Under the spell of The Ghan
Justine Tyerman boards The Ghan, the famous transcontinental train, from Darwin to Adelaide. Here is the first of a four-part series about her journey.
The sleek silver Ghan, with the twin bright red diesel-electric locomotives throbbing at her prow, was a magnificent sight at Darwin’s Berrimah Railway Station as coaches and taxis arrived with 285 excited passengers ready to embark on our great train adventure from Darwin to Adelaide. We were about to travel through the ‘Red Centre’ of Australia, a 2979km journey spread over four days and three nights.
The sheer size, length and spectacle of the 903m, 38-carriage, 1700 tonne train set my heart pounding. I instantly fell under the spell of this iconic train originally named the Afghan Express after the 19th century Afghan cameleers who helped blaze a trail through the country’s remote interior.
Although construction began in 1878, it wasn't until 2004 that the last section of the railway track from Alice Springs to Darwin was finally completed. The locomotives and the carriages all proudly bear the emblem of an Afghan riding a camel.
My Gold Service cabin with ensuite bathroom was mid-ships so the walk with my small wheelie case was manageable in the tropical heat but those at the extremities of the train were shuttled in style.
My ensuite bathroom with lovely Appelles bath and body products.
My hospitality attendant Aaron greeted me with a beaming smile and soon after appeared in my cabin to chat about what excursions I wanted to do during the days ahead.
“All of them,” I said, unable to choose from the fabulous selection available each day. Having done the excursions, Aaron helped me come to a decision in no time.
Train manager Bruce then welcomed us all aboard via the in-cabin radio which also broadcast an excellent commentary and a series of stories about the places, events and people along the route.
Restaurant manager Nick popped by to discuss my preferred dining times in the Queen Adelaide Restaurant. The cuisine on The Ghan and her sister The Indian Pacific, a trip I completed in June, is as legendary as the history of these great train journeys. Not to mention the beverages …
A glass of champagne mysteriously found its way into my hand as the massive train slid so smoothly from the station, I was only aware we were moving by watching the people waving on the platform slowly disappear from view. A toast to The Ghan seemed a fitting way to celebrate the departure of such a majestic train on another epic journey across the continent. The Ghan has a presence, history and grandeur like no other and to be finally embarking on the trip sent bubbles of excitement through my veins. They matched the effervescence in my glass.
A toast to The Ghan seems a fitting way to celebrate the departure of such a majestic train on our epic journey across the continent.
“This is the life,” I thought as I settled into my super-comfortable cabin and watched the Northern Territory countryside flicker by. Tall termite mounds like cylindrical chimneys scattered the bushy terrain which had been recently scorched in a controlled burn-off. The ant-like insects build amazingly clever dwellings for themselves with a central vent for air-conditioning. They devour an enormous quality of matter and return all the nutrients to the earth. The structures are aligned north-south to catch the sun. You learn all sorts of fascinating things by listening to the commentary on The Ghan.
Soon after, we crossed the broad Elizabeth River and it was lunchtime.
I dined in the ornate Queen Adelaide Restaurant on tropical chicken salad with fresh mango, flat beans, red onion, bamboo shoots, macadamia, lotus root, coriander and mesclun with lime pepper dressing, followed by a divine mango parfait with wild berry salsa. White tablecloths, fine china, waiters, wine … and that was just a light lunch.
Travelling solo, Nick seated me with a variety of different people at every meal. On this occasion I lunched with three highly-entertaining Australian widows, one of whom knew a family from my hometown of Gisborne, New Zealand. Such a coincidence.
As we chatted, we travelled through sparsely-vegetated hilly terrain cut by dry river beds, and rocky outcrops as though it had rained massive boulders.
Unlike the Indian Pacific where there were hours of on-train time to daydream and relax, the daily excursions on The Ghan Expedition took up the bulk of the daytime hours. Early afternoon, we arrived at the Northern Territory town of Katherine to be met by coaches waiting to take us on a variety of excursions. Following Aaron’s advice, I chose a cruise and hike in two of the 13 gorges on the Katherine River in the 292,000-hectare Nitmiluk National Park.
We boarded barges and cruised slowly up a spectacular steep-sided, rocky sandstone gorge carved by the Katherine River over millions of years. The commentary of our skipper-guide Sam added wonderful layers of meaning and history to the experience.
