Great train journeys of the world have always been a priority on my bucket list. I loved my trip on the Ghan from Darwin to Adelaide several years ago. I could barely believe my luck at crossing Russia on the Trans-Siberian a couple of Christmases ago. Now riding the Indian-Pacific from Perth to Sydney, I feel I have conquered the top three.

How does one explain the thrill of boarding the train of one's dreams? Many would find the endless miles of flat dry land it traverses dull and boring, but I could watch it roll past my train window for days and still be fascinated. This is Australia, the Nullarbor, a dry vast plain of our ancient continent. In its silent vastness it speaks of a long harsh history, from its prehistoric seabed upheaval during the cooling of the earth's crust to the earth-baking heat of today, of original inhabitants (the Mirning, Ngalea and Wangai who have roamed here for more than 10,000 years), of brave explorers (such as Eyre who crossed it in 1841) and gritty settlers (such as miners, sheep farmers and railway workers). Even now there are the tough few who still reside here such as the two at Forrest and the four at Cook.

The four day trip was everything I had hoped. I loved the long quiet hours, watching the world go by, sometimes with my feet up in our private cabin, other times sipping a cool drink in the comfy lounge.

We travelled Gold Class which meant everything was included - fine dining, all drinks, off-train excursions and a very comfortable cabin with a reasonably sized ensuite, including lovely toiletries. The food was delicious and reflected the areas travelled through. Drinks were always available from the champagne offered on departure to great local beers and wines throughout.

The twin cabin was spacious enough and had everything necessary including power points, though no internet. It seems the modern world hasn't quite conquered the Nullarbor. Telstra is still battling black spots. I found this a blessing, however, and enjoyed the break from that constant connection with the outside world. Maybe there is something of a recluse in me for I treasured those hours of solitude in our cool cacoon in Carriage J.

The ensuites, although small, are larger and more user-friendly than those we had when travelling on the Ghan some years ago. A recent revamp has made excellent use of the compact space and, I am fairly confident, are much bigger than some we have experienced in Greek hotels.

The toiletries were exquisite and sounded good enough to eat - blue mallee eucalyptus and lemongrass shampoo, Australian sandalwood with Kakadu plum conditioner, mandarin peel, rosemary and cinnamon bark vitamin B5 skin lotion - I mean to say, yummy!

Then there was the real food menu of even tastier delights. Dining times were very flexible and we never felt rushed. Meals ranged from salmon to kangaroo. My favourite of the whole trip was a goat cheese tart with caramelised onions washed down with a mellow Merlot. Yes thank you very much - I have tasted heaven. Oh, and did I mention the dessert I ended with on that particular lunch? A delicious vanilla pannacotta adorned with a feather of pink fairy floss and almond biscotti. Be still my beating taste buds.

The train rolled out of Perth at midday and we filled the hours until reaching Kalgoorlie at 10:30 with lunch, dinner, champagne sipping and a nap. By this time Reg had formed a deep relationship with his bunk, but I joined some other passengers on a midnight sojourn into this famous gold mining city. Maybe it was just as well it was a night excursion for the temperature was still in the 30s and had been up to 46 degrees during the day. It was strange driving in a big bus through the dark and silent streets, hearing about the history. We were nearly blown away by gale force desert winds as we stood at the lookout above the massive open cut mine on the edge of town. The lights of the city twinkled in the distance and the starlight twinkled above. And the sound and lights of the monsters eating away into the earth gave an eerie feel to it all.

We were also taken to a tourist mine that opened especially for us at this late hour and were able to learn something more about mining in their museum. As well we were able to climb over some of the giant trucks used in mining and heft a gold bar or two. By 1:00 am we were driven through the red light part of town and deposited safely back to the train ready to be rocked to sleep by the soothing clickerty-clack of the outback tracks.

On the second day we saw camels, eagles and some cattle, we crossed the border into South Australia, and we traversed the longest stretch of straight train track in the world (478 kilometres). We collected the odd passenger or two and delivered mail and groceries to isolated little snippets of habitation such as Rawlinna, Forrest and Cook.

We were given 20 minutes to explore Cook while the train refuelled. Twenty minutes was long enough in the midday sun. We saw the abandoned buildings such as the goal, the school, the hospital and pool. We took photos before our cameras exploded in the heat and boarded when given the signal by a long blast of the town's fire siren. We then sat for a couple of hours while engineers tried to fix an air leak that prevented the brakes from working in the engine. A passing freight train saved the day and loaned us an engine to continue the journey.

We have arrived in Adelaide, had a quick tour of the city and now are boarding for the next step of the journey to Broken Hill and Sydney.