear. Thank you!
Exploring Australia by train is one of exciting things to do in Australia
Agreed!
I love this. My wife and I may take this ride one day.
Definitely worth trying. Hope you enjoy!
Fantastic video there Adam. Well presented and comprehensive coverage of things on the trip. Cheers.
Thank you. Great to get the feedback. 🙏
Another really great and informative video. I will definitely try to travel on the Overland next time I am going down to Adelaide. It looks really good.
Thanks so much! Hope you enjoy the trip when you travel.
Great and intensive presentation of the trip! Thank you
Many thanks!
I enjoyed this trip and would love to stay for a while in Murray Bridge. I hope we always have the beautiful old stations with their red brick and the other old ones.
Yes, it’s a great journey.
Greetings Adam, I just finished watching your UA-cam on the Overlander from Melbourne Adelaide, which was very great for information because I’m gonna be doing it on 31 March from Adelaide back to Melbourne because I live in Melbourne basically in Rosebud where I retired to but one of the other great trips I’m doing will be in Queensland on the spirit of the outback from Brisbane to Longreach from Longreach back to Brisbane then flying down to Adelaide for five days and back home to Melbourne so you, UA-cam on the Overlander was great gave me a lots of information that I needed and to understand thank you very much well done, and the other thing I’ve been bread premium on the way back to Melbourne. Glad I did it because I’m on holiday and I can afford it yours, Jeff.
Hi Jeff. Great to hear - hope you enjoy The Overland! I also have a video about the Spirit of the Outback to Longreach, in case you haven't seen it. Cheers!
Having the V/Line service arriving into Ararat an hour before the Overland is actually quite convenient especially for people in the west. I took a V/Line service from Deer Park to Ararat and being there an hour before the Overland is nice as it allows for a break in the journey. Broke my trip to Nhill into roughly two halfs which was nice
That’s a good plan. Cheers!
"I love it when I get a glimpse of the engine on a curve" .. wonderful thing that is.
I first saw that when I left England in 1959 .. and the engine was a steam locomotive. We left Devon and were headed to Tilbury Docks in London to board our ship .. the SS Orion to Australia.Magic comment. memory plus ❤
Wow - that would have been an awesome sight.
What a wonderful journey! I did the Overland trip from Adelaide to Melbourne in 1989 - the train broke down three times on the way and we ended up on busses into Melbourne from Burrumbeet. You gave such great narration of the trip - I'm a fan of your channel. Thanks!
Hi Mark. Thank you for the lovely feedback. Oh wow - that trip sounds like quite an ordeal!
Very enjoyable Adam, I held off watching this until I could be at home to see it on the big screen and it didn’t disappoint.
As per a previous request in another one of your videos thanks for adding an interview 👍
Sadly I don’t think Journey Beyond will ever put as much effort into this train as there others, I can not agree with you more that an upgrade is required.
Thanks so much. Glad the video delivered for you! Appreciate the feedback.
Love your videos Adam. Keep up the good work!
Thanks so much. Appreciate that!
Great video Adam, I am doing this trip in October Adelaide to Melbourne
Thank you Nathan. Hope you enjoy it too!
Another wonderful trip
Glad you enjoyed it!
Thanks ! Looking forward to my trip on The Overland next year. !
Hope you enjoy it!
What a coincidence! I have just been searching their web site (JOURNEY BEYOND) with the intention of doing this very trip later this year just because! thank you for the video.
That’s great to hear. Hope the video was helpful.
Thank you once again for another great and enjoyable video.✌️🍻🚅🚂🚃
My pleasure. Glad you liked it. 😁
I absolutely love The Overland, and I'll do it again in a heartbeat. Heck, I've done it twice! I must say the transport options at Keswick is shameful. I've never had an issue since I park there and I have a car to drive away. But I've seen disembarking passengers crowding at the taxi rank waiting on cabs which might or might not appear. Not good. Thanks for this incredibly informative video!
Thanks Ryan! And also for the use of your footage! 🙏 Yes, the transport options from Keswick are very limited. When I was a journalism student back in 1999, I made a TV news report for an assignment about the issue of taxis not serving Keswick. Crazy that it’s still an issue! However (on this latest trip), it was good to see a Journey Beyond crew member assisting passengers at the taxi rank.
