You would think that after spending the first 17 years of my life growing up in the Northern Territory of Australia, that I would have seen enough of the red centre. Obviously not, as here I am, 46 years later, very keen to embark on a train trip from Adelaide, up through Alice Springs and northwards to Darwin. It was no ordinary train though - it was on the legendary Ghan train. It is a special trip that my 92 years young aunt Dympna has had on her bucket list for many years, along with a trip through the Nullarbor desert to Perth on the Indian Pacific train. We did that trip in January 2013 (you can re-visit my blog link to read about that adventure), and now she deemed it was time to go on the Ghan.
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| Champagne to start our trip: Dympna, Gemma, Ret and me |
My Aunt Dympna, eldest sister Gemma, and youngest sister Loretta (Ret) and I flew to Adelaide in South Australia where the Ghan begins its journey north. The north-south cross-country train journey travels 2979 kilometres (1851 miles) and covers spectacular and diverse landscapes from the bucolic South Australian plains, the ochre red colours of the MacDonnell Ranges to the tropical greens of Katherine and Darwin. The excitement kicked off with being warmly met by Akubra-hatted staff at the Adelaide Parklands rail terminal and offered champagne after the efficient check-in process.
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| Gem in our cabin |
We checked into our cabins and settled in for the 3 day trip. The advantage of being the eldest in each cabin was getting to sleep on the bottom bunk. I shared with my eldest sister, so I was relegated to the top bunk, as did Ret in the cabin next door! The photo on the left is how the cabin looked before we went to dinner each evening, and then the photo below (taken off the Ghan's website) shows how the staff transformed the cabin ready for us to sleep in. Then each morning whilst we were at breakfast, they reversed the process. Each cabin had an ensuite which was stocked and cleaned each day including a supply of fresh towels. Can't beat a lovely hot shower to start or end each day - and have fresh towels each time.
The dining experience on these trains is amazing. As well as breakfast we had the choice of 2 courses at lunch, and 3 courses at dinner. In the Queen Adelaide Restaurant the train boasts a 'commitment to fresh, regionally-sourced Australian food. Dynamic menus showcase the finest regional flavours available - from Top End barramundi, locally-produced beef and lamb, Margaret River cheeses, Barossa Valley smallgoods and native Australian fare including kangaroo, saltbush and wild rosella flower.' Delicious, gourmet foods, and all cooked to perfection. Meals were complemented by a range of all-inclusive wines, beers and non-alcoholic beverages. We usually ordered 3 different meals, and sampled a little of each. A great way to try all on offer. Cabin crew offered to bring an early cup of tea or coffee to our cabin each morning - Murray must have trained them up!
On our first night, after a delicious meal accompanied by a nice red wine, we were sitting at our dining table chatting when Dympna decided to head back to her cabin before Ret, so that she could have first shower. About 5 minutes after she left, the train came to an abrupt stop, and anything that was not secure came tumbling down. Apparently the train hit a cow, and usually I believe the cow just gets hit and is pushed aside by the force of the train, but something happened this time that inadvertently activated the emergency brakes. Thankfully we were seated so we were okay, but those standing up were knocked to the floor by the impact. We all immediately thought of Dympna and made a beeline for her cabin. To get to our cabins we had to pass through the bar area - it was mayhem in there - glasses and bottles were scattered on the floor, as were the contents of the souvenir stand, and the display cupboard itself. A woman was lying on the floor, too afraid to move anything in case she injured her neck - she had fallen backwards, hit her head on a table, and landed heavily on her derriere. Poor lady - she was very stiff and sore the next day, but thankfully after a restorative massage she improved the following day. Getting back to our aunt, she had been undressing in the bathroom when the impact occurred and the top of her head connected with the door - thankfully it was a confined space so her head didn't have far to travel! She had a good sized 'egg' on her head, but with 3 nieces (all nurses at one time) who applied ice and monitored her for head injury or signs of concussion, she survived. A few days afterwards, she had 2 black eyes but otherwise seemed fine. In fact, in playing rummicub on our last night in Darwin, she won 4 out of 5 games, so we figured she suffered no brain degradation from the incident! Thankfully a neurological check up in emergency after our return confirmed all was okay. A close call.
