Rail Explorer Pass
Cross our island continent in style - from $405
The Rail Explorer Pass gives you three or six months' unlimited Red Service travel on most Great Southern Rail services.
The cost-effective Rail Explorer Pass includes Australia's two great transcontinental train journeys: the Indian Pacific (Sydney - Adelaide - Perth) and The Ghan (Adelaide - Darwin).
Pricing
Buy your Rail Explorer Pass from your nearest CountryLink agent before you arrive in Australia and you'll save around 10%.
| Purchased | 3 months | 6 months |
| Outside Australia | $405 | $531 |
| Within Australia | $450 | $590 |
This product is not available to residents of Australia.
Buy now
Rail Explorer Passes are available from your nearest CountryLink Travel Centre or agent.
Using your pass
To book travel on a train service using your pass, call Great Southern Rail on 13 21 47.
Great Southern Rail services
The Ghan
The Ghan, operated by Great Southern Rail, runs north from Adelaide through Australia's red centre to tropical Darwin, on the Timor Sea.
Named after the Afghan cameleers who once traversed this route, this transcontinental adventure offers an unsurpassed view of Australia over three unforgettable days.
- Discover things to see and do in Adelaide, Alice Springs and Darwin
- Find out more about The Ghan at the Great Southern Rail website.
The Indian Pacific
The Indian Pacific. Photo: Great Southern Rail
Spanning the continent from Sydney in the east to Perth in the west, Great Southern Rail's Indian Pacific is recognised as one of the world's great train journeys.
Named after the two great oceans it joins and symbolised by the magnificent wedge-tailed eagle that so often soars above it, the mighty Indian Pacific traverses 4,352 kilometres (2,698 miles) between Perth and Sydney.
During the three-day, three-night journey, you’ll have many opportunities to leave the train and take in some of the highlights of Central Australia.
- Discover things to see and do in Sydney, Adelaide and Perth
- Find out more about The Indian Pacific at the Great Southern Rail website.
The Overland
The Overland, operated by Great Southern Rail, connects Adelaide and Melbourne.
- Discover things to see and do in Adelaide and Melbourne
- Find out more about The Overland at the Great Southern Rail website.
Travel pass conditions
- 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.
- The passes are valid for use on specified rail and coach services operated by the following railway systems:
- CountryLink (Economy seats)
- Great Southern Rail (Red Service Day/Nighter seats)
- Queensland Rail (Economy Class seats).
- Travel must commence and the pass validated within six months of the date of purchase.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- For full Conditions of Carriage and important travel tips please refer to the information provided on each operator's website:
- Pass product is available at the published rate and no further concessions apply.
- The pass may be subject to a fuel price surcharge per sector booked on The Ghan, Indian Pacific and The Overland.
- Passes are not transferable. One passenger per pass only.
- 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.
- Passes lost, stolen or misplaced will not be available for replacement.
