The Legend Resumes – Return of an Icon to Sydney

The famous Spirit of Progress to undertake the Melbourne to Sydney run
for the first time in 33 years

Launch of special six-day heritage rail and sail journey in April 2020

Media Release –1 December 2019

For the first time in a generation, Australia’s oldest express train, the famous Spirit of Progress, will make a historic return to Sydney in April 2020, with Cruise Express offering an exclusive opportunity to ride the legendary train as part of a never-before-offered, six-day heritage rail and sail journey between Sydney and Melbourne.

A glamorous icon of Australia’s golden age of rail travel, the original, gleaming gold and blue carriages of the Spirit of Progress will return to Sydney on April 1, 2020 – the first time the once-household name has been in the harbour city since 1986 when the ‘Spirit’ ended its colourful career as the premier travel option between Melbourne and Sydney.

Australian travel agency, Cruise Express, which specialises in cruise and heritage rail holidays to meet growing demand for ‘slow travel’ experiences, has helped resurrect the Spirit of Progress to full, inter-capital, working order to preserve an important chapter in Australian history for future generations. The work was done in partnership with the Seymour Railway Heritage Centre and Lachlan Valley Railway.

To mark the historic return of the Spirit of Progress to Sydney, Cruise Express has launched a special, five-night ‘Spirit and the Princess’ journey starting on April 3, 2020. The unique and exclusive package includes a two-day trip aboard the train from Sydney to Melbourne, with an overnight in Albury, two nights in Melbourne and a two-night cruise back to Sydney aboard the cruise ship, Golden Princess. Fares, including selected meals, are available from $2290 per person, twin-share, or $2990 for solo travellers. 

* Call Cruise Express on 1300 766 537 or visit www.cruiseexpress.com.au

Direct link: https://cruiseexpress.com.au/cruise-list/spirit-and-princess

The six-carriage Spirit of Progress includes original 1930s compartment cars, a parlor car and a kiosk car, which will be hauled by the restored, 1957-built Streamliner diesel locomotive S303 and a 1977-built locomotive C501. 

The Spirit of Progress began her life in Melbourne on November 17, 1937, when Victorian Premier, Albert Dunstan, took a special gold key and opened the door of a brand new world-class train – the ‘Spirit of Progress’. Launched in a blaze of publicity, the all-steel, air-conditioned train ushered in unheard-of levels of comfort on the express, broad gauge run from Melbourne to Albury.

In April 1962, the NSW standard gauge line was extended into Victoria which allowed the Spirit of Progress to travel all the way from Melbourne to Sydney. The train ran nightly in each direction for 24 years until 1986 when the ‘Spirit’ made her last interstate run, never returning to Sydney until now. 

Cruise Express Managing Director, Meg Hill, said: “There’s a growing interest in great old trains and the magic of slow travel. We’re very proud to help return the iconic Spirit of Progress to full working order between Melbourne and Sydney so Australians can enjoy the nostalgic charms of travelling aboard her again.

“As life speeds up, more of us want to return to a simple, more graceful time. The beautiful and historic ‘Spirit’ offers Australians an opportunity to step back in time for a few days and savour the romance and excitement of journeys as they once were.”

For more information on Cruise Express’ heritage rail tours, visit www.cruiseexpress.com.au or call 1300 766 537.

New Autumn Colours Cruise Tour of Japan

New Autumn Colours Cruise of Japan – November 2020
Earlybird fares – save $400 per couple – book by January 14, 2019

Media Release – November 28, 2019

A record 552,000 Australians visited Japan last year – a 12 percent rise over 2017. Next year a new cruise tour will enable more Australians to immerse themselves in the rich traditions, colourful customs and inspiring icons that make Japan one of the world’s most vibrant and captivating destinations.

Hosted by Cruise Express, the 19-night ‘Autumn Colours of Japan’ itinerary in November, 2020, will see guests join tea ceremonies, learn to make sushi, watch a sumo wrestling display, meet authentic Geishas, ride Bullet Trains, view iconic Mt Fuji and visit the country’s lavish palaces and temples – all backdropped by the colourful hues of autumn.

Departing Australia on November 2, 2020, the escorted tour begins with an eight-night land itinerary starting in Tokyo. The tour takes in Kyoto and its spectacular Sagano Bamboo Path and 1600 ornate shrines and temples. Enjoy a scenic ride on the Hakone Ropeway and a cruise on beautiful Lake Ashi, with stunning views of Mt Fuji – Japan’s spiritual epicentre.

Back in Tokyo, guests then board Princess Cruises’ Diamond Princess for a nine-night, round-trip cruise to five Japanese ports including the once-destroyed city of Hiroshima and lesser-known ports such as the hot springs resorts of Gamagori and the breathtaking, island-studded bay of Sasebo. The cruise also visits the South Korean city of Busan known for its beaches and where drinking tea is treated as a form of calming meditation.

