There's something remarkably old-fashioned about taking a train to a destination that can be reached much more quickly by plane.
These days, it seems, a particularly good reason is required to take a journey for the journey's sake.
One such reason is The Sunlander, one of Australia's most popular train journeys, along 1700km of continuous track, through some of Queensland's remotest towns.
It is country best appreciated at ground level, while reliving travel from a bygone era.
Now the Sunlander may not be in quite the same class as the fabled Orient Express, but it does offer a version of first-class - Queenslander Class - for those who like the finer things in life.
The journey passes through 27 towns and takes 31 hours.
The major attractions are the scenery, impeccable service, interesting company and the opportunity to sit back and relax.
We settled down into our small air-conditioned cabin, complete with a wardrobe and washbasin (the toilet and shower are down the corridor).
Our first decision: who will be sleeping in the top bunk? Neither of us thought to bring dressing gowns, but happily were provided with a few luxury touches such as a complimentary toilet bag that also included a cotton robe, slippers and a mask for sleeping.
Our steward brings us a fruit drink, the daily papers and informs us of what's on the menu for lunch.
In Queenslander Class, meals are all-inclusive and Queensland Rail has made a huge effort to overcome the outdated image of railway food, although it has to be said that the coffee is still of railway standard.
It seemed as though the seasoned train staff - Marko, Alistair and Shelly - had at some point decided they might as well derive some entertainment from their duties.
Apart from ferrying plates of food to tables, serving drinks, making up the beds, singing and showcasing their multiple talents, this crew was still able to address the passengers intelligently.
How they managed to juggle their artistic and more menial chores so smoothly baffled us, but the service never lagged and, heaven knows, neither did the entertainment.
On cue at 9.15am, a whistle blows, the wheels begin to roll and we depart Cairns Railway Station in leisurely fashion to move through the outskirts of Cairns, heading for Brisbane.
The narrow tracks make for a bumpy walk along the confined corridors to socialise with our fellow passengers in the lounge car.
There we found a couple from Mt Isa who seemed to enjoy talking to everyone except each other; a retired railway engineer and his family whose yarns and endless cans of lager kept pace with each other; two elderly ladies whose gluten- and fat-free diets did not faze the chef; and a wealthy Russian couple who were most upset that their change of clothing was stranded at the rear of the train.
Soon the first of the open country came, accompanied by the lilting voice of Alistair, our maitre d'hotel, who provided us all with an informed commentary and a call for morning tea.
We wandered down to the dining car for freshly baked scones, cream and strawberry jam.
Surprisingly enough, we were quite hungry when lunch was called.
It consisted of large platters of fresh seafood with salad and seasonal fruits, a platter of cold meats and antipasto delicacies, and freshly baked rolls.
As the afternoon rolled on we were starting to ask ourselves whether we would have the stamina for another three-course meal that evening.
It was remarkable that in a galley the size of an average walk-in wardrobe that all of the meals were of such quality and variety.
As the train trundled on through the night, sleep came easily for some, while others paced the corridors drinking tea and talking in low tones with other insomniacs.
By the time we reached Brisbane we had travelled through lush tropical rainforest, countless fields of sugar cane, banana and pineapple plantations and discovered that even the most mundane railway station can be transformed with rows and rows of tropical pot plants.
• Air New Zealand, Queensland Tourism, Blis Travelguard and Southern Cross Travel Insurance assisted the Knills, who are Auckland-based travel writers.
