Aboard the Desert Express
Aboard the Desert Expressa
by Robin Gillow
by Robin Gillow
There's a joke in Australia that says: “Board the Ghan train and wake up the next morning only to discover you've gone nowhere...”
I however, was very pleasantly surprised to discover otherwise.
When is a camel train not a camel train? When it's the Ghan, a train named after a camel train (or rather the Afghan people that drove them in Australia). If this all sounds a bit confusing, perhaps you will understand when I say that I have just returned from the topsy-turvy world of Australia which included a trip on the incredible 'Ghan' (train) which travels from Adelaide to Darwin.
In fact it was more of a discovery trip. An adventure into another world; where most would wonder if I hadn't perhaps had a bit too much of the renowned Australian sun and gone bananas. “Who, in their right mind would want to spend good, hard earned ‘holiday time' travelling across the flattest, driest, hottest, most deserted bit of land on earth; Central Australia?” a friend asked. Discovery number 1: Lots of people and they haven't had too much sun…
Thus I found myself, feet up, travel guide in hand, a steaming cup of freshly brewed coffee (courtesy of cabin service) nearby, gazing out at a passing scene of towering parrot-filled, eucalyptus trees, rolling hillsides and a disappearing green, church-filled, Adelaide behind me.
Before long we were trundling towards "kangaroo" country and the land's wave, like contours, became a ripple. We slid through Port Pirie, a rust-bucket seaside town with row upon row of TV antennas, an elegant pavilion railway station and towering lead smelters; and on towards Port Augusta. Discovery number 2: Australian's enjoy watching TV.
We stopped here briefly as all trains passing through do; like the Indian Pacific, heading into the empty expanse of the Nullarbor Plain on their way from Sydney to Perth and those, like the Ghan, that venture beyond the “black stump” and away from “crow eater” country. Discovery number 3: Within two days in the country you will learn a new language.
The Ghan then headed northwest. Spinifex, saltbush, sand, camels, big 'boomers' (kangaroos) and their families and the train line, linking pin-points in the 'Never-never' with obscure names like Pimba, Tarcoola, Manguri, Finke River laying ahead of us. Discovery number 4: Kangaroos can have three babies at one time. One becoming mature and just out of the pouch, another developing in the pouch and one embryo in pause mode.
As the train rumbled forwards, the terrain took on a more ironed look, passing through scattered salt lakes that wouldn't satisfy a beetle's thirst. These glowed with an eerie pinkish hue as the sun set and a backdrop of a thousand stars began to wink their evening welcome. Discovery number 5: Australians call almost every dip in the outback a lake, water or no water.
During the night we hissed into Tarcoola, named after the horse that won the 1893 Melbourne Cup. This is either very flattering for the lump of bricks and tin that call itself a town or derogatory for the magnificent Thoroughbred that won the country's famed race. Perhaps the name was intended to bring some winning luck to the area? This, I never discovered. Here, the line turns away from the east-west Trans Australian line and heads forever north. Discovery number 6: In Australia , the true sense of ‘straight' becomes FAR more apparent.
The opal mines and homes of Cooper Pedy hidden beneath the red earth passed by and the Ghan continued its journey, through Pootnoura and Marla, across Aboriginal Pitjanjatjara Land, past mountain ranges and on to Kulgera in the Northern Territory.
Morning broke and occasional signs of life blurred across my window. I lay in my bed contemplating the pleasantness of the journey thus far, the conversations with other travellers the evening before and the desert life passing, like a wonderful silent movie. “So much for this place being bereft of life,” I thought, noticing a couple of Australia's flightless giants; emus, run, their zigzag steps taking them as far from the train as possible and some feral donkeys, descendents of those originally brought to the country as pack animals, quickly following.
A flock of galahs seemed to echo my thoughts as they dipped and turned, their flash of pink and grey plumage adding to the warm, ever reddening dawn glow. Crawling out of bed, I washed and then ambled towards the dining car preferring to dine there, in company, rather than in my cabin alone.
“Do you notice that there aren't any ‘bloody' ‘clickety-clack, clickety-clack' sounds from the ‘bloody' rails, mate?” a rather rotund Australian passenger asked, as he passed me in the corridor. “They've got ‘bloody' seamless rails these days, without any ‘bloody' joins, mate.” Discovery number 7: Australian's tend to laugh a lot, swear a lot, call everyone ‘mate', drink copious amounts of beer and are genuinely friendly, everywhere you go.
