Great South Pacific Express
History: the GSPE is an initiative between Venice Simplon-Orient Express and Queensland Rail and was launched in April at a cost of £14.5m.
Route/itinerary: a year-round service with three itineraries available – a one-night trip from Sydney-Brisbane and vice-versa; a two-night trip from Brisbane-Cairns and vice versa; or a four-night trip from Sydney-Cairns and vice-versa with three nights on board and one in a hotel in Brisbane.
Package price: Sydney-Brisbane prices are £610 Pullman cabin/£790 State cabin/£1,030 Commissioners cabin; Brisbane-Cairns £870 Pullman cabin/£1,110 State cabin/£1,450 Commissioners; Sydney-Cairns is £1,340 Pullman/£1,740 State/£2,260 Commissioners.
Capacity: the train’s capacity is 92 passengers. However, a 21st carriage is to be added in July, increasing capacity to 100. The additional carriage will have disabled facilities.
On-board facilities: there are two restaurant cars and a lounge car in the centre of train, as well as a lounge at the back of the train adjacent to the Observation Deck. Other facilities include a boutique selling a range of Orient Express gifts and a complimentary mail service.
Entertainment: both lounges offer live classical music with a solo musician playing a violin or grand piano.
Cabin configuration: there are three grades of accommodation – Pullman compartments, State compartments and Commissioner’s suites. All have en-suite shower and toilet but floor dimensions and bedding varies. The Pullman compartments, at 5.5sq metres with a sofa which converts to bunk beds, are small and suitable only for one passenger; by comparison the State compartments at 7.4sq metres and two single beds were quite comfortable. The commissioner’s suites at 13.1sq metres with double bed and arm chairs are positively spacious by comparison – the complimentary mini bar is an added bonus.
Cabin facilities: all rooms are well equipped with bottles of water, hairdryer, choice of feather and anti-allergy pillow, shower and toilet, and amenity kits. There is an iron available but there is no need to sweat over it – a cabin steward will iron your clothes.
Tips: with space at a premium don’t take too much luggage. Warn clients that it gets dark quite early in winter, our summer. A timetable is available for passengers who want to know where they are at specific times of the journey and a map highlights the main areas to look out for, giving an historic briefing. Views are particularly stunning around Hawkesbury River.
Client profile: mainly couples; 80% international. The one-night Sydney-Brisbane trip is ideal for clients who have not experienced the Orient Express product before and haven’t got time to do the longer two-night itinerary, as well as those celebrating an anniversary or birthday.
Service: a ratio 1:3 staff/passengers. Staff are Australian and trained to offer service equivalent to a five-star hotel.
Atmosphere: on arrival you are introduced to your cabin steward who gives you a tour of your cabin before offering you afternoon tea. The steward will come to the cabin within a few minutes if you press either of the two panic buttons located in the cabin or bathroom. The turndown service at night is excellent with the lounge transformed into a cosy bedroom with a box of chocolates on your pillow.
Food and wine: two evening sittings; dinner is a lavish silver service affair but the set menu was rather disappointing (particularly the vegetarian option). There is an a la carte menu but for such an upmarket product guests should have a wider choice at no extra cost. Drinks are extra and cost around £2.30 for a gin and tonic; £2 for a beer; £1.40 coke; £5 cocktail; £4 glass of wine.
Dress code: casual during the day but in the evening men require a minimum of jacket and ties.
New product: the GSPE hopes to add a new train itinerary through the Hunter Valley next year.
Overall comment: a fantastic experience ideal for those celebrating a special occasion. However, travelling at speeds of up to 62 miles per hour, the train is both noisy and bumpy. While I only managed to gain a few winks of sleep, other passengers fell into a fitfull sleep with the help of a few bottles of wine. There are plans to improve the comfort of the ride with Queensland investing a significant amount of money to improve the tracks. Until then, the train will continue to slow during dinner so passengers can eat their meals from the table rather from their laps. Perhaps the train should slow down during pre-dinner cocktails too, judging by all the nuts flying around … and as for putting lipstick on, forget it! Only minor improvements could be made in my opinion – music during dinner would add to the atmosphere and help drown out the noise of the train.