Frequently Asked Questions

Short term parking is available at all terminals so you can have your family or friends see you depart at the beginning of your journey.

We do not recommend leaving your car at our terminals for extended periods of time.

As each terminal provides a different experience, it depends on where you are departing from.

Luggage can be checked into all terminals 2 hours prior to departure.

Adelaide, Perth, Darwin, Alice Springs: You are able to store your luggage 2 hours prior to departure at the terminal.

Sydney: There are luggage storage facilities available through NSW TrainLink at their luggage check-in area adjacent Platform 1 at a cost of $4.40 per person.

Check in opens approximately 2 hours prior to your scheduled departure time.

We ask all guests to check in at least 60 minutes prior to departure to be welcomed onboard. Please bring your travel itinerary and Photo I.D.

We want you to enjoy your journey without concerns over flight times. We therefore would recommend you allow for an overnight stop before connecting to domestic or international flights. Journey Beyond Rail Expeditions does not accept liability for any missed connections due to late train arrivals.

Yes, you are able to request forward facing-cabins aboard The Ghan, Indian Pacific and Great Southern at the time of booking; however, as approximately half of our cabins face forward, we are unable to guarantee a forward facing cabin depending on the number of requests we receive for any given departure.

Seats aboard The Overland can be turned to face either direction, depending on your preference.

Journey Beyond Rail Expeditions offers a wide range of accommodation and touring options. We would be happy to assist you with booking your holiday. Please contact our Travel Centre on 13 21 47.

Journey Beyond Rail Expeditions does not have a face to face booking office. We strongly recommend reaching out to our Travel Centre on 13 21 47 or visiting journeybeyondrail.com.au for any bookings or enquiries.

When paying your deposit, a confirmation will be received within three business days of making the payment. When you make a final booking payment by Direct Deposit or BPay, no acknowledgement is issued at that time. You will instead receive your final travel documents within 45 days of departure.

Please return to the travel agent who made your booking for any changes or amendments, as they retain ownership of your booking with Journey Beyond. For guests with bookings directly with Journey Beyond, please contact our Travel Centre team on 13 21 47 for any changes or amendments.

You will receive your cabin and carriage number upon check in. While cabin and seat numbers are assigned as a behind-the-scenes process in the weeks leading up to departure, this allocation can occasionally change in the lead up to your departure due to operational reasons.

You will receive your travel documents at the time of booking with Journey Beyond or through your travel agent. Your Final Travel Documents will be sent to you or your travel agent 30 days before departure. We recommend you have a printed or digital copy of these Travel Documents with you when you check in and throughout your journey. 

As our journeys are all-inclusive you will not need to buy anything unless you choose to purchase an Off Train Experience upgrade or souvenirs, which you can do onboard utilising our EFTPOS or credit card facilities. Unfortunately, we are unable to provide any cash out on our trains.

Luggage limits apply for both carry on and checked luggage. These limits vary depending on the level of service you are travelling in and by train. Please visit our what to pack page for more details.

While on board The Ghan, Indian Pacific or Great Southern, you can access one piece of hand luggage plus a garment bag, cabin bag or briefcase per person, and store this within your cabin. On The Overland, you can bring one cabin bag per person onto the train.

Checked luggage cannot be accessed during your rail journey, and will be stored on a separate part of the train. Checked luggage limits apply.

The Ghan, Indian Pacific and Great Southern:

• Platinum Service (per person): 3 x 30kg
• Gold Service (per person) 2 x 30kg

The Overland:

• Red Premium (per person): 2 x 30kg
• Red Standard (per person): 2 x 20kg

Please Note: If you are travelling on a Journey Beyond Rail Holiday Package that features our sister company, Outback Spirit, please be aware that there are strict luggage limitations for these tours.

It’s your holiday and we want you to be comfortable so smart casual attire is recommended.

We also recommend:

• Warm clothes for Outback Experiences as mornings and evenings in the Outback can be cool
• Hat, sunscreen and comfortable walking shoes for your Off Train Experiences.

Travelling from one end of the country to the other can provide a variation in climates.

When travelling on The Ghan, temperatures vary significantly so make sure to pack for both cooler and warmer temperatures.

