The narrow gauge rail line reached the gold rush town of Kalgoorlie in 1896, enabling the first passenger rail service between Perth and Kalgoorlie. In 1934, the steam driven Westland Express commenced regular rail services between Perth and Kalgoorlie, making it a 14 hour overnight trip.

In 1971, the Prospector rail service was introduced and was hailed as Western Australia’s great rail journey, marking the switch from narrow to standard gauge rail for country passenger services. The Prospector was Australia’s fastest train and cut the previous 14 hour journey time to less than 8 hours. During its three decades of service, the Prospector carried more than 2.6 million passengers.

A new, high speed version of the Prospector commenced service in 2004. Travelling at up to 160 kilometres per hour, the new train can now complete the 653 kilometre trip from Perth to Kalgoorlie in six and a half hours.

Linking Perth and the Goldfields, the Prospector has earned its place in Western Australian transport history.

The Prospector has special facilities for disabled access.

Location: the Prospector departs Perth from the East Perth Terminal, Summers Street, East Perth. It departs Kalgoorlie from the Railway Station on Forrest Street, Kalgoorlie.

Transwa

Australia’s Golden Outback