How three Sitback team members traded their desks for the desert to help redesign one of Australia’s most iconic rail experiences.

Stepping aboard

To redesign a digital experience that captures the wonder of a legendary journey, you need more than wireframes and workshops – you need to feel it for yourself. That’s why our Client Services Director (Lindsey McHugh), Head of Experience Design (Rebeka Hall), and Lead Creative Designer (Cohan Banfield) recently boarded The Ghan for an unforgettable journey from Adelaide to Darwin.

Alongside Kristen Bawden, GM of Digital Experience and our client from Journey Beyond, they spent three days and two nights immersed in the full guest experience: watching the sunrise over the Red Centre at Marla, cruising through Nitmiluk Gorge, and sharing stories over linen-draped dinners in the dining car. The aim? To gain first-hand insight that would inform the new Journey Beyond Rail booking engine, and eventually, the full website redesign.

“It didn’t ever feel that they were a client and we were the vendor,” said Lindsey. “We were just there as a team – a joint team.”

A journey of moments

From the moment they stepped onto the platform in Adelaide, the experience set a tone of hospitality and delight. Guests were welcomed with live music, champagne, coffee and muffins, and personal check-in service that felt more boutique hotel than boarding gate.

But it was the Red Desert sunrise that etched itself most vividly in memory.

“It was already daylight for about half an hour before the sun finally appeared,” said Lindsey. “It just hung there, building atmosphere.”

Off-train at the outback town of Marla and surrounded by bonfires, bacon and egg rolls, and the scent of coffee, the team mingled with passengers from all over the country. It was, as Bek put it, a uniquely romantic and communal moment after 18 hours of travel.

“That feeling of anticipation and atmosphere and connection – that’s what we want to translate into the digital space,” said Bek.

More than a train ride

Beyond the headline stops (including an awe-inspiring Nitmiluk Gorge river cruise, complete with crocodile sightings and charismatic Irish guides), it was the rhythm of the train itself that left a mark. Cohan noted the details: the subtle shift in tone between Gold and Platinum class; the thoughtful logistics behind excursions; the surprising quality of food served from a kitchen smaller than most wardrobes.

“You can’t believe the food that comes out of that tiny kitchen,” Lindsey laughed. “Cracking café quality during the day, and romantic three-course dinners at night.”

In between excursions and Aperol spritz parties (yes, that happened), the team took note of service design touches, like how room configurations shaped guest groupings, or how guests discovered excursions through their carriage hosts.

Insights from the inside

So what does this mean for the digital experience?

Plenty!

“Having first-hand experience gives you a whole new level of understanding,” said Cohan. “We’re not just guessing at user needs – we’ve lived them.”

Some of the team’s initial ideas for digital enhancements include:

• Integrating interactive cabin guides or augmented reality for sightseeing.
• Enabling group booking flows that reflect carriage layouts and classes.
• Exploring self-discovery content for flora, fauna and cultural landmarks.

They also spotted design motifs throughout the train – textures, patterns, colours – that may find their way into future interface designs.

Stronger teams, stronger design

The trip wasn’t just about research. It deepened our relationship with Journey Beyond and strengthened our own team culture. As Lindsey shared, “Kristen was experiencing the Ghan for the first time too. It made the whole thing feel more shared, more grounded.”

From laughing at Cohan’s “broccoli” pronunciation to bonding over walking excursions, the experience fostered trust, humour, and shared vision with both the client and among our own crew.

What comes next

Currently, our work is focused on designing Journey Beyond Rail’s new booking engine, alongside development of the Outback Spirit website. The knowledge gained from this trip has already helped sharpen content requirements, user flows, and interaction design.

Looking ahead, these insights will shape the full Journey Beyond Rail website redesign. And with Kristen as a passionate internal advocate, and our growing understanding of the brand, we’re excited for what’s ahead.

“This is going to ladder up,” said Cohan. “We’ve built the rapport, we’ve seen the experience. Now we’re ready to bring it to life online.”

A few final words

We asked the team to sum up their trip in three words: