Great Southern Rail - The Ghan
By David Ellis
It may not have the mystique of Agatha Christie’s Orient Express, or
require the week-long stamina of the Trans-Siberian, but there’s no
doubting the status of Australia’s The Ghan as one of the world’s great
rail journeys.
Because this is an epic 54-hour transcontinental
expedition covering almost 3000km between Adelaide and Darwin, and
offering both an eye-opening look at our spectacular Inland, and a
captivating insight into our pioneering past.
Originally
begun in 1878 to link Adelaide with Stuart – now Alice Springs – it
took 51-years to reach Alice, and another 75 years after that to get to
Darwin.
And early passengers were never led to believe there was
much in common between official- and actual-time: on one occasion in
the 1930s when the train finally chugged into Stuart a fortnight behind
schedule, rather than the driver, fireman, cook and guard being
lambasted as bumbling public servants, they were lauded as Heroes of
the Outback.
Because when their train became trapped in
floodwaters in the middle of nowhere, the crew had gone off daily to
shoot wild goats, and butcher and feed these, and tea, to their
passengers thrice daily until the floodwaters subsided.
As a
journalist of the day noted: “Timetables are a matter more of hope than
fact… not only is the hour of arrival indefinite, but also the day.”
It
is far different in today’s air-conditioned Ghan – so named after the
Afghan camel drivers who ferried freight from where the train
terminated for many years in Port Augusta, to Stuart. Seeing the
camel-train dust on the horizon, Outback locals would send the word
north: “The ‘Ghan’s are coming…”
Modern-day travellers have a
choice of seating-only Red Class, Gold Class double-sleeper with
ensuite, and the more-luxury Platinum Class.
But even the
highly-popular Gold Class sitting/sleeping cabins are not where you
want to spend the majority of your time on this eye-opening journey :
the Lounge Car is the place Gold Classers head for, with picture
windows, reading material, a bar, and the opportunity to chat with
fellow travellers who come from around the world.
And it quickly
becomes apparent that that they could just have as easily called this
part of the train Baby Boomer Class, for here are people looking for
comfort and good food and wine as they crack into the kids’ inheritance
on this cross-desert soft-adventure…
Conversations quickly turn
to the surrounding countryside, and while it’s easy to imagine the
Australian Outback as a possibly boring, scrubby, same-ish environment,
its one that quickly proves that the more you look, the more you see...
On the journey south from Darwin, there’s time for lunch before
a stop at Katherine, a lunch that introduces guests to the skills of
chefs Karen Chandler and Chetin Suri and their culinary wonders from an
amazingly tiny kitchen.
The stop at Katherine allows a chance to
join an (additional cost) tour into the Nitmiluk National Park,
including a cruise through part of the Katherine Gorge and a viewing of
indigenous rock art; the tour is run by the local Jawoyn people and
their applause-earning expedition leader, Robbie Braun.
The
Ghan’s other stop for sightseeing is at Alice Springs next morning, and
while the train’s parent company, Great Southern Rail is based in
Adelaide, its spiritual home is here in Australia’s very centre...
A
must-visit during the three-hours at Alice is the Araluen Cultural
Precinct with its Arts Centre, Museum of Central Australia, the
Strehlow Research Centre that’s a repository of material relating to
the local Arrernte people, a craft studio, and the Central Australian
Aviation Museum.
And back on board, there’s time for drinks in
the lounge car, a chat with fellow guests – many of them rail buffs
with infinitely detailed diaries of their international train travels –
and later, while enjoying a leisurely dinner with wine (optional cost,)
staff convert Gold Class cabin seating into double bunks.
Wake-up calls come at about 6.30am through a friendly rap on the door, and tea or coffee.
Then
a quick shower in an ensuite that’s a miracle of compaction, breakfast
– and another amazement-filled day as The Ghan continues its
eye-opening 3-day, 2-night journey south…
For details see travel agents or go to Great Southern Rail www.gsr.com.au
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