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Airline transportation is often associated most closely with travelling for a vacation. After all, airlines can get you from point A to point B the fastest but is it the most enjoyable way to travel? It is almost always an option to travel by car, saving money over airline fees but requiring more work on your part. A bus company also offers transport from point A to point B as well, but can come with cramped and uncomfortable conditions.

Travel by train is an increasingly popular form of transportation in Australia; offering travelers comfortable accommodations while also providing the opportunity to take in the vast and differing environment across the country. In the comfort of a train carriage, visitors and locals alike can traverse Australia and take in red desert vistas, tropical forests, and white sandy beaches without the stress of auto travel or cost of airline travel.

There are several train lines operating in Australia, offering short routes between the popular destinations on the more densely population East Coast as well as three day trips that traverse the vast Outback region from Australia’s East Coast to the West Coast.

New South Wales has the most extensive rail network of any state in Australia. Three trains and a large coach network make New South Wales the hub of rail activity in the country. The XPLORER and XPT routes take travelers from the nation’s capital in Sydney to Broken Hill, the Blue Mountains, north to Brisbane, and south to Melbourne. The state is also home to an extensive luxury coach line operated by CountryLink and serves to fill the gaps in rail coverage.

Those looking to explore Australia’s sunshine state of Queensland will find eight rail lines awaiting them with a variety of destinations at hand. Travel up the beautiful coast from Brisbane to the tropical surroundings of Cairns on the Sunlander or Tilt Train. If the Outback is the adventure you seek, there are five routes heading out from Brisbane, Cairns, and other stops along the way.

Australia is a massive country whose beautiful environs cannot be enjoyed properly in just one day. There are two train lines, the Indian Pacific and the Ghan, which cover the full breadth of the country from east to west, and north to south.

The Indian Pacific connects the Pacific Coast of the country with the Indian Coast. The route travels between Sydney in the east and Perth in the west and takes two days to complete its journey. The Indian Pacific makes a handful of stops in different locales across the country, including the port city of Adelaide in South Australia.

The Ghan line originates in the Northern Territory city of Darwin, travels south through the country and arrives in Adelaide. The three day journey goes through the heart of the nation and provides passengers with views of the Outback that transform from red clay deserts to subtropical and tropical flora and fauna near Darwin.

Travelling across Australia by train can be an enjoyable and surprisingly affordable means of traversing the country. Many of the longer routes offer stopping points along the way where travelers can disembark for a few structured hours, or stay for a few days and reconnect with the train when it passes back through.

Whether you are looking to avoid the hassle or expense of auto and air travel, or are truly looking to enjoy your travel more; using the train to traverse Australia is the answer you are seeking. Breathtaking views and comfortable surroundings are just the beginning of your experience; step off the train at any of the stops along the way and you can not only view the environment, you can interact with nature and cultures around you as you travel.

Guest post contributed by Victoria. Victoria is a freelance travel writer. She understands all too well the difficulties of travelling in style, yet she believes you can look good by being hairfree plus liberated on your next holiday