Pam Jones discovers the beauty of travelling on the Nullarbor and more, as Australia's golden landscape provides inspiration and relaxation on the Indian Pacific train journey.
It's almost inevitable.
Put a novice or well-heeled traveller on a train and tell them to do nothing but enjoy the ride and something special will happen.
Imaginations will wander, conversations will flow.
When you're not behind the steering wheel or walking with your backpack, more time appears for other important occupations such as quaffing wine, or pondering the nature of your trip with the almost smug knowledge that someone else will get you to your destination on time, although you almost wouldn't mind if something went awry and you had to stay on the train forever.
There's just something about it.
Train travel provides an undeniable period of indulgence, a surety of travel; a touch of luxury maybe; a snapshot in time.
Travelling on the Indian Pacific across Australia between the oceans that give the train its name provides all those opportunities and more.
The trip lends itself to lots of cliches: an epic trip, once in a lifetime.
But the cliches ring true as Australia presents as a giant outback painting, interspersed with stimulating reminders of its small-town and big-city attractions.
We took the route slightly less travelled by doing the trip from west to east, starting in Western Australia and travelling towards Sydney, and I recommend this, not least of all because it apparently gives you more flexibility with booking dates.
Many begin in Sydney and then head west to Perth and, of course, it's exactly the same scenery.
But we flew to Perth first, spending a week enjoying its modern, progressive cityscape and exploring the surrounding wheatbelt and goldfields regions before hopping on the train at Kalgoorlie.
A rush of privilege descended upon me immediately.
When I was 21 I travelled on the Indian Pacific from Sydney to Perth on a backpacker's budget, revelling in the excitement of crossing Australia for the first time while sleeping in the same seat from which I viewed the daytime scenery.
My three days and three nights were indeed the trip of a lifetime, but this time ... this time I'm in a sleeper berth.
Oh, the prospect of lying down to sleep instead of propping myself against a window.
Oh, the privacy of my own room and bathroom ...
So we slumber gratefully that first night (the train left Kalgoorlie at 1.20am), moving to anticipation as we stroll down to the lounge car to begin the first of a variety of rounds of drinks and meals.
Gold and platinum train tickets include a la carte breakfast, lunch and dinner dining in the train's Queen Adelaide Restaurant and a selection of drinks from the restaurant and bar.
The first whoosh of the doors that opened to the restaurant was almost a Narnia moment and, as someone whose favourite pastime is to eat out, I'm further overwhelmed by my good fortune to be able to choose from such an outstanding menu.
We start our meals with breakfasts of eggs Benedict with Tasmanian smoked salmon and move on to a lunch of Angus beef medallion (served with a shiraz jus, roasted garlic potato mash, chilli jam and crispy pancetta) and Regattas Point Atlantic salmon, served with steamed asparagus and a spiced watermelon, cucumber and coriander salsa.
Lunch starters were native damper rolls with macadamia oil and saltbush dukkah, and desserts were a lemon meringue pie with wild berry salsa and a lavender panna cotta with almond biscotti and rose pashmak (like a candyfloss).
Impressed?
Well so were we, with every subsequent meal offering the same comprehensive choice based on top quality Australian ingredients.
Of course there was kangaroo on the dinner menu, as well as pork, duck breast, vegetarian options, lamb ... plus more desserts, and Australian cheese, and a marvellous variety of Australian wines.
Everything was waiter service at tables with crisp white tablecloths, and all the meals were cooked to order by a team of chefs.
Then at night, we returned to cabins where our beds had been miraculously turned down for us and a chocolate placed on our pillow.
For most of our trip, a legendary lounge host called Kurtys Ramond was in charge of the guests in our area and he was one of those perfect, dream-like hosts: part comedian, part raconteur, ever charming and handling the restaurant bookings and queries of whole carriages of passengers with ease as he glided seamlessly from person to person making each and every one of us feel as if we were the most important person on the train.
The many other staff on the train were also reliably on hand to chat and advise about off-site excursions, and every stop offered something to do.
The Nullarbor (Latin for ''no trees'') Plain took centre stage in our journey, contributing a hefty portion of track that included the longest straight section of train track in the world: 478km.
It's a vast expanse, seemingly empty but full of so much at the same time and wow, the colour!
The wide open desert looked as if someone had picked the deepest, richest rusty-red they could find in their paintbox and used it to cover huge swathes of the land before us.
It was like nothing I'd ever seen before (putting my 21-year-old wanderings to the side), a parallel universe that existed on the other side of my window.
The Nullarbor contained the next stop after Kalgoorlie, Cook (population 4), where travellers could stretch their legs while wandering around the miniature settlement's cluster of buildings.
They included historic corrugated iron prisons used when the town enjoyed busier times. Now the cells are tourist attractions, and the most action the area sees is when the train calls in.
Another day's travel brought us to elegant Adelaide, full of wide, leafy streets and dignified buildings on a City Sights tour that took us to Mt Lofty Summit, 710m above sea level.
Another trip visited the 140-year-old Adelaide Central Market, overflowing with fresh produce and cafe culture.
Later that day we pulled in to Broken Hill, where we chose to tour the Pro Hart Gallery (another option was to visit the Broken Earth Miners Memorial).
Both tours skirted through the well-preserved historic buildings in Broken Hill's town centre, and the Pro Hart Gallery was then a feast of work, exhibiting the brilliance of the late, great Kevin ''Pro'' Hart, world renowned for his contemporary figurative work.
We snaked through the Blue Mountains and eventually arrived in Sydney, unable to stay over due to immediate flights but already planning a trip back to soak up Sydney's sights and sounds.
What final words about the journey we had just completed?Many on the trip were ticking off their bucket list one of the world's great train trips, and you could tell all were thrilled with their own personal journey.
The Indian Pacific is an incredible trip to do at any age and stage, but I say get it ticked off your list sooner rather than later.
• Pam Jones travelled with the assistance of Great Southern Railways, Air New Zealand and Tourism Western Australia.
If you go
• Air New Zealand offers non-stop flights most days between Auckland and Perth on its new 787-9 Dreamliner.
• Seasonal non-stop flights are also available between Christchurch and Perth until April 25.
• Flights can also be taken with Air New Zealand's partner airline Virgin Australia via Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane to Perth. Go to airnewzealand.co.nz
For more information go to www.greatsouthernrail.com.au