• Darwin or Katherine: mid-30 degree temperatures
• Marla or Manguri: 4 degree nights/early mornings

When travelling on the Indian Pacific, temperatures vary significantly so make sure to pack for both cooler and warmer temperatures. This is also dependent on the time of year.

• Adelaide and Perth: during summer months, temperatures can average around 30 degrees
• Nullarbor, Rawlinna and Cook: during winter months, temperatures at night can average as low as 5 degrees

It is best to pack everything you need plus a warm jacket or jumper, enclosed shoes, a hat and sunscreen into your carry-on luggage.

All our services are air-conditioned, with the temperature averaging 22 degrees.

We recommend packing layers of clothing for the different temperatures (inside and outside the train).

No, smoking is not permitted on any of Journey Beyond Rail Expeditions services.

Limited Wi-Fi is available in the Outback Explorer Lounges and Platinum Club carriages.

Please note that Wi-Fi availability is dependent on mobile network coverage, and as we travel through some remote locations it may not always be available.

No, the only animals permitted on Journey Beyond Rail Expeditions rail journeys are specially trained dogs for the vision and hearing impaired.

Travelling The Ghan, Indian Pacific, and Great Southern, 240v household outlets can be found in the cabin.

Travelling The Overland, a limited number of outlets are available in Café 828.

*As our electricity is supplied from diesel generators and may be subject to fluctuations, we recommend the use of a surge protector when plugging in your devices.

In your cabin when you first board the train, you will find a card with the breakfast, lunch and dinner meal times for your journey. Your On-Board Attendant will advise you of the process. If you have any special requests regarding meal times, please speak with a member of our On-Board team.

Most special dietary requirements can be accommodated – including vegetarian, gluten free, lactose free and vegan. Please ensure this is advised at the time of booking. For further information, please contact our Travel Centre on 13 21 47.

While The Ghan, Indian Pacific, and Great Southern make a number of stops in regional and remote areas for Off Train Experiences and to pass other rail traffic, we are not able to offer the opportunity for guests to leave the journey at these locations. Selected major towns and cities en route at which the journey may be left are advised on our timetables. Regional travel remains available aboard The Overland, which forms part of the public transport network in Western Victoria.

To ensure your safety and well-being, our staff members onboard are trained to administer basic first aid. We also have a specially modified wheelchair onboard for those who have mobility issues or require a carer. You can also check in your wheelchair, walking frame or scooter to be stored as luggage to save you arranging alternate assistance yourself.

For guests requiring mobility assistance onboard, please review and complete our Fitness to travel form

The Ghan, Indian Pacific and Great Southern have a Gold Access Cabin available for wheelchair bound/physically impaired guests travelling in Gold Service. This cabin is subject to availability and assessment of the guest’s Fitness to Travel.

See Gold Service Access Cabin for more details.

Members will earn 1 Qantas Point per AU$1 spent on eligible bookings.

Eligible bookings include Journey Beyond Rail Expeditions and Journey Beyond Rail Expedition Holiday Packages booked by 15 December 2023 for departure by 31 December 2024. Rail Expeditions are the following journeys: The Ghan, Indian Pacific, Great Southern, The Overland and The Ghan Expedition. Expedition Holiday Packages are the following packages: Pre-Season Release Packages, Season Packages and Rail and Sail packages.

Qantas Frequent Flyer members can not earn Qantas Points on Classic Rail Rewards.

Eligible bookings exclude bookings made via Qantas Hotels; TripADeal; airfares packaged with a Journey Beyond Rail Holiday Package; bookings made with a promotional or discount code including staff, companion or friends and family discounts, travel industry discounts, trade and press familiarisations or prize winners; bookings of Groups and Charters (a Group is 10 guests or more travelling together on one booking. A charter is a dedicated train departure booked by one group or organisation); or via a distribution partner who is already a participant in the Qantas Frequent Flyer program, including but not limited to Globus and Cosmos.

Yes the Qantas Points earned on your booking can be equally divided between  the individuals’ Qantas Frequent Flyer accounts. 

Each passenger’s Qantas Frequent Flyer number needs to be entered in the guest check-out form or added into the booking prior to departure. 

If you do not add all Qantas Frequent Flyer numbers before booking departure, only the entered Qantas Frequent Flyer numbers will receive the points. 

