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East Coast Discovery Pass mapEast Coast Discovery Pass

Make your way along our spectacular Pacific coastline - from $130

Make your way along Australia's spectacular Pacific coastline at your own pace.

Select your start and end point and take up to six months to travel in one direction with coastal CountryLink and Queensland Rail services.

Plus you'll get free connecting coach services to destinations east of the railway line, including Eden, Hawks Nest, Port Macquarie, Byron Bay and Surfers Paradise.

Pricing

East Coast Discovery Pass 6 months
Cairns to Melbourne or Melbourne to Cairns $414
Cairns to Sydney or Sydney to Cairns $342
Cairns to Brisbane or Brisbane to Cairns $265
Brisbane to Melbourne or Melbourne to Brisbane $198
Brisbane to Sydney or Sydney to Brisbane $117
Sydney to Melbourne or Melbourne to Sydney $117

Buy your East Coast Discovery Pass from your nearest CountryLink agent before you arrive in Australia and you'll save around 10%.

Buy now

Buy your East Coast Discovery Pass with CountryLink online.

East Coast Discovery Passes are also available from your nearest CountryLink Travel Centre or agent.

Using your pass

To book travel on a train or coach service using your pass, contact the service's operator:

Queensland Rail services 

The Sunlander

Cairns
Seaplane tour, Cairns. Photo: Greg Primmer / Tourism Australia

Watch the Queensland coastline unfold aboard Queensland Rail's Sunlander, voted Australia's best railway journey by the Society of International Railway Travellers. Enjoy the traditional service and social atmosphere on board while taking in the rainforests, beaches, tropical islands and course the world-famous Great Barrier Reef.

Tilt Train

Queensland Rail's innovative high-speed Tilt Trains connect destinations along the Queensland coast: Brisbane, Rockhampton, Townsville and Cairns.

Travel pass conditions

  1. The passes are issued to and accepted by the person named on the ticket, subject to the railways acts, by-laws, regulations and General Conditions of Carriage in force in each railway system to which the travel applies.
  2. The passes are valid for use on specified rail and coach services operated by the following railway systems:
    • CountryLink (Economy seats)
    The passes are not valid on any Metropolitan services or North Queensland Tourist Train services.
  3. Travel must commence and the pass validated within six months of the date of purchase.
  4. Travel must be completed within the stipulated length of time (that is either three or six months) from the date of validation endorsed on the pass at the initial departure point.
  5. The holder may upgrade to travel in First Class, Business Class or Red Premium Service seats and sleeping berths on payment of the applicable upgrade amount.
  6. A reservation is essential prior to the use of the pass and entitles the passenger to only one allocation on any service. The travel pass is a receipt only and does not guarantee travel. A reservation for each individual sector of travel is necessary to obtain a valid travel ticket.
  7. The passes must be presented with the passport of the holder at the ticket office of the departure point of the initial journey for validation and endorsing of the total period of availability on the pass document. The passport with ticket is to be produced by the holder for all subsequent journeys at either the ticket office or to onboard staff for verification.
  8. For full Conditions of Carriage and important travel tips please refer to the information provided on each operator's website:
  9. The pass product is available at the published rate and no further concessions apply.
  10. The pass may be subject to a fuel price surcharge per sector booked on The Ghan, Indian Pacific and The Overland.
  11. Passes are not transferable. One passenger per pass only.
  12. No refund is payable on passes that have been validated, nor are refunds allowed on lost or stolen passes. Applications for refund on passes not yet validated must be submitted to the issuing office within 12 months of the date of issue. For passes purchased overseas, refunds cannot be obtained in Australia.
  13. Passes lost, stolen or misplaced will not be available for replacement.

East Coast Discovery Pass - additional conditions

  1. Valid for six months from the first day of travel, which must commence within six months from date of purchase.
  2. Available for one journey with unlimited stopovers on CountryLink and Queensland Rail east coast train and coach services in one direction only, either north or south, between the locations endorsed on the ticket.
  3. Not available for travel on Melbourne Metro, Sydney CityRail or Queensland Rail city services except where stated. 
  4. Travel on Sydney's CityRail services is only permitted when travelling to a station to connect with a CountryLink service.
  5. Tilt Train upgrade can only be booked within seven days of departure and is subject to availability.