The Closest ADL Metro / Trans ADL Urban Rail Stn is: ADL Showground Stn; a 500Meter / 8Min. Walk from JBR ADL Parklands Terminal… hopefully it would be easier to navigate then the previous now closed & heavily dilapidated Keswick Urban Stn it replaced (that was closed in 2013)
I was shocked coming from Melbourne that the train Terminal was no where near Adelaide
@@Peter-ob6ue in~all~fairness; Adelaide is; but a backwater hole, so not entirely surprising, & the state of Sth Australia’s Long Distance Rural Regional Country Passenger Railways entered the beginning of it’s terminal decline in 1975, when The South Australian Railways (S.A.R) was sold (or more likely: responsibly for it; transferred) to a federal government agency: Commonwealth Railways (of Australia) this arrangement would last the next 15Yrs; when country passenger services thru out Sth Australia gradually ended altogether in 1990…
Commonwealth Railways, South Australian Railways and the Tasmanian Government Railways merged to form Australian National (railways) In 1978. Australian National took over operating all federal and non-urban South Australian railway lines from this year that had formally been merged in with Commonwealth Railways (of Australia) in 1975, On 1 July 1975, the Federal Government took over financial responsibility for the non-metropolitan railways in South Australia and reimbursed the South Australian government for operating deficits incurred after this time. After formation of the Rail Division on 8 December 1975, the STA continued to administer and operate all the ex South Australian Railways (SAR) on behalf of the Federal government.
This interim arrangement lasted for over two years while the precise details of the sale of South Australia's railways were devised, disputed and re-negotiated, and the operating and management structures of the new Federal-controlled railway were put into place.
Eventually, on 1 March 1978 the responsibility for management of all South Australia's non-metropolitan railways was transferred to the Australian National Railways Commission. This included much of the former SAR infrastructure, rolling stock and staff; meanwhile what was left of Australian National Passenger Services (post the 1990 abandonment of Sth Australian Country / Rural Passenger; was privatised by The Howard LNP Government in Nov. 1997 & sold to the UK 🇬🇧 ~ based service company Serco Group whom formed Great Southern Rail (GSR)
Serco Group later sold out to Allegro Funds (Private Equity Firm) on 29 May 2015; & in 2016: The Journey Beyond Tourism Enterprises Grp was born out of Allegro’s majority sale of Great Southern Rail (GSR) to Quadrant PE in October 2016: This GSR was the platform asset of Journey Beyond with the GSR management team being appointed to run the broader Journey Beyond group, while through the sale to Quadrant PE Allegro retained a minority ownership stake in the newly formed Journey Beyond Grp
Over the next 5 years, Journey Beyond was transformed into Australia’s leading experiential tourism business.
While Continuing to this day; to be run out of the former GSR head office in Adelaide, Journey Beyond added a number of leading Australian tourism businesses to the portfolio including Outback Spirit Tours, Horizontal Falls Seaplanes, Cruise Whitsundays, Rottnest Express & Eureka Skydeck. This created one of Australia’s largest tourism businesses providing customers with premium, interconnected journeys across Australia.
In February 2022, Journey Beyond was sold to the American travel & tourism group, Hornblower. This resulted in a 100% sale for all Australian shareholders including the minority stake held by the previous owner Allegro Funds
I agree about the lack of onward transport from the Parkland station. Arrived in the dark about 2 months ago - not a sign of a taxi.
Nice sharing beautiful video 🇵🇰
Thank you!
Loved the video, and the journey.
I took the train from Adelaide to Sydney via Melbourne in 1966 when I was a student at the University of Adelaide. The first leg was an overnight trip to Melbourne which wasn’t very interesting. So this video gives me a glimpse of what I missed the first time. I’ve always loved traveling by train and would love to do this one again.
I’ve subscribed. Look forward to seeing your other videos.
Thank you! Yes, the Overland was previously an overnight train. While the scenery is not breathtaking, it’s still pleasant enough and a very relaxing day trip.
Very informative as usual thanks Adam
Great to hear - thanks!
The Overland was reasonably priced and way better than coach travel between Adelaide and Melbourne, I actually enjoyed my ride on it.
Great to hear. Cheers!
Hi Adam,
What a wonderful trip report that was.
I was on a train myself watching the second half of your report. However, that was only a Brisbane QR suburban train.
I look forward to seeing your next reports.
Keep up the good work and take care
Cheers
Kev
Hi Kev. Thank you for the kind words. Happy travels! Cheers, Adam
Great video. Last traveled on the Overland with my partner in the late 1990’s in a cabin on an overnight journey. Was fun. Lot different now. Food certainly looks better at least. Disappointing they have not in the 21st century installed at seat power outlets specially for such a long journey. Seats do look very comfortable.
