See Ya, Mates … I’m Heading Down Under.

I will soon be crossing two long-anticipated train rides off my must-do list. Tomorrow morning, I’m hopping over to Honolulu and, just after noon, will take Hawaiian Airlines’ non-stop flight to Sydney. It will already be the next day, Sunday, when I arrive, but that will still give me two full days to see some of that city’s sights.

On Wednesday, I’ll be taking Australia’s legendary trans-continental train, the Indian Pacific, for the three-night journey westward across the continent, arriving in Perth on the Indian Ocean Saturday morning.

After two days there, I’ll catch a Qantas flight to Darwin, for another two-day stopover before boarding the train again. This time it’s the Ghan and a two-night journey south to Adelaide by way of Alice Springs. Both trains are operated by Great Southern Rail.

From there it’s Qantas back to Sydney, then the return to Honolulu once again on Hawaiian Airlines.

I gather scenery along the way will be quite varied, but both trains will take us through some pretty barren stretches. In fact, somewhere on the Indian Pacific’s route is the longest stretch of perfectly straight track in the world – well over 300 miles.

Clearly, there will be days when I’ll be unable to post any progress reports, but once back home I’ll provide more detailed posts – probably a day-by-day log – along with photos taken along the way.

So … stay tuned!