Home - Savannahlander - Cairns to Chillagoe, Undara, Forsayth and Cobbold Gorge weekly

This one is for those more interested in the train trip than the tours, but who still demand a high standard of accommodation. Included is a tour of Chillagoe caves, dinner and ... read more

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 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, from the first Wednesday in March (5 March 2008) until the second Wednesday in December (17 Dec in 2008)

Tourism Tropical North Queensland Awards

On Saturday 13 October, Savannahlander Staff attended the black tie Tourism Tropical North Queensland Awards night. We had nominated the Savannahlander in the Transport Operators Category. At the Savannahlander, we think we put on a fairly good sort of a show and this is backed up by quite a lot of positive feedback we receive from our passengers. We attempted to capture and portray this in the submission that was presented to the Award Judges. This was our first attempt at entering the Savannahlander into the mainstream Tropical North Queenslander tourism awards.

We consider that we did pretty well as the runner up in our category. We noted that this years winner was last years runner up, and this happened in some other categories - perhaps suggesting that we may be able to go one better next year. In addition to recognition as finalist, we managed to come away with an award for 'highly commended entry', in the form of an attractively framed certificate.

45% of total score was for on site inspection - ie: a pair of spies travelled on the train. 45% of total score was for the written submission. 10% of total score was for an interview by a panel of judges.