Journey Beyond hosted a small group of industry representatives in Adelaide for the official christening and a ‘first look’ inside Australia’s most luxurious train suites. Karryon was there.
The VIP day trip from Adelaide to the Clare Valley on board the Indian Pacific provided a chance to view the suites, Aurora and Australis, the latter the most luxurious suite in Australian train travel – both which will be available on the Indian Pacific and The Ghan from April.
Speaking at the launch event, Executive General Manager Rail David Donald told the group demand for the new suites has been phenomenal.
“We went to market less than a year ago, and we’re fully booked throughout 2026 and seeing the same trend in 2027.”
The Australis Suite is three times the size of a platinum cabin and has a lounge, writing desk, ensuite with double vanity, personal bar and custom-made bed in the separate bedroom.
The Aurora Suite (double the size of a platinum cabin) is equally as luxurious, with a slightly smaller lounge area, and both have wardrobes and Jurlique amenities.
As well as free-flowing Bollinger La Grande Année 2015, guests will also have a butler and a nine-course degustation menu.
Journey Beyond’s Executive General Manager Marketing Justine Lally says the suites “set a new benchmark for space, design and service, elevating Australia’s iconic rail journeys and placing them firmly among the world’s leading luxury rail experiences”.
Donald says when they embarked on this project two years ago, it was because they saw strong growth towards luxury travel that is personalised.
“Our guests travelling on these suites will be treated to a luxury experience never experienced before in Australia on trains.
“So guests have private transfers at the beginning and end, private butlers, a nine-course degustation dinner on the first night served in the suite for the first time, all matched with exclusive wines and champagnes.”
He says it’s not just about the journey from getting to Adelaide to Darwin or Sydney to Perth, “it’s about the experiences along the way”.
“For suite guests, we’ve elevated those, and they could be, for example, on The Ghan taking a helicopter flight to Nitmiluk National Park, landing inside a gorge, or it could be a flight to dine while overlooking Uluru.”
In 2027, The Ghan will also have a new signature experience at the hatted-restaurant Watervale Hotel in the Clare Valley.
Here, owners Nicola Palmer and Warrick Duthy are building a new woolshed specifically to host guests on the first night of the rail journey, who will be treated to a degustation meal created with ingredients from its biodynamic Penobscot Farm.
The first departure of trains with the new suites will be the Indian Pacific on the 4th April 2026 from Perth, with The Ghan following a day later.
Fares start from AU$16,790 per person for the Australis Suite and AU$11,190 per person for the Aurora Suite for a three-day journey on The Indian Pacific.
For more information, visit Journey Beyond Rail.
