Great Australian Railway Journeys
Great Australian Railway Journeys is a TV show on SBS ONE. The program has been available since 2024. A total of 6 episodes have been broadcast, most recently in January 2025.
Last episode
58:31
58:31Great Australian Railway Journeys
Michael Portillo is on the eastern coast of Australia travelling from the coal mines of Newcastle, New South Wales, to Queensland’s modern state capital, Brisbane. Along the way, he crosses the mighty Hawkesbury River to admire magnificent scenery, tends to an injured koala, get...
Catching up on Great Australian Railway Journeys?
Don't want to miss an episode anymore? Set up a free alarm and receive an email when new episodes are available. Handy!
58:40From tropical rainforest to the Great Barrier Reef, Michael Portillo navigates his way by rail through Queensland, Australia, with the aid of his 1913 Bradshaw’s Guide. Inching his way across the Stony Creek Bridge on the Kuranda Scenic Railway, he marvels at the engineering expertise of the 1890s, when the line was built,...
58:51Armed with his 1913 Bradshaw’s Guide, Michael Portillo crosses the southeast of Australia from the seat of government in Canberra to the multi-ethnic heart of its second largest city, Melbourne. Floating above Canberra in a hot air balloon, Michael sees how Australia’s 'Bush Capital' was planned in the early 20th century.
59:17Michael Portillo embarks on a rail adventure aboard the transcontinental Indian Pacific Railway, from the southern port city of Adelaide, South Australia, 1,700 miles deep into the desert, to the gold rush town of Kalgoorlie, and finishes in Perth, Western Australia.
58:55Michael Portillo explores New South Wales, steered by his 1913 Bradshaw’s Guide. He strikes West into the Blue Mountains, and travels 570 miles into the interior of the vast Australian continent to reach the mining city of Broken Hill. In the waterside metropolis of Sydney, the NSW capital, he investigates the origins of t...
58:53Michael's 1913 Bradshaw’s Guide tells him 'a transcontinental railway is being constructed' and he traces its route from the southern harbour of Port Augusta to the port of Darwin on the north coast. Along the way, he uncovers the history of the ambitious project, which stretches nearly 2,000 miles across Australia’s red c...