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| Trish, Dympna and Ret with the Ghan behind us |
The next morning we had an early morning call to witness an unforgettable outback sunrise at Marla in remote South Australia. Marla is just north of the Oodnadatta Track and about 160 km (100 mi) south of the Northern Territory border with South Australia. When we got off the train we found that staff had two bonfires burning to keep everyone warm, and had hot tea or coffee and a choice of bacon and egg sliders or vegemite scrolls to tide us over until breakfast! We all agree it was one of the highlights of the train trip. A very unique experience.
The next day we arrived in Alice Springs just after lunch and were fortunate to have a 4 hour stop over. While the train offered several free tours which looked great for those who hadn't been to Alice before, that didn't apply to us, so we took advantage of the time, and caught up with friends instead. Gemma's schoolfriend Bev met us at the station and took us to a nearby cafe at the Araluen Art Gallery where Bev's brother Barry also joined us. However the highlight for me was to have two of my oldest and dearest school friends join us at the cafe. We laughed and chatted and laughed some more, until it was time to head back to the train. Gemma's grandson Sam met us at the station and came on board to check out our cabin before the train whistle signalled it was time to depart. What a memorable interlude.  |
| Laughing with school friends: L-R My sister Loretta, Josie, me and Sue |
In between train stops, meals and sleeping, we managed to sneak in a few games of rummicub. It was so relaxing playing the game, and looking out the window to see the countryside as we passed by. That is the Flinders Ranges that you can see behind us out the window. 
The next morning we pulled into Katherine, a town in the Northern Territory 320 km (200 mi) south east of Darwin. Our fare included a tour of the beautiful Katherine Gorge, where we all enjoyed a boat trip between sandstone cliffs and listened to a talk by a local indigenous chap on the aboriginal art that we saw on the cliffs. 
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| Aboriginal Rock Art on the Katherine Gorge |
2 nights and 3 days later, we arrived in Darwin, the capital of the Northern Territory and home to around 136, 000 people. It also happens to be the city of my birth, so it holds a special significance for me. My sisters and I enjoyed visiting the addresses of the houses we used to live in - one was blown down during Cyclone Tracy in 1974, one has been so fabulously renovated you wouldn't recognise it as our 4 bedroom house on stilts, and the other place was unchanged - still a 4 bedroom house on stilts, but the foliage seemed to have taken over the yard.
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| L-R: Mark (Rosie's husband), Gemma, Trish, my son Mark, Ret, Rosie, Anna, Dympna and Bridgette |
We arranged to have 3 days in Darwin to give us time to catch up with family. We were treated to a delightful dinner at niece Bridgette and Rob's new home (see photo above) - the gathering included my youngest son Mark, two of Gemma's daughters Bridgette and Rosie (and their menfolk and children), our brother Tony's daughter Anna. The next day I also got to catch up with Kathy, another of my schoolfriend's from Alice Springs (who now lives in Darwin).
It was fun visiting some of the old haunts from our childhood which included having lunch at Stokes Hill Wharf. Not that we ever had lunch there as kids, but mum and dad would take us on a drive there. That is the inlet leading to the Timor Sea behind us.
We couldn't visit Darwin and not drop in on the beach where we spent most Saturdays, while mum and dad played golf across the road. We always had one of our older sisters with us, Gemma tells us she minded us often, but I can only remember Rosemary having that chore. Poor Rose. Two young girls on a beach, in the sun, for hours on end. There were only a few shady trees there then, but it looks fabulous now - they even had some nice bean chairs to sit on courtesy of a 'pop-up cafe'. I bet Rose wishes they had those in our day!!
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| Me with Ret at beach in front of old Golf Club at Fannie Bay - the tide goes out for miles, then comes right up to a few feet from the trees. Amazing. Its not so far out in this photo as you can still see the water... |
So now we have completed both epic Aussie train journeys - both most enjoyable and highly recommended. See below to compare the route of each train.
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| Route of Indian Pacific from Sydney (East) to Perth (West) - across the Nullarbor Desert |
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