After completing my Sydney (and Parramatta) trip, I was ready to visit another beautiful city, Canberra – the Australian Capital Territory. In fact, before flying to Australia, I did my own research to find the best ways to reach Canberra from Sydney. Eventually, I had to decide between bus and train. Moreover, my flight to Auckland, New Zealand was from Sydney. So, I had to come back to Sydney anyways. Finally, I booked a train from Sydney to Canberra, and for the return trip (Canberra to Sydney), I booked a bus (I had booked all flights, bus, and train tickets much before flying to Australia). I will write a separate post about the bus journey which is another great experience worth sharing. In this post, however, I will talk about the scenic journey by the NSW TrainLink.
I have already mentioned my detailed travel route in the Australian Review (Part 1). In this post, I will talk about my scenic train journey – from Sydney to Canberra by NSW TrainLink (website). Let’s get going –
The scenery
Why did I choose a train to Sydney, and not a flight? Alright, I wanted to experience the great Australian the scenery. And my decision turned out to be a positive one. I feel fortunate to have seen the serene landscape of Australia. It was such a great remoteness that looked like a paradise. There were animals, especially the cows, running wild in the wide-open fields – giving clues about the dairy farming and the milk exports from Australia. I also saw the jumping kangaroos. The scenery was simply exotic and breathtaking. The train journey is highly recommended.
The source and destination
My train started in Sydney from the Sydney (Central) Station, and the destination station was the Canberra – Station (Kingston). You can easily locate them in Google Maps.
When I posted the postcards
I reached the Sydney station a bit early, and had some free time. So I went outside the station to send a few postcards to my international friends. I am not sure if the cards reached the desired destinations. 🙂
NSW TrainLink
The train services are provided by NSW TrainLink – this is an excellent example of the colonial heritage in Australia.
How to book a NSW TrainLink ticket?
I booked the train ticket online. It’s simple. You need to create an account with NSW TrainLink. Once the ticket is booked, you will get a confirmation email with all the details. I paid the ticket price using my Visa card. I booked the ticket when I was in Singapore, and carried a printout with me during the entourage. A Train Ticket Examiner (TTE) would come to check the valid tickets. I don’t think there was anyone without a valid ticket (which is probably more common in South Asia).
The ticket Price
I paid total AU $ 39.54 (Fare: $ 35.95 + GST: $ 3.59) for one way journey – from Sydney to Canberra.
How much time does it take to reach Canberra from Sydney?
More than 4 hours. Well, as per the official timings- my train was supposed to start at 12:08 PM from Sydney, and reach Canberra at 4:29 PM. The train was very much punctual, and started from Sydney on time, and reached Canberra around the official time. My five star rating. 🙂
Train speed
In certain aspects, Australia still lags behind the Asian countries. One aspect is definitely the population (which is good). Another could be the train speed (which can be good 🙂 ) – trains are just not that fast. It took more than 4 hours to cover a distance of 290 KM. Imagine – in China the bullet trains run at above 300 Km/h.
In fact, Indian trains are more modernised and have better speed than the trains in Australia. 🙂 Not to mention, ticket fare and food prices are much more affordable in Asia.
Fellow Passengers
They were very friendly, relaxed and laid back- and I often felt like interacting with the philosophers. I did talk to a few seniors as well. Most of the passengers were Australian – and a few of them were going to see a dance festival in Canberra. Some of the passengers were looking at me as I clicked pics of the beautiful scenery. I loved the Australian scenery.
Train stoppage
Along its way, the train stopped at a few pre-specified stations. You will see the old passengers alighting, and the new passengers getting into the train at every stop. The train stations never looked crowded (from the Asian standard).
Pantry
Yes, there was a pantry in the train with a good selection of food and drinks available on board. I will post the food menu here – just click on it to view a larger size. Happy eating. 😀
Food and beverages
I had an Economy Class Seat ticket, and the aforementioned fare didn’t include any meal. I had to buy lunch from the pantry. Outside food/drinks are allowed on the train, so if you happen to plan a train ride, you can consider carrying your own food. They do serve alcohol on board –I will show you the official policy statement. Lol
Safety
The journey was overall very safe. For example, we just put the luggage on the backside of the compartment – in the luggage racks provided or at the end of the carriage. Nobody disturbed anything. I had similar experience in Chinese bullet train.
Train structure
There were 3 compartments. I was in the sitting car. I am not sure if they have sleeping car. The seats were arranged in 2 × 2 fashion – and a midway to walk in the carriage. I didn’t get the window seat as there was a lady between me and the train window, and I found it a bit difficult to take photos.
So I even changed my seat to another available seat. And then I took lots of pics, including the flying birds – check this one:
Luggage Allowances
You can check in the baggage as well. There are some baggage weight restrictions. For example, no item of checked luggage may exceed 20 kilograms in weight, and 60 x 70 x 50 centimetres in size. You should check further details from the NSW TrainLink website.
Reached Canberra
Finally! It was such a memorable train trip – inspiring me to write a permanent blog.
My overall evaluation of the NST Trainlink – it’s absolutely worth the ride if you have time. The scenic journey is just irresistible for the travellers. A Sydney to Canberra long drive is also recommended.
That’s it for this post. Do check my other posts about Australia. You can check out my Sydney travel reviews (Part 1 and Part 2), or the other countries, or the complete navigation list. You can also find more about me.
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Happy travelling!
Last updated: Wednesday, December 20, 2017