“ALL ABOARD”
Long and sleek, like the kilometre-long train lined up next to it, the Adelaide Parklands Railway Station gleams in the sunlight as we arrive for our long-awaited rail journey. Inside attentive staff dressed in pinstriped shirts and blue jeans welcome passengers to a spacious waiting area where glasses of sparkling wine are being served. The anticipation inside is palpable as we await the conductor’s call for “all aboard.” Like so many other passengers here, we’re excited to board the legendary Ghan, one of the world’s most iconic train rides.
From the South Australian city of Adelaide to the Northern Territory outpost of Darwin, the Ghan travels a land as diverse as it is dazzling. It’s a luxury rail journey that travels through remarkable scenery across the heart of Australia. It provides a unique travel experience with onboard comforts as well as unforgettable off-train adventures.
Soon we board, drop our luggage in our cabin, and head to the Outback Explorer Lounge before lunch. The rail ride really starts in the lounge.
Getting acquainted comes easily in the narrow, but comfortable seating on each side of the lounge. The bar lounges on the Ghan are named after famous Australian outback explorers. Ours was named after the heroic pioneer John Eyre (1815–1901). He survived a murderous mutiny to complete an incredible expedition from Adelaide across the unforgiving Nullarbor Plain to Albany in Western Australia.
With a quick jolt, the train pulls slowly out of the station gradually gaining speed past well-kept residential suburbs, cemeteries and large industrial buildings of North Adelaide. Suddenly, the view shifts to flat agriculture lands, well-groomed with tractor marks that glow faintly iridescent orange in the sunlight as far as the eye can see. Rows of eucalyptus trees separate the adjacent farming tracks.
We pick up speed and the Ghan is on its way!
THE LONGEST PASSENGER TRAIN IN THE WORLD
Travelling up from Adelaide to Darwin (or vice versa), The Ghan is a rail journey of a lifetime. It transports around 280 guests and 49 crew in 36 silver-coloured carriages that can stretch 1.1 kilometres. Two fire-engine-red 4,400 horsepower dual locomotives, with the iconic white image of a mounted camel emblazoned on their sides, pull the carriages across 2,979 kilometres of striking countryside.
Originally known as the Afghan Express, the Ghan takes its name from the 19th century Afghan camel drivers who arrived in Australia 150 years ago to help explore the country’s remote interior. At some places in its comfortable 54-hour journey, spanning two Australian provinces, the Ghan Railway follows the route of the Afghan “cameleers.”
Using long lines of camels to transport provisions, mail, goods, building materials and early explorers, the cameleers rode across the barren desert and into the Red Centre of the continent.
The Ghan made its first journey in 1929 from Adelaide to Alice Springs, but the track was extended 75 years later to Darwin in 2004. The Ghan’s journey only takes two nights and three days for a one-way trip. The average train speed is 85 km/h with a maximum speed of 115 km/h. And it claims the title of the longest passenger train in the world.
OFF-TRAIN ADVENTURES
For a breathtaking blend of beautiful scenery, the railway between Adelaide and Darwin provides glimpses of the Outback, a natural wonderland, vast yet complex. A parched reddish copper-coloured desert dotted with stone outcroppings like Uluru resemble a vast Neolithic site.
Australia’s Outback is a fabled land, known for its stark appearance and Aboriginal lore and history. Within its epic scale, the Outback is made for dreaming wide, the source of Aboriginal dreamtime. It naturally creates a feeling of being free.
The morning starts early the second day with the “Marla knock” when staff taps on our cabin door to wake us up. We’re stopped at the remote Marla station where we join fellow passengers outside the train to watch the sunrise over the Outback. Stunning red dawn colours spread across the sky and the mulga scrub landscape. It eventually illuminates the shiny silver siding on the carriages of the train and then reflects in golden hues from the windows of the carriages. It’s like witnessing two sunrises in one morning!
All the while, ever attentive staff have set up coffee stations on tables assembled around the warmth of large bonfires. They pass out egg and bacon sliders while we continue to watch nature’s dawning light show.
Later in the day, we reach the capital of Australia’s Red Centre, Alice Springs. Named after a telegraph operator’s wife and an old Outback water hole, this is a four-hour stop for the Ghan, offering several off-train excursions. We opt for the helicopter ride.
After a thorough safety briefing, we climb aboard, donning headsets with microphones. With the swirling clatter of copter blades, our knowledgeable and skilled pilot gently lifts us off. Once airborne, her deft handling of the craft allows us to sweep into graceful high altitude turns. The manoeuvre reveals magnificent views of the small town as well as the stark yet stunning landscape surrounding Alice Springs.
From the helicopter, we view the beautiful MacDonnell Ranges and other significant landmarks like the iconic Simpson’s Gap (waterhole) and Angkerle (Stanley Chasm). We see spectacular Outback scenery from a unique aerial perspective, snapping photos through the small, open windows of the helicopter doors.
The panoramic landscapes of the West MacDonnell Ranges are extraordinary for their immensity and array of sunburst oranges, maroon, and purple colors.
On the morning of the third day, the Ghan arrives at Katherine, considered a big town in this part of the world. Over a few millennia its namesake river carved out a series of 13 deep sandstone gorges. We head to the national park for a two-hour scenic tour of Nitmiluk Gorge.
