The Ghan Train: Crossing the Red Center
We began our trip through the red center of Australia with our flight from Brisbane to Darwin. Darwin is located in the center of the northern coast of this continent. We did not schedule anything for the two days we were in Darwin, we just wanted to relax at the beachfront Skycity resort while we waited to board The Ghan train. Incidentally, The Ghan train was named after the Afghan cameleers that blazed a permanent trail through the red center of Australia in the 1800s.
We were picked up at our hotel by The Ghan Expedition staff and delivered to our cabin to start our trip south. We purchased the Platinum level and it was apparent in everything we experienced. Our spacious cabin was setup as day room when we arrived with two very comfortable seats, tables and a full modern bathroom with a full size shower. We would love to have this bathroom on our boat! A few Ghan facts: approximately 3,000 feet long, weight of 1,825 tons, two locomotives pulling 44 carriages, 348 passengers and 55 crew, average speed of 53 mph, and a top speed of 72 mph. After we were settled into our room, we went to the Platinum dining car which also has a lounge area to enjoy a beverage and meet our fellow travelers. Later, we had our first fabulous meal there. After lunch we arrived at out first stop of the trip.
Our first stop was in Katherine, a relatively short trip from Darwin. Katherine is near Nitmiluk National Park and Katherine Gorge. We had multiple excursions that we could have taken in Katherine. Liz and I chose the Katherine Outback Experience. This program was led by Tom Curtain, an award winning Australian country western recording star. Tom and his wife Annabel own the Katherine Outback Experience, a working ranch where they break wild horses and train sheep and cattle herding dogs for the outback sheep and cattle ranches. In addition to singing some of his songs, one done will standing upright on top of his horse, we watched Tom break a wild horse. It was an absolutely amazing experience. Tom first waved a stick around with rags fastened to the end of it in order to get the horse to run around the perimeter of the ring, while he slowly walked around. Next, he let the horse stop as he moved around, sometimes closer to the horse, sometimes farther away, but he never moved directly towards the horse. He told us what he was doing and why every step. He taught us how to read a horse’s ear positions and facial changes to tell what the horse was thinking. He purposely shifted his weight on his feet to send a message to the horse. As we watched, we could see the horse reacting to Tom. They were definitely connecting. Finally Tom walked near the horse with his shoulder near the horse, then slowly slipped on a rope halter. The horse just should there. Soon Tom was leading him around with the halter. Next, the saddle went on slowly. Then one of the staff laid across the horse with one foot in the stirrup. Then he mounted and walked the horse. Soon expanding the gait. We were all amazed to actually see this. Tom really is a horse whisperer! The dog training was remarkable as well. We were very happy of our choice of excursion for the afternoon.
When we arrived back on the train we showered and dressed for dinner. We had a wonderful dinner, desert and cocktails with our Premium mates. When we returned to our cabin, our bed, which stores in the wall in the daytime, was down and made up, completed with two folded robes at the foot of the bed. The real topper was Liz’s liqueur and my whiskey on our bed tables, accompanied by chocolates of course. Who could not like this!
We arrived in Alice Springs on our second day just after enjoying a full breakfast. Our schedule for the day was a flight on a fixed aircraft to see Uluru (formally called Ayer’s Rock). The flight over to Uluru was amazing as we flew low over the outback. It’s impossible to explain the vastness of this space, an empty vastness that goes on forever. The first thing we saw when we approached Uluru was Kata Tjuta. Kata Tjuta is a group of large, ancient rock formations about 18.6 miles away from Uluru. Together, these giant stone formations form the two major landmarks within the Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park. Kata Tjuta is made up of 36 domes spread over an area of more than 12.4 miles. It is amazing to see these giant formations from the air. But when we approached Uluru, I was struck by its presence. Certainly photos of Uluru have always appealed to me. But seeing it in person, with its size and power, was breathtaking. Uluru and Aboriginal culture are very much entwined. In fact, Uluru is sacred to the local Pitjantjatjara tribe that live here. It was said to have come about during the much fabled Dreamtime. Uluru facts: 1,142 feet tall, 2,821 above sea level, and a circumference of 5.4 miles. The most amazing fact is that this huge single rock also extends some 1.5 miles below ground.
