Main content

From Our Own Correspondent: Slow Train to Melbourne

Distances between cities in Australia are so vast many prefer to fly rather than go by rail - except Petroc Trelawny, who bucks the trend to travel the Sydney-Melbourne line

You might think that a vast, mostly empty country with huge distances between its major cities would be a natural home for rail travel. Australia's industries have certainly relied heavily on trains for years - but for passengers it is a different story. Petroc Trelawny was recently told that "everyone" flies between Sydney and Melbourne - and it is certainly one of the world's busiest air routes. But in fact there are still train services between the two cities, and he found a recent journey along the route illuminated plenty about today's Australia.

(Photo: View from the window of a train service (c) Petroc Trelawny 2016)

Available now

6 minutes

Last on

Thu 4 Aug 2016 15:23GMT

Broadcast

  • Thu 4 Aug 2016 15:23GMT