Including return flights from Australia, the 19-night escorted ‘Autumn Colours of Japan’ cruise tour is available from $9790 per person, twin-share – a saving of $200 per person if booked by January 14, 2019.

Call Cruise Express on 1300 766 537 or visit www.cruiseexpress.com.au

Alaska and the Russian Far East

Historic Trains & New Cruise Ship

Media Release – October 18, 2019

Two historic trains & Australia’s latest cruise ship combine
for new, eight-day rail and sail escape from Sydney to Melbourne and back

Free Upgrade or Drinks package– Book by November 30, 2019

Australia’s latest cruise ship and two historic express trains that once linked Sydney and Melbourne will be showcased in a unique, new, eight-day ‘slow travel’ rail and sail escape from Sydney in February 2020.

Until November 30, 2019, bookings for the ‘Southern Aurora’ tour will receive a free upgrade from an Inside Cabin to an Oceanview Cabin or a free beverage package for reservations made in Balcony Cabins.

Hosted by Cruise Express, which specialises in cruises and heritage rail journeys, the short break begins in Sydney on February 9, 2020.

Perfect for both rail and cruise lovers, the seven-night tour begins with a relaxing, four-night cruise from Sydney to Melbourne via Hobart and the historic, former convict settlement of Port Arthur aboard Dream Cruises’ Explorer Dream. The ship was recently transformed in a major A$44 million facelift and begins her maiden season in Australia this summer.

After a rare mid–afternoon arrival in Melbourne, guests will spend two nights at the Batman’s Hill on Collins Hotel with free time to enjoy Melbourne’s famous gardens, cafes, boutiques and trams.

It’s then all aboard the famed ‘Spirit of Progress’ train for a trip from Melbourne to Albury for the night. Privately chartered by Cruise Express, this former express train ran from 1937 to 1986 and includes original compartment and parlor cars.

The final day of the trip will see passengers board the famous, former express train, Southern Aurora, for the last leg of the trip from Albury to Sydney with a lunch stop inside the heritage-listed Junee Railway Station on the way. Exclusive to Cruise Express for this tour, the gleaming, stainless steel carriages of Southern Aurora offered a first-class, overnight express sleeper service between Sydney and Melbourne from 1962 to 1986. All guests will travel in their own private compartments as they watch the countryside roll by.

The eight-day Southern Aurora trip from Sydney is available from $2990 per person, twin-share, in an Inside Cabin. Bookings made before November 30, 2019, will receive a free upgrade from an Inside Cabin to an Oceanview Cabin or a free beverage package for reservations made in Balcony Cabins where fares start at $3590 per person, twin-share. The offer is subject to availability.

Call Cruise Express on 1300 766 537 or visit www.cruiseexpress.com.au

Direct link to package: https://cruiseexpress.com.au/cruise-list/southern-aurora

The Icons of Africa package includes two bonus private Cape Town tours

Two exclusive day tours offered in Cape Town, South Africa – Exclusive to Cruise Express!

as part of new luxury land and sea exploration of southern Africa

The icons of South Africa – wild animals, safari camps, tribal villages, Victoria Falls and spectacular Cape Town – will all be showcased as part of a luxury new land and cruise tour in November and December 2020, offered by Cruise Express.

The Icons of Africa package includes, as a bonus, two private tours from Cape Town, exclusive to Cruise Express.

The 18-night tour begins with a flight from Australia to South Africa and a three-night stay at the luxurious & Beyond Kirkman’s Kamp in the Sabi Sand Private Game Reserve near Kruger National Park. The stay here includes meals, select beverages and daily game drives in search of giraffes, zebras, impalas, kudus, elephants, rhinos, lions and leopards.

A two-night stay at the Victoria Falls Safari Club in Zimbabwe follows adjacent to the world’s largest waterfall.

Up to 500 million litres of water thunder into a 108m-deep gorge every second.  A tour of the spectacular lookouts at Victoria Falls and a sunset cruise on the Zambezi River are included.

The itinerary then moves south to Cape Town for a night’s stay before guests board the boutique ship, Azamara Journey, for a 10-night, round-trip cruise exploring the South African coast. The deluxe, 690-guest ship will call into Port Elizabeth, Durban, East London and Richards Bay, with optional shore tours unveiling rhino-rich wildlife parks, traditional Zulu villages and South Africa’s stunning white beaches.  Onboard beverages are included.

The cruise ends with a two-night stay onboard in Cape Town where Cruise Express will offer, as part of its package, two tours – a full day tour to the Cape of Good Hope where the Indian and Atlantic Oceans meet and another day tour taking in majestic Table Mountain and the Winelands with lunch and tastings included.

Including return flights from Australia, flights within Africa, transfers and the two bonus tours in Cape Town, the 18-night Icons of Africa cruise holiday is available from $13,490 per person, twin-share.

Call Cruise Express on 1300 766 537 or visit www.cruiseexpress.com.au 

Direct link – cruiseexpress.com.au/cruise-list/icons-of-africa