My first trip on The Ghan was in 1966, from Port Pirie to Alice Springs. My friend Desma and I were 15, and on a school trip from Tasmania. What do I remember? Well our teachers caught the flu and some of us took full advantage of the situation. There was illicit smoking, romances with boys from a Frankston lacrosse team, etc etc. Oh dear me! It was all very exciting.
The photo below is from a 1966 newspaper advertisement. As school kids we thought the buffet dining was sophisticated and ‘posh’, but I’m sure it wasn’t; Australian cuisine was yet to benefit from migration!
50 years on and my partner Rob and I are travelling from Darwin to Adelaide. Day one begins with a five-star brunch, as we travel south through the tropical north to Katherine. Just has to be barramundi with one’s eggs.
There are various stories about how The Ghan got its name. My favourite is that the carriages resembled the Afghan camel trains, used to transport goods in the early days. Certainly makes sense.
And so to Bed. Bunks, but very comfortable. Certainly an improvement on the 1950s, before diesel took over from steam.
1.30am near Tennant Creek. For some reason we have stopped here for an hour or so and have internet access. I can finish my article.
Great cruise around spectacular Katherine Gorge yesterday. Plus a walk during which a guide fell while helping one of the passengers and had to be taken to hospital with a suspected broken ankle. (dangerous country this!)
Crocodiles. We see ’em, we eat ’em, well mostly their tails are eaten, poor chaps. 😎
A little light reading before the next stop. It’s not quite Murder On the Orient Express (apologies author Hazel), but still…..
Or maybe an old classic, especially as our next stop is Alice Springs.
For further information on the Ghan trip, CLICK HERE.
