Train from Sydney to Canberra
The trip from Sydney to Canberra is one of the most frequented in Australia. Politicians, public servants, business people, lobbyists and tourists make the trip.
If you are a politician or rich business man, you might get your chauffeur to drive you the 3 hour journey. Otherwise, if you are in a hurry, you might take the 55 minute flight. If you are a poor tourist or a student, you might squeeze into a bus for a 3 hour 40 minute trip.
If you are a poet or an artist like me, there is only one way to make the trip, that is by the old train which takes more than 4 hours. The train is charmingly shabby, and gives you a feel for the old Australia that is disappearing before our eyes.
The train trip is scenically wonderful. It travels along the east side of Lake George. It stops at New South Wales country towns like Queanbeyan, Bungendore, Tarago, and Goulburn.
Moreover, the train crosses the dramatic Southern Highlands section of the Great Dividing Range. It climbs from the coastal plain through Mittagong, Bowral, and Goulburn, providing views of steep gradients and rolling hills
The Great Dividing Range, also known as the Eastern Highlands, is a massive 3,500-kilometer (2,200-mile) mountain range running parallel to Australia’s east coast through Queensland, New South Wales, and Victoria.
It is the longest entirely within a single country and the fifth-longest land-based range in the world. The highest peak is Mount Kosciuszko in the Snowy Mountains, standing at 2,228 meters (7,310 feet). The range was formed millions of years ago when tectonic plates collided, creating a “backbone” that significantly impacts the climate by causing rain along the coast.
In short, the Great Dividing Range is my favourite mountain range.