Thank you! The food is good but the train could definitely do with some modernisation. 😉
This is a fantastic video. You talk perfectly and great camera work. Well done.
Thank you so much!
Wow I was riding that day too!
Oh wow - small world!
Thanks Adam for sharing your journey on The Overland. I enjoyed your informative video. Regards, Barry.
Hi Barry. Thank you very much for the comment. Cheers!
A very impressive presentation Adam....I might just travel by train for the first time since the 1960s. 🤗👍 in those days, it was a bugger of a trip in red rattler carriages, with no heating apart from foot warmers. 😵💫😳
Hi Steven. Thank you! Hope you enjoy the trip!😁
An excellent and informative video, well presented and entertaining. Thank you Adam, I’ve subscribed and look forward to viewing more from you. 🏆
Thank you so much! Great to get that feedback.
nice views of stations, thanks from USA
Cheers!
Another excellent video Adam... :):):)
🥳🥳🥳
Coming across your channel by accident, but loving your content by heart!
Wonderful to hear! Thank you!
I love that an all-day trip here would take just a couple of hours elsewhere. Great video, as always 🚂
God forbid we EVER get true High-speed Rail. You know like the Japanese have had for sixty years.🇦🇺
Thank you!
We can dream! 🙏
@@FromtheWindowSeat And in the meantime, there is your videos!
@@maximumthrusts Cheers Ethan!
Thanks Adam for another great video. Well done, very informative and entertaining. A BIG thumbs up!!! Cheers.
Thanks so much!
G'day Adam. Was a PN Driver back a few years ago and did the Overland a few times. Great Job, One of my favourites. And a Great Video Mate, Cheers BM.
Thanks so much! Great to hear that. 🙏
Loving this instalment as much as the one I watched yesterday
Wonderful to hear!
Hi Adam thank you for the great video. Enjoyed the scenery the food also looked good hope you enjoyed the trip.
Many thanks Maureen. Yes, I enjoyed it very much!
Yes they often burn the stubble of the crops after harvest. And the ash provides great fertiliser into the ground as well.
PS: learnt something: thought the Malle was only in Victoria; didn’t know it spread across SA as well. Had to look it up for the full story.
Oh cool. Well we both learnt something then! 😉👍
@@FromtheWindowSeat burning is a bit of an oldfashioned management technique - with different equipment these days, stubble retention to protect the soil is more what I expect to see.
@@MeegAnneyou are right, burning went out years ago, it only pollutes.
The farmers in the Bordertown area burn stubble from grain crops after it has been cropped. It returns the nutrient to the soil.
Thank you so much for sharing that - great to know!
I must go on this one day soon, travelled on the old Overland many times as a kid when my dad worked for the SAR/ANR and for a while he worked as the consist manager in the pre computer reservation systems day. When I was at university I built a computer reservation for the interstate coach industry as my final year project and had the ANR Executive who implemented the computer reservatiion system at ANR as my industry reviewer as part of my assessment.
Ah - very interesting! I travelled on the Overland in primary school but it was a school trip and we were in seats not sleeping accommodation so didn’t get a lot of sleep but it was still a great adventure.
This is a lovely presentation, the commentator is lovely to listen to, with a very respectful & gentle voice. Interesting information informs the viewer this current and historical well researched and accurate information. Highly recommended for people wanted a glimpse of the scenery on route. Excellent footage
Hi Sharyn. Thank you for your kind words! Lovely to hear. 😊
Most enjoyable Adam. Well done and informative. Thank you.
Thanks so much Vince.
I enjoyed watching this and I must say it does seem like a bit if a throw-back in terms of railway travel. HOWEVER, I much prefer this slower, more civilised style of travel, where you can savour the countryside you're traveling through and enjoy a meal and walk to the cafe bar. A lot of high-speed lines are soulless, built in tunnel or have high sound barriers blocking the view. Talking of views, I am sorry for those who found their seats lined up with a blank panel. I think the woman opposite you moved seats (despite the injunction not to) because she was struggling to look out. Thanks Adam. I always smile when I see you've posted another train video because I know it will be good.
Thank you so much Chris. Yes, it certainly is a civilised way to travel. Unfortunately some seats don’t align with a window but this service was not full so there was space for people to move if needed.
I was so conscious of that poor woman craving to try to see out of a window. I'm glad she found another seat. Great video. Thanks for sharing.
