Great Australian Railway Journeys

Michael 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.

Armed with his 1913 Bradshaw's Guide, Michael Portillo crosses the south east of Australia from the seat of government in Canberra to the multi-ethnic heart of its second largest city, Melbourne.

From 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.

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, gets some tips from an Aussie rugby legend and rides a solar-powered train.