Yesterday we began the Adelaide - Sydney leg of our journey. We were a little late getting into Adelaide due to the engine trouble at Cook. However, we were given a pleasant one hour bus trip around this beautiful city of the south and were away by 10:00 a.m. as the oppressive heat bore down all around.

A new crew boarded here and were every bit as pleasant and efficient as the previous lot. Another delicious lunch, more mesmerising scenery - acres and acres of wheat, turbines of the Snowtown wind farm on the Barunga Range, then more wheat fields rolling by for hours before giving way to more arid lands leading to the NSW border.

We pulled into Broken Hill just after 5:00 p.m. and the temperature was still above 40 degrees. The train company provided a couple of local sight-seeing options. We chose a town tour that included a visit to the Pro Hart art gallery and enjoyed the famous dragonfly paintings amongst his other works. His famous Rolls Royce, painted with Pro's typical scenes and colours, greeted us in the entrance courtyard. We were treated to champagne and nibbles to enjoy as we viewed the gallery - not that we needed refreshments after the way we have been fed over the past few days. All in all, another impressive inclusion on a Gold class ticket on the Indian Pacific.

Back on the train we got quite excited about the changing scenery as we left Broken Hill. We saw undulating land, some river beds, animal life that included sheep, goats, kangaroos and emus. A couple of hours down the track saw us passing the Menindee Lakes as the sun set. Ghosts of Burke and Wills haunt the imagination here in the hushed twilight.

At dinner we felt lucky to score a table to ourselves. We had dined with interesting people every meal, but after three days we welcomed the break from having to introduce ourselves, tell our stories and listen to theirs. We relished the chance to dine in silence and watch the near full moon rise over the lonely landscape.

We slept like babies on our final night aboard, now used to being lulled to sleep by the gentle rocking of the train, and awoke to a very different landscape as the train climbed into the Blue Mountains. After one final hearty breakfast we watched the scenery with a little sadness as our journey neared its end. We finally pulled into Sydney, having savoured every moment of the 4,352 kilometre crossing of this vast, dry continent of ours.

The Indian Pacific lived up to my dreams. I would happily do it all again, but it might not be the trip for everyone. Someone asked me for a "warts and all" summary. I find I love travel so much that I even enjoy "the warts", but I shall try to do as asked.

DO GO on the Indian Pacific if you love train travel, a slower pace of life, desert and long hours of watching the world go by. This is one of the epic train journeys of the world. DON'T GO if you love action and find it hard to sit still. There is no TV, no Internet, and often no phone coverage. The lack of these things enhanced the trip for me, but some might find this traumatic.

DO GO if you like a little bit of luxury, love food and alcohol, and appreciate not having to get out your wallet for days. DON'T GO if you hate putting on weight. With all that food and drink and very little exercise over four days, it is only those with willpower of steel or supersonic metabolisms who can escape adding a few kilos.

DO GO if like being rocked to sleep and are agile enough to negotiate top bunks and tiny bathrooms. DON'T GO if you find small spaces claustrophobic or if you are a very big person who might find the tiny bathrooms and narrow hallways a tight squeeze. There are bigger bathrooms and double beds available in Platinum Class. You could also avoid top bunk trauma by taking a Gold Class single room which costs the same as one person in a double room. However, there is no ensuite in singles and you must share a bathroom at the end of the carriage.

DO GO if like meeting new people and don't mind repeating yourself meal after meal. ( Hello. My name is ... Where are you from? We live at .... What do you do? What do you think of the trip so far? And so on ...) You meet all types from all over at every meal or when hanging out in the lounge. Having said that, most people on this trip were Australian and in their 80s. DON'T GO if you are a recluse ... although you could avoid people by staying in your cabin most of the time.

Some other pros of the trip - luxurious toiletries, off train excursions at no extra cost, friendly and efficient staff. There were two power points in the room, though one was hidden up high where the pillows are stored. There was limited, though reasonable storage space for a couple of small bags per person. An in-cabin radio offered a choice of music channels and one which gave some commentary about parts of the journey. Announcements were always clear and audible. Dress was casual. We wore shorts and thongs or sandals to every meal and were sorry we had used up valuable space packing long trousers and dress shoes. Chilled filtered water and tea and coffee making facilities are in every carriage and available at all times. The food was varied and tasty, and the alcohol, which was included in the price, was readily available. There were at least eight varieties of beers to choose from, an extensive wine list and a choice of basic spirits.

Cons of the trip - I have no real criticisms, but a few things could improve the experience. The cabin had some printed matter available and one radio channel gave some occasional commentary, but both were sparse. I like to know details about where I am - history and facts - and I think more could be presented. We were informed about some places being approached, but not often. I would like warning of when border crossings are coming up or landforms or names of places. In this technological age I would love to see TV screens similar to those on planes that show your exact location, distance from and to places on the trip, outside temperature, etc. Touch screen links to more detailed information about places, landforms and even the train itself would satisfy those with a thirst for more knowledge. I know I said earlier that I liked the fact there was no TV, but some might like an in-house movie. Australian themed movies could be shown like Rabbit Proof Fence or Australia or Crocodile Dundee.

And if I could recommend one more thing, I would love to see a short night time stop made somewhere quite isolated (no shortage of options) where passengers could step outside and look at a real night sky away from light pollution. My most vivid memory of our year living in the Great Sandy Desert is of the night sky full of stars so unbelievably bright that you felt like you could reach out and touch them. Everyone deserves to see such a sky at least once before they die. This would be the pinnacle of an already amazing train journey.