While floating through the gorge seated on awning-covered cruise boats, our guide provides a running narrative of the geologic and spiritual history of the stunning 70-metre-high sandstone cliffs that glow in the changing morning light. In the first gorge we’re encouraged to keep our eyes peeled for freshwater crocodiles and in the second gorge, for saltwater crocs, as well as delightful birdlife.
In between the two major gorges, we walk through a rock art gallery etched on the steep cliffs by the Jawoyn people, the traditional owners of Nitmiluk. For them this is the place of cicada dreaming, a story explained to us by our knowledgeable guide.
THE RESTAURANT AND DINING
Cuisine and wine are part of every Ghan journey. Both engage your senses and open windows to the essence of a place. The dining on the Ghan is an ideal setting for hospitable, attentive and personalized service amid casual, white linen elegance.
The art deco style of the Queen Adelaide Restaurant reflects the golden era and romance of rail travel. Named after the monarch who was the consort of King William IV in 1836 when South Australia was settled, the restaurant serves a wide choice of culinary options.
Through fresh fare and regional cuisine, Australia comes to life aboard the train. The menu offers Australian favourites like roasted lamb rump with minted pea puree, aioli, warm potato, and grilled vegetable salad. Or regional options like a South Australian Coast tasting plate with Coffin Bay baby octopus, Spencer Gulf prawns, soused Port Lincoln sardines, caponata, and sea parsley.
Want to try a little grilled kangaroo or curried crocodile? Those options are available too, along with vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free options. And, of course, standard fare like a classic breakfast with eggs, bacon, sausage, and toast or grilled chicken salad are available.
The wine served onboard represents wine regions across Australia including Barossa Valley, Margaret River, and Hunter Valley. A modern-style Chardonnay, a refreshing Chenin Blanc, a well-structured Rhone-style red blend, and Australia’s hearty Shiraz are just a few of the choices from the well-curated wine list.
WHY TAKE THE TRAIN?
Most people travel to explore, to learn and to understand. It is a doorway to cultural insight and personal enrichment. And the best way to immerse yourself in new cultures is to explore your world by train.
Travel by train slows down the journey. It allows us to sit in the lounge, meeting fellow travellers and learning their stories. And socialize, we did!
Our first new friends are two sisters travelling together following the death of the younger sister’s husband. Our first meal shared with a couple from Wollongong turns into a fast friendship. Before the trip was over, we exchange contact information and make plans to meet up once we’re back in Sydney. And the retired dairy farmer and his wife provided us with real insight as to what life in rural South Australia is like.
On the Ghan, from the moment you step aboard, you can feel it, the beginning of a folkloric journey. The intimate access to the wild that this transcontinental railway provides is surreal, albeit, at times, only through the window of a train. However, it’s the kind of window that begs you sit by it on your comfortable carriage couch and contemplate place and connection as ever-changing landscapes quickly pass by.
Now, more than ever, travellers want to pull the trigger on their “someday” trips and savour every moment. Luckily, the Ghan is one train adventure to fulfill those dreams. A perennial Australian favourite along with the Indian Pacific, its continued popularity proves that slow travel is gaining speed.
THE FINAL LEG OF THE JOURNEY
After lunch on the third day, we pack our bags and watch the red dirt landscape flow past our panoramic cabin window as we make our final leg of the journey to Darwin. Eventually, we find our way back to the Outback Explorer Lounge to enjoy one last glass of wine with our newfound friends.
We are fascinated by the preponderance of termite mounds and domes of various sizes across the Top End. We keep a keen eye out for the many species of wildlife and unique plants that have adapted to this arid, desert environment north of Alice Springs.
In a flash, we cross the wide, majestic Elizabeth River, a welcome blue expanse providing a momentary respite from the red dirt scrub. Black wallaroos, along with several species of rock rats, mice and bats are endemic to the Northern Territory. Skinks are the most abundant reptiles in the territory, yet saltwater crocodiles are the biggest tourist attraction.
Late in the afternoon of the third day, the Ghan glides into tropical monsoonal Darwin, the lesser-known gateway to Australia. Although not the farthest northern point on the continent, it is closer to Indonesia than Sydney. A former frontier outpost, Darwin sits on a plateaued peninsula overlooking Darwin Harbour, a drowned river valley into which the Elizabeth River has flowed for thousands of years.
We disembark at the Darwin Rail Terminal and gather our luggage, realizing that our journey on the Ghan was more than just a train ride. It’s a hidden world of shifting landscapes and rugged beauty, where the call of the wild meets luxury accommodations, gourmet cuisine, impeccable service, and new friends with a similar love of travel.
IF YOU GO:
Information and reservations for the Ghan are available at JourneyBeyond.com
Major airlines including Jetstar, Qantas, and Virgin Australia fly into both Darwin and Adelaide airports.
The Doubletree by Hilton in Darwin provides easy access to the waterfront and a lovely view of the water. The Hilton Adelaide is in the city centre and a short 10-minute drive to the train station.
3,775 views
Excellent story, P&G Baker. Made me want to do this trip!
What a unique way to see this part of Australia! It looks like a voyage of a lifetime!
Love this story! Makes me want to hear, “All aboard!” for myself