I just wanted to share a little interesting train fact with people. These trains going south and north around major Australian cities were often also mail trains and the reason they are now so strict about alcohol is people used to booze a lot on these trains, pass out and throw up. They were referred to as the Red Eye and so forth. They had compartments and fellow travellers use to bring their own and booze up, smoke, play cards and generally pass the time amusing themselves. All you could get for food was railway pies, sausage rolls and pasties as well as tea and coffee. People brought their own food and drink. You met all sorts of people and you would hear life stories. Now people have lap tops and smart phones to pass the time.
Good to know. Cheers!
My daughter moves from Darwin to Adelaide in a fortnight..I'm now thinking of flying into Melbourne just to take the train 👍🏴
Good to hear! You just have to plan the day because The Overland only operates twice a week.
Fantastic video. Enjoyed this Adam.
Glad you enjoyed it!
Back in the 80's I went from Mt Gambier to Adelaide by train. The first leg of the journey from Mt Gambier to Tailem Bend was by freight train where I rode in the guards van which had seating for around 10 passengers. At Tailem Bend I vividly remember standing on the platform in the freezing cold at 4:00am waiting for the ' Overland' to arrive from Melbourne.
Hopping on to the ' Overland ' after travelling on a very slow and uncomfortable mixed goods train was like stepping into Heaven.
That’s so cool.
That’s so cool.
Great vlog….I wouldn’t be happy paying $220 for a seat with no window to view out of , I noticed there were a few seats with this problem.
Yes, that would suck. You’d hope they’d block those seats off from sale or offer them at a lower rate but apparently not.
That's so Cool to see you going on this train the overland goes through my town area Dimboola in Wimmera area in Victoria love watching all the train vlogs
Thank so much!
Proud of you
As a malaysian one day i will take two or 3 weeks go to australia and ride every single train an tram
I’ve been shepparton before and i miss a lot with scenery and birds sound when i wake up in the morning
Thank you! That sounds like it will be a wonderful trip. 👍
I enjoyed this trip with you Adam. It's a trip that I would really like to do. Thank You.🚆🚂
That’s wonderful to hear Karen. Thank you! 😃
Another great video journey. Thanks. If only they'd let me wheel my motor bike aboard.
Thanks so much! Ha!
I've been on this one 10 Years Ago.
And it was still using one car-carrier at that time.
Good to know. Cheers!
I think the locomotive and the carriages need more than a clean haha we need full conversion to HSR like in China...I think this route would be good to convert to HSR. But really enjoyed the information throughout the video and brought back some memories we use to drive to Adelaide during holidays. Oh and very uncivilised Adam how dare you use those big hands of yours haha to eat that Foccacia which looked yum. The scenary along the way was nice always great to see rural area's.
Yes, I’d love high speed rail between our major cities but sadly, I can’t see it happening. If anywhere it will happen between Melbourne and Sydney (one of the busiest flight routes in the world) but it’s long been talked about with no action other than countless studies.
@@FromtheWindowSeat agree of we had population & economy like China it could work because we'd have enough ppl wanting to travel on HSR. It's always a nice dream to think about in terms of transport.
Thank you for these videos Adam. Love your content. Can't wait to get home to Aus to do some of these rail trips.
Thank you Jordan - great to hear!
Another awesome video Adam. Thanks!
Thanks so much Nathan!
Thoroughly enjoyed this Vlog, I’ve always wanted to travel on this service, so one day hope to do for real , but in the meantime,your journey is an excellent way to do the trip from my armchair, thumbs up,❤️🦘🦘🦘
Thank you Steven - that’s great to hear. Hope you get to make the trip one day! 🙏
❤well put together thanks 👍
Thank you!
Good video, Adam. Keep up the good work. I have picked up one thing that may not be correct. About 21:30 minutes into the video, you say that BL class locomotives regularly worked the Overland in the 1990's. To the best of my knowledge, this is not correct. In the early 1990's, two V/Line N Class locomotives were used. After standardisation, CLP locomotives were used. Since then, Great Serco Railway and Journey Beyond have used NR class locomotives.
There has been at least one occasion when a BL class locomotive took The Overland to Melbourne. That was in March 1986 when BL31 replaced an S Class locomotive at Mitcham. I was a passenger on the train and enjoyed the extra time I got to spend in the Club Car.
Thank you!
Oh right, that reference came from Wikipedia although I didn’t check the original source (below). Growing up in Adelaide, the BL were my favourite class.
[4] "SA Standard Gauge" Railway Digest May 1999 page 37
Amazing thank you so much for the good work!!!!!
