The Ghan

The Ghan has been on the bucket list for quite a few years. It travels from Darwin almost 3000 kms over 4 days to Adelaide. The train takes its name from the Afghans (and Indians) who initially came to Australia to manage camels and help expeditions such as Burke and Wells and later the construction of the communications line and subsequent railway. Aussies with their penchant for nicknames shortened the name to Ghan.

The length of train varies to suit passenger numbers and ours weighed in at almost 1 Km, suffice to say a bit too long for some station platforms.

We had adjoining cabins which were pretty spacious with a 3 seater couch. Plenty to explore and see what does what – certainly kept Robin happy while we waited for take off.

Our first stop was for a bit of lunch in the Adelaide restaurant. Suffice to say the food throughout the journey was fabulous (a cruise on rails) and with no shortage of alcohol included as part of the package. The end result 2 Kgs in 3 nights – but what a way to  put it on!

To overcome the need for platforms, stairs were provided so you could step down to ground level.

We had three main points of call during the journey the first of which was to Katherine Gorge. It has been quite a few years since we were here and apart from the upgrade to trails the first difference was a huge colony of bats (flying foxes). The temperature was in the high 30s and they were flapping around to keep cool as well as taking trips to the river for a drink.

Although the plan was to dip their beaks into the water sometimes they hit the water a little harder than necessary and caused quite a splash. None of this activity went unnoticed by a local crocodile although he was clearly frustrated by the lack of action close to him. However, I suspect as a patient predator he would have scored a meal later in the day. Not that bat has quite the appeal of our Ghan meals.

The water level was reasonable so we were able to travel through two of the gorges. The walk to the lower gorge has been much improved and was an easy stroll compared to our 2006 school trip experience which required a bit of clambering over rocks. Just as well given the heat and our less athletic walking abilities.

The gorges remain spectacular especially in the low afternoon light. 

They also seem to go on forever… 

Our return to the Ghan was greeted with cooled hand towels and a drink before we returned to our cabins for a shower and change of clothes so we were suitably attired for pre-dinner drinks while we waited for our dinner table.

We then travelled overnight and arrived in Alice Springs for our next late (much appreciated) morning trip to a Desert Park. The weather was again quite hot so the emus decided to have a splash in a water hole.

The visit included an informative bird show which was rather different to anything we have seen previously. The birds appeared and returned to the bush rather than a handler (or so it seemed). First up was a Willie Wagtail. Actually he was not part of the show but an interloper keen on some food. He also tried to steal the limelight on a few occasions by singing from the top of his voice while sitting in the rafters and competing with what the handler was saying.

The first of the trained display was a Magpie that dutifully swooped and landed wherever requested. At the end the handler pointed and the bird flew away into the bush.

Next up was a a Snowy Owl that appeared from a hollowed out tree and flew in to see us (well more likely to collect food.) It is just brilliant how quiet owls are compared to the other birds.

We then had a a very swift Kestrel – too fast to get a good picture in flight. Stationary he has some great colours.

The Ghan attendees were then asked to stay in our place while others left and we were then treated to a training session. This was when it became apparent that there were other handlers in the bush sending off and receiving the birds. They had a buzzard that had somewhat lost the plot. He flew in from a distance but his pace was so leisurely that a Kestrel (which was wild and not part of the show) dived in and stole the food.

The bemused buzzard did not seem to believe that the food meant for him was gone.

Still he was rewarded during his piece de resistance. Presented with a (mock) Emu egg he got a stone and dropped it hard onto the shell. This required several attempts until the shell gave way and enabled access to the juicy morsel which was inside. (The amount of food inside a real egg would have kept him going for several days.)

After a brief revival back on the train we were off on our second trip to an open air dinner at the Alice Springs Telegraph office. Quite a spectacular location with old buildings, outside heaters and camel rides. 

The meal was brilliant and we were entertained by a great band delivering a range of music appropriate to the setting including songs from Red Gum. The intermission included a very entertaining astronomer which as we could see the night sky (unlike Uluru) was much more interesting. The full moon also added to the spectacle.

Another 1000 kms overnight and we stopped at Manguri

which really is in the middle of nowhere…….

but actually an hour by bus from Copper Pedy. This is the opal centre of the world with a unique environment. The town is surrounded by an estimated 1M drillings most of which would have been unsuccessful. It really is a bit of a moonscape. Opal fever is also in decline as the population is now about 1800 whereas a couple of decades ago it was ten times that. It seems the younger generation do not seem to keen on this as a lifestyle.

We lunched in an underground mine now devoted to tourism.

After grabbing a (non-compulsory) hard hat we could explore the tunnels and listen to a very funny old timer tell his tales.

Several long tables set up in purpose drilled halls made for a unique dining experience. It was also easy to hear as the adjoining table was in a different hall several metres through the unexcavated wall.

After lunch we proceeded to an underground house. Not much noise, natural light or fluctuation in temperature to disturb your sleep here.

Our third underground stop was to the Serbian Orthodox church. It is one of four churches. Spending so much time underground presumably gives more than the usual amount of time for reflection. Although quite simple, the carefully drilled ceiling, colour of varying rock veins and lit timber alter gave a real warmth to the space.

Our last stop on this tour was a huge vista called the Breakaways (because they look like they have broken away from the nearby higher escarpment). 

This is real Mad Max territory – colourful desolation.

With our last exploration completed it was time for dinner. We had opted for the latest evening meal sitting so we did not have to vacate the tables and could linger longer. This being the last night we pushed the boundaries and were the last to leave as none of us really wanted this last train dinner to end.