May 23, 2027 - June 1, 2027
Girls on the Road Again | 10 Days | 23 May – 1 June 2027
From sparkling city lights and champagne lunches to outback legends and star-filled skies, this is Australia turned all the way up.
We kick things off in Sydney during the dazzling VIVID Festival, then roll west aboard the legendary Indian Pacific, crossing the continent in effortless style. Think incredible food, unforgettable scenery, laughter-filled lounges and experiences you’ll still be talking about years from now — all shared with a fabulous group of like-minded women.
Prepare for Sydney to shine! Your stay coincides with Vivid Sydney — the largest festival of light in the Southern Hemisphere — transforming the city after dark into a spectacular world of light, colour, creativity and sound. Watch Sydney’s most iconic landmarks become enormous illuminated canvases, wander amongst breathtaking installations and soak up the incredible atmosphere around the harbour. It’s a dazzling finale to Rails, Red Dust & City Lights — and an experience that truly has to be seen to be believed.
This isn’t just a holiday. It’s an adventure with flair, flavour and a whole lot of fun.
Travelling solo? Perfect — you’ll be in great company! This women-only journey is all about sharing incredible experiences, plenty of laughs and those spontaneous moments that often become the best memories of the entire trip. Arrive on your own and quickly become part of a small, welcoming group of like-minded women.
Enjoy the best of both worlds — your own room and cabin throughout, with a wonderful group of women to share the adventures, meals, laughs and memories with along the way. Come for the journey, stay for the friendships, and don’t be surprised if you head home with a whole new circle of travelling friends.
Welcome to Sydney! Today has purposely been left free to allow for the different arrival times of everyone joining us. Make your way to our centrally located Sydney hotel, settle into your room and enjoy the remainder of the day at your own pace. You might choose to head out for a wander, do a little shopping or simply relax after your journey.
There are no organised activities today, giving everyone plenty of flexibility around their travel arrangements. Dinner this evening is at your own expense, with plenty of options within easy walking distance of the hotel. Tomorrow morning, we officially come together and our adventure begins.
Meals Included: None. Dinner at own expense.
Meet your Travel With Lesley Whyte host and fellow travellers at our centrally located hotel at approximately 10.30am. With everyone together, it’s time to experience the energy, colour and excitement of Sydney, and we’re beginning exactly as we mean to go on.
Today is all about style, sparkle and indulgence, starting with a private lunch with bubbles at the iconic Ralph Lauren Australian flagship store. As a special treat, each guest will receive an AUD $500 Ralph Lauren shopping voucher, because no girls’ getaway is complete without a little retail therapy.
This afternoon is yours to relax, enjoy your purchases or explore Sydney at your own pace before we come together again for dinner at the much-loved China Lane, one of Sydney’s favourite hidden gems. After dinner, we’ll step out into the glow of Vivid Sydney, wandering through illuminated laneways, waterfront installations and spectacular light displays around Circular Quay and Darling Harbour. Colourful, creative and an unforgettable way to begin our journey.
Meals Included: Breakfast, private lunch with bubbles, dinner.
After breakfast, we head somewhere wonderfully Sydney, the Sydney Fish Market, for a three-hour hands-on cooking class. We’ve chosen something special, and once the cooking is done, it’s time to sit down, clink glasses and enjoy what we’ve created together. Food, fun and fabulous company, tick, tick, tick.
The afternoon is free to relax and recharge before a show-stopping evening. Tonight, we transfer to Darling Harbour to board a Captain Cook dinner cruise, where a six-course degustation menu with matched wines awaits. As Sydney sparkles around us, watch the Vivid light displays dance across the harbour, a magical perspective of the city from the water.
After docking, it’s a short transfer back to our hotel, full, happy and glowing after another fabulous Sydney day.
Meals Included: Breakfast, lunch as part of our cooking experience, six-course degustation dinner with matched wines.
After breakfast, we check out and store our bags, then stroll across to the iconic Queen Victoria Building for a spot of last-minute shopping.
Late morning, we settle in for a beautiful high tea, complete with a glass of bubbles, plus tea and coffee, for a relaxed and elegant send-off before our great rail adventure begins.
This afternoon, we transfer to Central Station and step aboard the legendary Indian Pacific. Settle into your Gold Service cabin, toast the journey ahead and watch as Sydney disappears behind us and the landscape begins to change. From this point, your onboard meals and selected beverages are included as part of your Gold Service experience.
Meals Included: Breakfast, high tea with bubbles, dinner onboard the Indian Pacific.
Gold Single Cabin – 5 cabins available
Perfect for solo travellers, with a comfortable seat by day and cosy bed by night. Shared bathroom facilities are located at each end of the carriage.
Gold Twin Cabin – 3 cabins available
Perfect for friends travelling together, featuring a lounge by day, upper and lower beds by night, and your own private ensuite.
During our Indian Pacific journey, breakfast, lunch and dinner are included, along with a selection of beverages, complemented by the incredible changing landscapes outside our windows and a choice of immersive Off-Train Experiences along the way.
Wake to the Australian outback and enjoy breakfast onboard before arriving in Broken Hill, where you can choose your preferred Off-Train Experience.