I had to admit I hadn't noticed the absence of joins. In fact, I hadn't even thought about it. I had been more absorbed in the passing scenery, conversations with others, the current book I was trying to read (but had been so engrossed with the journey that I hadn't managed more than a few words), the wins on the poker machines the night before and the fact that I could do absolutely nothing if I so desired.
At around noon, the train slowed, sinuously winding its way through the McDonnell Ranges into Alice Springs. Here, along with many other passengers, I disembarked. I stayed in ‘the Alice' for two nights, lapping up the comforts supplied by the Aurora Red Centre Resort. From the luxury of my Gold Kangaroo Class cabin to the three-star resort could be seen as stepping down in style, but the pool was certainly welcoming and the staff both helpful and friendly.
While there, I visited Australia's monolith, Uluru (Ayers Rock) and other sights, took time out for a camel ride and relaxed taking in the greenness of this oasis before boarding the next Ghan train for the rest of my adventure. Discovery number 8: Maybe it's the heat, but Aussies love strange sporting events such as lizard racing and sandhill-digging championships. One of the weirdest is the Henley-on-Todd Regatta, held in late September or early October in Alice Springs; crews race up the dry Todd River “wearing” their boats.
Setting out on the final leg of my journey I settled into my cabin for a bit of quiet personal R&R (rest and relaxation) and watched dancing dust devils (mini whirlwinds) race each other across the desert landscape as the train rumbled onto the new section of the Ghan route; an 882-mile extension built to link Alice Springs and Darwin.
After a brief stop in the mining town of Tennant Creek and another night's sleep, the train headed into the tropical north of Australia. Here the countryside turned a vibrant green, thanks to the monsoon rains of the summer season that had recently arrived. Wild flowers now dotted the landscape and every so often a butterfly or another insect would hang, suspended on gossamer wings outside my window, as if wondering at the oddity of the strange creature within; me. Discovery number 9: Australia is full of strange creatures…The Australian platypus is the only living mammal that lays eggs, rather than giving birth to live young.
At the next stop, in Katherine; I, along with most other passengers clambered out of the train and joined a boat trip through the famous Katherine Gorge which carves through red rock along the Katherine River and makes for an excellent break before travelling the last hundred miles to the final destination; Darwin.
This last leg saw us whooshing past lands studded with giant termite mounds and swollen muddy rivers whose banks are home to giant saltwater crocodiles and Asian water buffalo.
Darwin trundled into view and I began to pack my gear, readying myself for the journey's end and my Darwin adventure to begin...after all this was only the beginning of my discovery tour and there was a lot more of this weird and wonderful country to learn about before I set off home again. Final discovery: Australia is BIG and if you intend visiting; give the Ghan a burl !
The Ghan: The Ghan train is named after the Afghan camel drivers who did so much to open up Central Australia. The train started running in the late 1800's with the grandiose dream of linking Adelaide in the south to Darwin in the north.
Floods and other problems resulted in an unreliable train service and the extension to Alice Springs was only completed in the late 1920s. Before that time, the Ghan only went as far as Oodnadatta and passengers continued their journey to the Alice on Afghani-led camels.
This changed recently with an extension to Darwin being added and the line improved. Then in February 2004, the Ghan went on its first 2979-kilometre journey from Adelaide to Darwin.
Ghan passengers have the option of taking day and overnight sleeper accommodation with en-suite twin or single berths, and other services, or the standard service which can be booked with a sleeper cabin or a day-night/er seat. The Note: Motorail facilities are available if you wish to take your car with you. All these services should be booked in advance.
The Index to Australian Terminology:
Gone bananas: Gone mad
Crow eater: Someone who comes from South Australia.
Beyond the Black Stump: To venture into the country away from cities/towns.
Boomers: Male kangaroos
Never-Never: The centre of Australia.
Give it a burl: try it, have a go
Crow eater: Someone who comes from South Australia.
Beyond the Black Stump: To venture into the country away from cities/towns.
Boomers: Male kangaroos
Never-Never: The centre of Australia.
Give it a burl: try it, have a go
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