The Savannahlander

The Savannahlander is a unique train journey which begins in Cairns , Australia. It is one of the great rail experiences of the world as it rattles its way from the coast, up the scenic Kuranda Range (the Kuranda scenic railway) including stops at Barron Falls and Stoney Creek, through World Heritage listed rainforests to Kuranda. It then continues on through the savannah to outback Australia. The Savannahlander is also a unique way to see the Chillagoe Caves , Cobbold Gorge and the Undara Lava Tubes .

"The Silver Bullet" as the train is affectionately known, was state-of-the-art when it was brought into service. Now it reflects the pace and grace of a by-gone era, while at the same time offering a unique experience to people adventurous enough to make the journey. This grand-old-lady travels at a sedate pace, and stops at suitable locations for the driver to point out interesting landscape features to the passengers. It's a unique and comfortable way to see Australia's outback.

For "the locals" of the Queensland outback, The Savannahlander is still a vital communications link, while for the fortunate visitor to the region, it offers a unique rail experience, and an insight into one of the most diverse and fascinating regions of Australia.

The Savannahlander operates for 42 Weeks of the year, 4th March until 16th December 2009.

2009 Season Start

An intense wet season in the Savannah regions has caused considerable track damage that will cause a delay to the start of the Savannahlander's operating season. Repair completion dates are a week by week proposition, and shorter trips will be offered in the early part of the year. All should be okay for the peak season. Please refer to our blog site for regular updated information.

update: Repairs to the Etheridge branch will be finished by the week after Easter. The Savannahlander will commence normal service on the 15th of April

SkyTrans to Operate Macair Gulf Flights

Updated 26 May

Skytrans have settled into a routine of sorts on the Cairns to Normanton route, but there has been a significant timetable change. They are no longer operating Tuesday services to Normanton, which means that intending passengers now need to travel out on Monday and therefore require an additional nights accommodation in Normanton. This change came into effect on Monday 25 May. The guarantee of service to Normanton has been extended to the middle of October.

In view of the change of flight times, those intending to do one of the combined Savannahlander Gulflander packages might now consider travel to Normanton by Coach. The coach used on this service has recently been upgraded from the old Coasters that used to service the route, to a more appropriate long distance coach. The Gulflander pages will be updated shortly

Updated 17 February:

SkyTrans will be operating the Government Subsidised services that were previously operated by Mac from March 1. We are not aware if the new operator will honour tickets issued by Macair, so we advise that if you hold such tickets, to contact Skytrans directly on 1300 759 872. If not, it is possible that your bank might reverse the charges because the services that you purchased could not be provided. The new service offers a flight to Normanton on Tuesdays which will be suitable for combined Gulflander / Savannahladner passengers. The website will be updated with the new booking procedures shortly.

Updated 11 February:

Macair, the operator of scheduled air services between Cairns and Normanton, has ceased operating. The Cairns Normanton route that Savannahlander and Gulflander passengers travel on is a route subsidised by the state government and should recommence with a new operator in the near future. The government chartered flights for this route will only continue until Feb 13. We will continue to update this news item once we learn more about any new arrangements that are put in place, including whether existing pre-paid tickets will be honoured. Passengers with Macair bookings can ring the Queensland Transport Macair hotline on 1800 139 869. There's more information on the Queensland Transport web site.

Savannahlander DDA Compliance

During last year’s annual maintenance, the team at the Savannahlander were provided with a small amount of funding so that the service could become Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) Compliant. All three railcar units had hearing augmentation induction loops so that the informative and humorous commentary can be clearly heard by our passengers using hearing devices. By the start of next year, signage and floor tactile surface indicators will be installed for our visually impaired passengers.

Savannahlander lifts deployed

The main part of the modification took place in our ‘center’ unit - car No 2053. This unit was never originally fitted with a toilet, but it did have a luggage area that featured wider than usual doors. This was an ideal car to modify because the wide doorways could be used to fit wheel chair elevators, and the lack of toilet meant that we could build a wheelchair accessible toilet from scratch.

And so it was duly done. There are two lifts installed - on in either doorway, and a large spacious and modern toilet was built. I guess the down side to this is that we lost twelve seats however, many passengers, and the crew, have enjoyed the benefits of the modification already.

You can catch up on the full story, and lots more photos, over at the Savannahlander blog .

Hearing aid induction loops are available on all services but if you need the platform lifts or wheelchair access you must let us know when booking.

Savannahlander Blog

The Savannahlander crew once tried to send out a semi-regular newsletter to people who wanted to stay in touch with all the latest happenings out West. Unfortunately, we were not doing a very good job of sending out newsletters so we've decided to start a Savannahlnader blog. We'll keep this updated with news and stories from around the place.