Fulfilling a Dream: The Great Australian Train Trek
- A lifelong dream can become reality through thoughtfully planned, educational travel experiences.
- Australia offers a rare blend of landscapes — from vibrant cities to sacred cultural landmarks and unique wildlife.
- Train travel provides a relaxed, immersive way to connect with both scenery and fellow travelers.
- Expert-led programs enhance travel with deeper cultural insight, seamless logistics and meaningful connections.
My husband Ron had always wanted to go to Australia. He talked about making the journey on our first date almost 50 years ago, sharing his dream of seeing the landscape, animals and famous landmarks. It seemed like an impossible dream at the time, and then many years later we found Road Scholar and the Great Australian Train Trek.
Our journey through Australia took us across the country on two different overnight trains and four domestic flights. We saw everything from the urban wonders of Sydney to the culturally rich land of Uluru, with stops to view the amazing variety of wildlife and environments along the way. Our Group Leader, John, handled the entire 27-day journey seamlessly. The local experts were knowledgeable and insightful, providing the opportunity to learn at every step along the way.
Sydney Harbour Bridge.
Australia was all that we had hoped it would be. The train treks were especially memorable. We had our own cabin and bathroom. The views from the train windows were amazing: fields of soy flowers, picturesque old ranch buildings in the distance and kangaroos hopping alongside the train. At one point, we could see pointed ears sticking up out of a field of tall flowers — the ears suddenly popped up, and we watched a kangaroo hopping through the field. We spent a lot of the train ride in the lounge car, visiting with people from our group as well as Australians who were making this memorable excursion. The people were very friendly, even encouraging us to move to Australia and bring our whole family!
Exploring Uluru provided another memorable experience. We visited the giant rock formation during the day with the excellent local expert sharing information about the geography and the importance of the site to the local Indigenous People. We returned to Uluru as the sun was getting ready to set, watching colors change on the sandstone formation from an orangey red to a darker, almost purple hue. Our group toasted the sight and enjoyed reaching this special place as the sun set.
Uluru or Ayers Rock.
Sydney was like a dream. We could hardly believe that we were standing in front of the well-known Sydney Opera House and the Sydney Harbour Bridge. It’s a beautiful city with an amazing harbor. There’s so much to see and do in the city: the zoo, Bondi Beach, the Rocks — where the first Europeans settled in the area — and exploring local shops and markets.
Additional memorable moments on this journey include up-close looks at quokkas on Rottnest Island out of Perth, snorkeling the Great Barrier Reef with a marine biologist who explained everything we were seeing and holding a koala on Kangaroo Island (my favorite moment!).
The Great Australian Train Trek was a way to bring Ron’s lifelong dream to life, and it met all our expectations. The places we saw, the immense knowledge base of all our instructors and the amazing organization of our Group Leader, whom we considered a friend by the end of the journey. Ron commented just the other day that he would consider doing this program again; it was definitely a top tier experience. At this point, we’ve participated in two other Road Scholar programs (the Galaápagos Islands and Churchill, Canada to see polar bears) and are enrolled in one more in 2027. We appreciate the quality of the experience at a comparably affordable price.
Quokka, a small macropod about the size of a domestic cat.
Cathy Thompson is a retired school administrator who lives with her husband of 46 years. When not traveling, Cathy spends as much time as possible with her teenage granddaughter and two golden retriever granddogs. She also volunteers for her church and a local program that provides musical instruments for K-12 students who might not otherwise have access. Ron and Cathy share a love of travel and work to be on the road as much as possible.