Olive Express – Taking our residents on wonderful adventures!
21 August 2025
At Bupa Aged Care, we believe that the joy of travel shouldn’t stop with age or mobility.
That’s why we’re excited to introduce Olive Express – a fully immersive travel experience, the first of its kind in Australia, designed to take our residents on adventures around the globe without the need of travelling.
Olive Express is a unique ‘mobile train’ offering immersive, sensory travel experiences, designed as an effective form of recreational therapy for older adults.
Travel is known to boost emotional wellbeing, cognitive function, and overall quality of life. Yet for many residents, especially those in aged care, it’s no longer a realistic option.
Bupa Aged Care wants to change that. By simulating the sights, sounds, and sensations of train travel, we want to bring the magic of exploration back to life - sparking joy, connection, and meaningful memories.
Our first stop was at Bupa Merrimac, where residents boarded the Olive Express and were transported to the scenic landscapes of Switzerland.
We know that many of our residents loved to travel in their younger years but are sadly no longer able to do so because of mobility and health problems. With the help of Olive Express, we are giving them back their sense of adventure and fun and evoking lots of nostalgia and travel stories along the way.
Some of the other Olive Express destinations include China, Japan, Scotland, Ireland, and London – each journey sparking memories and curiosity about the world.
Each Olive Express journey is tailored to be personal and inclusive, featuring a multilingual avatar guide that allows the residents to choose their preferred language, making every trip familiar and comfortable.
The smiles, laughter, and stories that followed reminded us exactly why this project matters. Experiences like Olive Express help to bring a sense of excitement above and beyond the routine of daily life.
The interior of Olive Express is very similar to being on a luxurious old-world train, like the Orient Express.
Once inside, residents look through virtual windows at the breathtaking landscape, including gorgeous scenery such as the Swiss alps.
Sessions run for 30-45 minutes and include delicious morning or high tea experiences.
Many homes create personalised passports for residents to have stamped after each trip, along with postcards of the destination and photos to take home as mementos.
The feedback has been overwhelmingly positive.
Residents described feeling exhilarated, happy, and wonderful after their Olive Express journeys. As one resident shared: “I’m just glad they came here. It’s wonderful – very, very good. I recommend it to anybody.”
Another said:“To me, it felt like I was moving. You know, we looked at all these wonderful places. I really enjoyed it and then we could have a cup of tea and, you know, everything was like, really sitting in the bus, watching the crowd, and seeing everybody going past and so amazing to me, really”.
And another reflected:“Oh, I thoroughly enjoyed it, that is why I went back again, it’s so exciting.”
Since its debut across our Queensland homes in 2024, Olive Express has taken residents on inspiring adventures, and over the next 14 months, more than 2,000 residents in our Victoria homes will be able to board.
With Olive Express, our Lifestyle teams continue creating purposeful and joyful experiences that enrich residents’ lives.
It really does feel like you have been instantly transported to somewhere else and when you combine that with a delicious high tea it makes for an unforgettable experience that engages all the senses.
If you would like to learn more about Olive Express, please contact your Bupa care home.