If you have made an eligible Journey Beyond rail booking by 15 December 2023 for departure by 31 December 2024, and have not yet added your Qantas Frequent Flyer number to their booking in order to earn Qantas Points, you can do this by calling Journey Beyond Travel Centre on 1800 019 642 at any time prior to travel. Qantas Frequent Flyer details must be added prior to travel.

Visit https://www.journeybeyondrail.com.au, purchase an eligible 2023/2024 rail journey or package and provide your Qantas Frequent Flyer membership number when entering guest details in the form by 15 December 2023. Alternatively please call the Journey Beyond Travel Centre on 1800 019 642.

If you change your booking to a different departure date or destination and travel by 31 December 2024, you will still earn Qantas Points based on the dollar value for that booking.

Qantas Points will not be earned on cancelled bookings.

Qantas Points will be credited to a members account within 8 weeks of the completion of your journey.

If you have a query after points have been credited please complete the Qantas Frequent Flyer contact form here.

Alternatively, call the Qantas Frequent Flyer Service Centre on 13 11 31 between 7am and 7pm (AEST) Monday to Saturday and have your Qantas Frequent Flyer number and PIN to hand.

Members can use Qantas Points on Classic Rail Rewards on The Ghan, Indian Pacific and Great Southern by 15 December 2023 for departure by 31 December 2024.

Visit https://www.journeybeyondrail.com.au, by 15 December 2023, select a travel date by 31 December 2024 and switch the Classic Rail Reward toggle to view reward availability.

Your Qantas Points will be deducted from your Qantas Frequent Flyer account as soon as you select ‘Apply’ to complete your booking.

No – Qantas Points will not be earned on Classic Rail Rewards.

If a refund payment is applicable for the cancellation of a Journey Beyond Rail Expedition booking for departure by 31 December 2024, as per the booking and travel conditions, then Qantas Points will be refunded within 14 days of the cancellation.

For departures from 1 April 2021 to 31 December 2024, members are free to change the date of their booking to another time (subject to Classic Reward availability) up to 14 days prior to travel without a change fee. A change fee applies for any booking changed less than 14 days prior to the departure date.

You can reset your Qantas Frequent Flyer PIN immediately by logging in to qantas.com or the Qantas app on your smartphone and choosing the Forgotten PIN feature.

Points Plus Pay allows you to make a booking using a mix of Qantas Points and money. The more points you use, the less money you pay. 

The minimum number of Qantas Points required to use Points Plus Pay is stated on the product details page and at checkout and is subject to change.

Once you have logged into your Qantas Frequent Flyer account, a slider will appear on the page. 

Simply slide the tool to choose a mix of Qantas Points and money that suits you.

Checkout by using your payment details for the chosen cash amount. 

Don’t forget that you will also earn Qantas Points on the cash component of your booking when you use Points Plus Pay.

Once you have included your Qantas Frequent Flyer number and have accepted the terms and conditions, you will be able to see an option to use Qantas Points. Click on ‘Use Qantas Points’ and you will be prompted to log in to your Qantas Frequent Flyer account to be able to use the Points Plus Pay calculator. Once you click ‘APPLY’, the Qantas Points will be deducted from your Qantas Frequent Flyer account. Please allow up to 15 minutes for transaction to appear in your account.

A minimum 4,000 Qantas Points is required to use Points Plus Pay.

No – you cannot use Points Plus Pay when booking a Classic Rail Reward journey. Classic Rail Rewards must be paid for in full with Qantas Points. You can use Points Plus Pay on eligible bookings.

Yes, you can earn Qantas Points on the cash component of your eligible booking only.

We accept VISA, Mastercard and Bpay for payment of all orders. Cheques or cash payments aren’t accepted.

A tax invoice will be supplied by Journey Beyond Rail Expeditions whenever Points Plus Pay is used to complete an order, which will show the remaining balance owing on the booking. You will be able to see a breakdown of the Points Plus Pay amount in ‘Manage My Booking’ online.

If a refund payment is applicable for the cancellation of a Journey Beyond Rail Expedition booking for departure by 31 December 2024, as per the booking and travel conditions, then Qantas Points will be refunded within 14 days of the cancellation.