Coming to SBS in 2019, as announced during today’s upfronts.
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It is a six-part series produced by UK-based Boundless, a subsidiary of Fremantle. Fremantle will handle international distribution. Each episode will cover one of six journeys: Canberra to Melbourne, Sydney to Broken Hill, Newcastle to Brisbane, Port Augusta to Darwin, Kuranda to Townsville and Adelaide to Perth.
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Any news on when this might air in Australia?
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its yet to air in the UK
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I had been wondering that too…
I thought it was supposed to have aired in Australia sometime this year. Doesn’t look like that will happen now…
Maybe it’s all Sydney Trains’s fault… maybe they are running late (again) 
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We have to wait even longer.
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The show finally goes to air in the UK tomorrow morning (sat night UK time)
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Australian viewers getting short changed. SBS should fasttrack the series next week rather than waiting until next year.
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The whole saga is resembling a Sydney Train journey… delay after delay… definitely not on time.
Schedule for broadcast in Feb 2020.
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Saw a three second ident on Monday night, which showed the series would premiere on Monday February 3.
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Finally! At long last.
Looking forward to this.
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Promo
I just realise that Griff’s Great Australian Rail Trip, premieres on ABC on Tuesday February 4 at 8.30pm. What was SBS thinking by scheduling a similar program on the same week?
EDIT 26/1: it’s getting worse, both railway shows will air on the same night but Griff will be shown after Journeys.
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glad that there is now a date for this show. Am looking forward to it too.
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From, Tuesday 4 February at 07:30 PM 6 episodes
In Great Australian Railway Journeys, Michael Portillo ventures ‘down under’ to ride some of the world’s greatest railways, steered by his 1913 Bradshaw handbook.
Aboard the legendary Ghan and Indian Pacific Railways, Michael Portillo uncovers the great feats of engineering which enabled travellers to cross this vast, inhospitable continent. On his journeys, Michael climbs in the Blue Mountains of New South Wales, explores the remote Australian Red Centre at Alice Springs and the tropical rainforests of Queensland. He hears dream time stories from the indigenous Arrende people and enjoys ‘bush tucker’ over a camp fire. In Victoria he helps with sheep shearing, strikes gold in Kalgoorlie and swims over coral at the Great Barrier Reef. In Melbourne Portillo encounters the nation’s heroes – Dame Nellie Melba and the outlaw Ned Kelly and learns about efforts to conserve the country’s emblems, the kangaroo and the koala. In the Sydney metropolis he climbs the magnificent Sydney Harbour Bridge and tours the building which changed the image of Australia, its iconic Opera House.
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SBS Channel Manager Ben Nguyen has told TV Tonight that the show will have a statement from Michael regarding the bushfires.
It’s a very nuanced telling of Australian history stories through the program. There’s a lot of indigenous stories in there, and we recently reached out through the producers and got a personal statement from Michael Portillo, which we’ll add in, about the bushfires, because he does visit places and koala sanctuaries that have been heavily affected. So we just thought it was important to have a statement from him recognising the challenges.
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All it was was this message that appeared on screen at the end of the episode.
I was thinking it would be a piece to camera.
Anyhow, it was a very good and enjoyable episode.
Will be interested to see if this makes any impact on the ratings tomorrow.
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Tonight was the final episode in the 6 part series.
I thought it was a great series, but a few oddities did come to light in tonight’s finale, partly because it covered the part of NSW that I am more familiar with than any other (Newcastle to Brisbane) and that it gave me a chance to consider it as a whole.
Newcastle - a lot focus on coal, which is understandable, but very little about beaches, and nothing about wineries or whale watching,
Gold Coast was not covered at all. Even Kempsey got some coverage, mostly for Akubra hats.
Brisbane - there was interesting coverage of Rugby Union, and the rivalry with NSW, but nothing about the modern day equivalent State Of Origin in Rugby League. Also interesting that when the MCG was covered a couple of weeks ago, they covered cricket but not Australian Rules football.
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Don’t forget this is made for an international market. Union and Cricket are considered bigger codes.
As for omitting the Gold Coast, the best thing about the GC is the road out of there 
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I like the Gold Coast, thought it deserved a mention, they also have the light rail there too from that perspective.
I know Uinion and Cricket are bigger internationally, but thought that Aussie Rules deserved a bit more coverage as it’s a unique part of our sporting history.