A Miner’s Journey takes you into the heart of Broken Hill at the striking Line of Lode Miners Memorial, with local storytellers bringing its rugged past to life. Enjoy morning tea with sweeping views before a guided coach tour through heritage streets and outback landscapes.
Alternatively, Broken Hill on Show begins at the Tipsy Camel with the fabulous Shelita, Broken Hill’s legendary drag queen, followed by a hands-on cooking experience with award-winning chef Lee Cecchin, celebrating native ingredients and outback flavours. Finish with a scenic coach tour revealing the town’s creative soul.
Later, our journey continues towards Adelaide, where another choice of experiences awaits. Taste of McLaren Vale offers an indulgent evening at the iconic Star of Greece, with guided wine tastings, local delicacies and beautiful coastal views. Alternatively, travel into the Adelaide Hills and Hahndorf, where you can choose between a cheese tasting with cider at Udder Delights or a gin flight paired with artisan chocolates at Ambleside Distillers, followed by a lively Bavarian-inspired dinner at The Haus.
Meals Included: Breakfast, lunch and dinner, including meals associated with your selected Off-Train Experiences.
Today is all about the extraordinary scale and remoteness of the Australian interior. Step off the train at Cook, an almost abandoned railway settlement deep within the Nullarbor, before continuing through landscapes that seem to stretch forever.
Later, disembark at remote Rawlinna Station for one of those quintessential Indian Pacific moments, drinks and canapés beside a glowing bonfire beneath the enormous Nullarbor sky. It’s remote, atmospheric and wonderfully Australian.
Meals Included: Breakfast, lunch and dinner onboard, plus drinks and canapés during our Rawlinna experience.
Enjoy breakfast onboard as the Indian Pacific makes its final approach into Western Australia and our epic coast-to-coast rail journey comes to an end. On arrival in Perth, we transfer to our centrally located hotel and enjoy some downtime to settle in and relax.
Tonight, we come together again for a celebratory dinner, sharing stories, laughs and some of our favourite moments from an incredible journey across Australia.
Meals Included: Breakfast onboard the Indian Pacific and celebratory dinner.
After breakfast, we head out for a delicious day exploring Margaret River, one of Western Australia’s most celebrated food and wine regions. Today is about taking our time, enjoying beautiful surroundings and sampling some of the region’s wonderful wine, chocolate, nougat and local produce.
We return to Perth after a relaxed day of good food, good wine and great company, with dinner included this evening.
Meals Included: Breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Our final full day takes us into the Swan Valley, another of Western Australia’s fabulous gourmet regions. We’ll discover boutique wineries, local produce and plenty of delicious flavours as we enjoy one last day together.
Tonight, we sit down for our final dinner and toast an adventure that has taken us from the lights of Vivid Sydney to the Indian Pacific, across the vast Australian interior and finally to the food and wine regions of Western Australia.
Meals Included: Breakfast, lunch and dinner.
After breakfast, it’s time to say our farewells. Our New Zealand guests will transfer to Perth Airport for their return flights home to Auckland, Wellington or Christchurch, while our Australian guests can continue their onward journey from Perth.
As the tour comes to an end, you’ll head home with wonderful new friendships, unforgettable memories and, hopefully, a smile that lingers long after the suitcase has been unpacked.
Meals Included: Breakfast.
Centrally located 4-star accommodation in Sydney and Perth – own room
Everything is taken care of — simply pack your essentials and bring your credit card for any personal purchases along the way.
A low level of fitness is required for this tour.
This journey has been designed at a relaxed and comfortable pace, with much of the travel aboard the Indian Pacific, private transfers and coaches. Off-train experiences are also rated as low fitness.
Guests should be comfortable with:
There are no strenuous hikes or high-fitness activities included. Regular opportunities to sit, rest and relax are built into the itinerary, making this an ideal journey for travellers who enjoy exploring at an easy-going pace.
Meet Your Host – Fiona FenwickYour host for Rails, Red Dust & City Lights is the wonderful Fiona Fenwick, Tour Leader and Ambassador for Travel With Lesley Whyte’s women-only tours.
A true global traveller, Fiona was born in Scotland, educated in Hong Kong and began her corporate career in Europe before making New Zealand home in 2001. Travel has been part of Fiona’s life from an early age, and she brings warmth, confidence and a genuine love of connecting with people to every journey she hosts.
Fiona is passionate about great food, wonderful wine and memorable experiences, and was recently recognised by Cuisine Magazine as one of Aotearoa New Zealand’s influential and inspiring women in food and drink.
Throughout your journey, Fiona will be there to make sure everything runs smoothly, from welcoming you at the beginning of the tour to sharing the experiences, laughs and adventures along the way.
Travelling solo? You certainly won’t feel alone. Fiona has a wonderful ability to bring a group together, creating a relaxed and welcoming environment where new friendships can naturally form.
So pack your bags and get ready to experience Rails, Red Dust & City Lights with Fiona leading the way!
Want us to take care of a little more of your journey?
✈️ Flights + Sydney Arrival Transfer – Add AUD $1,400 per person
Include your flight from Auckland, Wellington or Christchurch to Sydney, your airport-to-hotel transfer on arrival, plus your return flight home from Perth to Auckland, Wellington or Christchurch.
Booking terms & conditions – please click this link
For questions or bookings: mail lesley@travelwithlesleywhyte.com