Cheers!
very informative....love your videos.....
Thanks so much!
Great video Adam. It's a pity the philistines didn't decide to build a standard gauge track all the way into the city of Adelaide back in 1984.
Thank you! Yes, it would be great if the Overland arrived at Adelaide Railway Station as it did before Keswick was built.
Highlight of my Sunday was seeing a new video of yours was posted. Woohoo! I do wonder how many annual leave you have, with all this travel haha.
Great video, as always, Adam!
That’s very kind of you to say - thank you! I certainly make the most of my available leave although this trip was taken on a public holiday / long weekend, so no annual leave required. 😉
Very expensive. From SA.. glad you did it, we drive costs less and shorter hours.
Fair enough.
I went on this about 2 weeks ago from Adelaide to murray bridge. Best experience of my life
Cool! 👍
I only heard of Mt Elephant when I watched this a few months ago. I figured I’d have no reason to go out that way so I thought I’d never see it. And then I unexpectedly drove past it on a meandering drive from Bendigo to Warrnambool, via Ballarat, a few weeks back.
Ha - well there you go. It's funny how things work out like that.
Well presented, thank you.
Thank you!
You did it again: You produced an incredible documentary educational video. I enjoyed, I learned. Suggestion: anytime you mention kilometers also mention it in miles for us non-metric Americans. Also, mention the month you're traveling since we are opposite hemispheres.
Thank you so much. Noted Re miles. This trip was made on 25 April so autumn for the Southern Hemisphere.
Why? Do American Vloggers say things in Metric to appease the rest of the world? Nope
What a great video! New subscriber here.
The carrot cake looked to be a good choice!
It really was. 😋
Fantastic stuff, as per usual Adam!
Wonderful to hear that. Thanks Adam!
I really enjoy your videos and have been binge-watching. I'll never get to Australia so it's nice to see parts of your country. BTW, I was surprised by the unchecked luggage. Seems like that's a potential safety hazard.
Thank you - great to hear! Most trains in Australia allow unchecked luggage.
Alas, few trains in Oz go at speeds (or accelerate to speed) sufficient to worry about that! The Overland is deliberately kept in genteel carriage layout. Other long distance trains like Tilt Train in Queensland have luggage compartments in carriages.
Its nice to know theres a aussie doing theses vlogs .😃hey this is not bad at all thanks your really informative ,keep up the vlogs .
Hi Lisa. Thank you! I’m currently in Dubbo after catching the XPT so there’s more to come. 😊
Awesome video! Thank you
Glad you liked it!
Wonderful ! 👍
Thank you!
Nice video
Thanks!
When you entered south Australia that thick smoke someone just took a nap while the bbq was on don't ask me I am just guessing😂
Haha! A very well done steak. 😝
Love the comments “…needs a little wash”….and don’t ever stop with the little hand waves in the mirror….I’m based in Europe and love train travel….I hope you will continue to enjoy and expand your journeys
Awww - thank you! Glad you enjoy them!
Great review thank you
Thanks!
I used to do Sydney to Adelaide via Melbourne back in the mid 80s when I was really young.
This train looks like the same one we travelled on back then
Nothing has really changed. I guess the experience is the same
But obviously greatly improved services and technology. I would say they're definitely removed half the seats in the carriage my memory was a lot of seats in crowded carriage.
In the 1980s The Overland would have been an overnight service. I think the seating may have been similar to the economy class (Red Class) carriages (with two by two rows) rather than Red Premium seating (which is more like first class). 🤔
Great video!
Although all coaches were we silver snd blue and not red! 😂
And I have a suspicion that Horsham may just have been named after the town in Sussex, England.
Thanks Andrea. I think the “red” name is a carryover from the classes on the Indian Pacific and Ghan where they have Platinum and Gold sleeping accommodation and Red was the economy sit-up option but nowadays neither of those trains offers sit-up seating.
Yes, I believe you’re probably right re Horsham.
Even running the Prospector (Kalgoorlie to Perth train) on this route, I believe the journey time would already be reduced by about 2 hours. This route really deserves faster and more modern trainsets.
We can only hope. But I’m not confident it will happen.
nice trip food looked good as you say the seats looked a bit worn out well done with reviewing the trip
Thank you! 🙏
Hi Adam, thank u for this great video.
Will u be doing a video on the Indian Pacific, I would love to see it.
Hi Cheryl. Thank you so much! No plans at this stage, but I’d love to one day.