The Sunlander is a locomotive hauled airconditioned passenger train, operating three times a week between Brisbane's Roma St Railway Station and Cairns, a distance of nearly 1,700 Kilometres. It commenced service back in 1953, replacing non-airconditioned steam hauled rolling stock dating back to the former Sunshine Express, itself introduced back in 1935.The path it follows is that of the Queensland North Coast Railway Line, constructed in disjointed sections commencing in 1881 and forming a completed rail link by 1924. This line travels from the sub-tropical area of Brisbane, along the coastal strip east of The Great Dividing Range, through the sugarcane country of North Queensland and finally into the tropical regions between Townsville and Cairns.
We initially view Sunlander action at Brisbane's Roma St Railway Station in 2006 and subsequently travel aboard the train from Brisbane to Cairns in 2010, viewing freight and passenger operations along the journey.
Approximate run time: 96 minutes.