I rather think I owe you all (both?) an update on how we got on. The Overland is definitely running, at least until the end of this year. We had a very enjoyable trip on it. The train was formed of loco, three Red (= Standard Class) coaches (one locked out of use for staff only), something that British Rail would have called a buffet car, a Red Premium (= First Class) coach, and a baggage car.
The loadings were odd, in that the Red Premium coach was full, with 37 passengers, and the standard Red coaches were less than half full, with about the same number of pax. The early departure (0745 from Adelaide, and required to check in at least half an hour beforehand) was rewarded with a glorious ride through the Adelaide Hills in brilliant sunshine, twisting and turning to climb up through the forests, stopping at every loop to let lengthy container trains go by. In Australia's winter months this would probably be all in the dark. The container trains by the way were mostly carrying refrigerated containers, which I suppose makes sense, given the outside temperatures.
The food in Red Premium is not fantastic but it is enjoyable. Breakfast and lunch are served, and tea/coffee are offered at frequent intervals. The bar car is reasonably well stocked, and Cooper's Sparkling Ales feature prominently.
The train has a relaxed timetable and ran pretty much to time throughout. A handful of passengers got on or off at the intermediate stations but most seemed to be making the through trip. We left at North Shore Geelong, along with 3 or 4 others. This is an odd station, because the Overland has to use one particular platform and it's rather short. Even a six coach train needs to pull up twice.
The run through Victoria was notable for the number of out-of-use grain elevators, and the mass of telephone wires still drooping and rising between thousands of metal telegraph poles. I don't think they're in use, because the line is now signalled centrally from Ararat, by radio, but they don't look as though they've been out of use long. And no-one's tried to steal the copper (yet).
Quite what will happen with the Overland in future is anybody's guess, but I think it could have a future as a once-a-week tourist train, perhaps with a faster schedule that means it runs in daylight all year round.
In the course of our trip to Australia and New Zealand, we also travelled on the Indian Pacific, various commuter trains around Perth, Adelaide and Melbourne, and on the Taieri Gorge Railway on NZ's South Island. I'll report back on those trips when I get a round tuit (currently out of stock).