The Indian Pacific’s Red Gum Lounge

The key to enduring a long train trip across Australia on the Indian Pacific is to find a place you are comfortable to hang out. So, if you are in a Red Sleeper cabin, sitting knee to knee with someone right across from you and just feel like you need to stretch out, I recommend heading to the Red Gum Lounge. I’d also give it a go for those in the Red Day Nighter seats who want more than a big airplane style chair to relax on.

The Red Gum Lounge has just been renovated, and it shows. I love the cozy blue and green cushy chairs, the wood paneled walls, and of course the extra space that comes with this newly refurbished section of the train.

It is here that you can take advantage of numerous power points, large tables, small tables, booths and comfy single chairs. There are free magazines, newspapers and books to read, and board games can make for a wonderful evening with new friends you meet while on your journey. The free tea and coffee is a definite perk as well.

My favorite part of the Red Gum Lounge, however, is the view. The windows are massive, letting in light, and letting you view the passing scenery to its fullest. I could sit in those chairs with my coffee and my laptop and just see what all was out in the nothingness of Australia. Occasionally, we saw sheep or camels, and sometimes there were kangaroos.

Access to the Red Gum Lounge is free with a Red Sleeper Class ticket. If you are on a Red Day Nighter ticket, then access to the lounge is a daily fee of $10 or $15, which I would say is worth it in my mind. You get a comfortable place to hang out, and you get free tea and coffee. It sure does beat trying to spend the entire day in the Red class restaurant carriage – but then again that might change when those carriages get renovated in April.

My ticket riding in Red Class on the Indian Pacific train was sponsored by GSR, but all the experiences and reviews are my own.