After we landed at Ayers Rock airport, we toured around Uluru and explored the cave writings, water hole, and experienced the presence felt when visiting Uluru in person. After our flight back to Alice Springs we went as a group to the Alice Springs Telegraph Station. This station was responsible for maintaining communication in Australia’s early days, as well as serving as basis of Alice Springs development as a town. We had a wonderful BBQ dinner and dance with a great band. Everyone thought the lead singer sounded like Willie Nelson with a slight Australian accent. It was uncanny how close he sounded like Willie, twang and all. We all headed back to the train for a good nights sleep (assisted by the nightcaps at our bedside) as the train rolled out of the station.
On our third day we arrived at the railway landing close to Coober Pedy. Coober Pedy is an opal mining town located in the harsh outback of South Australia centered between Alice Springs and Adelaide, the place our Ghan trip ends. Coober Pety is the largest producer of opal in the world with an estimated 70% of world’s opal being mined in the opal fields in the area. We started our day on a bus headed out to The Breakaways, a massive moonscape looking landscape created by a vast inland sea that once covered the area. The Breakaways name came from the island looking flat tops that broke away as the land eroded by the sea action. Afterwards, we visited the active and past mining areas around Coober Pedy. What you see are mounds of excavated soil and holes that go below the surface. Opal mining is not a big company venture in almost all cases. This is mining that takes experienced hands-on control to find and extract the opal veins. Large equipment will not work. Consequently, opal mining requires a small team approach. Therefore, the majority of opals are mined by a small group of family, friends or partners. Once a mining claim is established, the team drills or digs a hole (and piles the excavated dirt outside the hole) to get below the surface, then they start digging tunnels sideways into the rock, at all the times looking for traces of opal. These small teams sell their opals to opal distributors or producers. Being a opal miner is a massive amount of work, with in many cases, little monetary return, Some make it big, the truth is that most don’t. Why do the pictures show the mounds of dirt and open holes left in place after a claim is abandoned? Why didn’t they refill the holes? The holes are left open so that the hole could be mined again at a later date. The worry is that if the holes are refilled, and someones attempts to mine that area again with a new hole, the material in the filled hole could collapse on top of them. Hence, all the abandoned piles and holes everywhere in Coober Pedy and any other opal mining area. We had a opal mining demonstration and lunch underground in an old opal mine. We also found out that many of the town’s residents live in underground homes mostly those carved into the side of a hill. It’s the best way to escape the harsh weather in the Coober Pedy area. Our last stop in Coober Pedy was at their grassless golf course. It was the strangest golf course we have ever seen. Dark colored sand holes on a light colored sand course. You started by climbing up a hill to tee off on the first hole. This is course is actually used by Coober Pedy residents. The course has another unique feature, it is the only course in the world that has reciprocal playing rights to St. Andrews in Scotland. No one seems to know how that happened, but it really exists. When we returned to the train, we joined our fellow travelers for our last dinner in our private dining car, then returned to our cabin for our last night on the train.
When we woke on our fourth day we were close to Adelaide. We joined our fellow travelers in our dining car for breakfast the last time. After breakfast we rolled into Adelaide station, and we all existed the train and went off to our next adventures. Our Platinum service included private car service to our hotel.
We spent our next two days in Adelaide at the Intercontinental Hotel. We had the same strategy as when we stayed in Darwin, an opportunity to rest and reflect on the amazing experiences that we have had, while we prepared for our 13 hour flight to Dubai. The sunrises in the southern hemisphere are absolutely amazing! I’ve included a few photos of them. The last photo is the sunrise from our first morning in Adelaide. What a wonderful way to start your day! That is of course if you are always up to see them like me.
Miles traveled on this trip to date: 15,409. Number of days on this trip to date: 31
