Down Under

Ever since I read Bill Bryson's In a Sunburned Country, I've been very keen to see Australia, and to go on one adventure in particular.

I'd love to see the Outback--and no, I don't mean the steakhouse.

Of course, the outback is a dangerous place. According to Bryson, all of Australia is teeming with poisonous spiders and snakes and other icky creatures I'd rather avoid...but it is also stunningly beautiful and exciting.

Fortunately, there is a way for a girly-girl to see the outback without even sinking one fabulous shoe into the dust, or a pile of kangaroo doo-doo. The Indian Pacific Railway travels between Sydney and Perth, on opposite coasts of that great land mass that is Australia. Of course, you pay for your thrills. It's almost $700 (Australian) to get a seat--and if you're me, you don't want to spend sixty-five hours sitting upright. You want a sleeper cabin. Well, that's gonna cost you...between $1320 and $1920.

But just think about the parts of Australia that can be seen from the train...where else would get get a chance to see the most inhospitable parts of such an amazing country in relative comfort?