The Ghan!

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September 9 – Today we boarded a very comfy bus and headed for the train station. There, sitting on the track was ‘The Ghan’. Sleek, shiny and over 40 carriages long, it was an impressive sight! David and I were assigned Cabin 9/10 (I figure somewhere in there was Platform 9 and ¾’s – it was truly a magical place.) The tiny cabin was designed to include everything one could need including two fold away berths, a closet, a safe, a fold-down table, places to stow luggage, and a washroom the size of a small closet that converted to a shower. David, of course, discovered more little details and figured out how everything worked within the first few minutes of boarding.







The Ghan travels the length of Australia from the ‘Top End’ in Darwin to the bottom in Adelaide, and is one of the world’s great train experiences. We chose to travel half this distance and disembarked at Alice Springs. As the train left the station, the Conductor welcomed all aboard and described a little of the journey. Shortly after, train staff visited our cabin to give us safety information, meal times, and the off-train excursions. Our lunch was scheduled for 11:00 a.m. There is nothing left to chance on this journey; everything runs like a “well-oiled machine”, and passengers are treated royally. (I could really get used to this, but my pocket book might get a little lean and waistline a whole lot thicker!)





To get to the dining car, we had to pass through three cabin cars and the lounge car – it was the only exercise we got. It’s amazing the quality of food that was provided from what must be a space-challenged kitchen. After lunch we headed back to our cabin where I climbed into the top berth and had the most delicious nap with the train swaying, bumping and rolling along. (I’m afraid I didn’t see much of the country from the train.)

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Comments

[D MJ Binkley]

The Ghan
We really want to take this train ride. We've gone from Sydney to Perth already.