Before I set off, I had someone comment that they really wanted to do this cross-country train trip, but they couldn’t because they just couldn’t imagine taking children with them for 3 entire days.
I didn’t think about it before this comment because… well… I have no children, but it makes sense. And, to be honest, I didn’t see anyone with young children in my class (Red Service). There were the occasional young teens, but I think overall, the child would either have to be comfortable with spending the entire time in the Red Day Nighter seats (not good for the fidgety ones), or you would have to feel comfortable paying the fare for a cabin. Even then, your child would have to be content with not causing too much ruckus and sitting quietly for a long period of time.
It’s not my place to say whether or not this trip is child friendly or not; I think it has to do with the particular child.
Perhaps a thought: If your child is not good with long road trips and being stuck in a car, then I wouldn’t recommend the Indian Pacific from Sydney to Perth.
Another option would be to only do a section of the trip, like Sydney to Adelaide for example. Or, you can also break the trip up. You can buy a ticket that goes all the way from Sydney to Perth, but you can stop at Broken Hill until the next train comes, and the same in all the other locations. This would be an option for those traveling with the luxury of time.
My experience riding in Red Class on the Indian Pacific train was sponsored by GSR, but all the experiences and reviews are my own.