Nitmiluk means ‘cicada country’ to the indigenous Jawoyn people, she said.
Cruising the Katherine River in the spectacular Nitmiluk Gorge.
“Listen and you’ll hear the buzzing sound, especially in the evening,” Sam explained.
She also pointed out huge gashes in the rocks on both sides of the river indicating fault lines, and trees like the paperbark with uses such as cooking foil and the larruk with anti-inflammatory and insect repellent properties.
The white sandy beaches alongside the river looked like idyllic spots for picnics and swims until Sam drew our attention to the signs: “Crocodile nesting area – do not enter.”
They’re mainly freshwater crocs here, not the monster ‘salties’ I’d seen in Darwin, but you still wouldn’t want to get anywhere near them. Thereafter I imagined I saw many crocodiles submerged in the river, but they were “probably rockodiles” according to Sam.
The kayakers we passed on the river must have been incredibly brave or foolhardy – I couldn’t decide which.
Kayakers on the Katherine River near a croc nesting beach.
Turning my attention upwards while keeping my arms well clear of the water, I was transfixed by the staggering height of the sheer cliffs on either side of our barge, reaching 60 to 100m high, depending on the depth of the river. The Katherine rises up to 9-10 metres during times of flood – the extreme sideways lean of the trees are an indication of the strength of the current.
Today the river was so low we had to hike between the two gorges, boarding another barge on the other side.
Between the gorges, Sam pointed out aboriginal paintings etched in the rock walls high above us, still intact after thousands of years. Some indigenous art in the region dates back 40,000 years, the oldest known art forms on the planet.
Aboriginal paintings etched in the rock walls are still intact after thousands of years.
As we neared a deep pool in the upper reaches of the second gorge, Sam told us a Dreamtime story of the Jawoyn people.
“According to legend, Bolung, the rainbow serpent, carved the gorge in his own image then laid to rest in the 40m deep pool right below us.
“There’s a whirlpool here and Jawoyn people won’t swim, fish or drink water from the pool for fear of a flood or other calamity.
“The serpent is one of few common threads in aboriginal culture. Indigenous people in the Flinders Ranges area have a similar story.”
Sam also explained the kinship system of the aboriginal people whereby a skin name is handed down by your mother meaning those of the same name cannot marry. The penalties for breaking the rules are severe – a spear to the back of the legs.
We passed by an impressive towering rock known as Jedda Rock after the 1955 Australian-made movie of the same name, the first feature film to star aboriginal actors.
The rocks in the Katherine Gorge are around 1.6 billion years old, Sam explained.
As we neared the end of the cruise, I spotted a large cage on the water’s edge.
“It’s a croc trap,” said Sam just in case we had forgotten we were in crocodile country.
Jay, a cheery Jawoyn lad with a huge smile shouted “Boh boh” to us as he tethered the barge to the jetty and we disembarked.
The Jawoyn don’t say “Goodbye”, they say “Boh boh – See ya later”.
A huge plume of smoke threatened to obliterate the sunset as we bused back to the train. A controlled burn was taking place somewhere in the distance, turning the sun into a fiery red ball in the western sky.
Later, as I emerged wet and drippy from the shower, I discovered we were actually travelling right through the fire, hot and red and fiery with flames leaping up trees and lots of smoke. It was really dramatic. Travelling through an Aussie bush fire, courtesy of The Ghan.
That evening, I just had to try the crocodile sausage entrée with a lemon aspen sauce on the dinner menu. Having been warned by my Aussie mates that croc was bland, I found it surprisingly tasty.
Sticking with exotic, I had an excellent chickpea saffron dahl served with pickled okra and basmati rice as a main course, and yummy ginger and macadamia nut pudding with caramel sauce and coconut ice-cream for dessert.
As I snuggled into my comfy bed beautifully-made by Aaron with crisp white linen in the air-conditioned comfort of my cosy cabin, I looked back over the photos I’d taken that day.
The grandeur of the Katherine Gorge was quite overwhelming. The deeply-furrowed, weathered old faces of the rocks towering above the river gave me a powerful sense of the ancientness and dignity of the land. Truly one of the Australia’s most stunning natural wonders.
FACTBOX:
* The Ghan Expedition is a 2979km four-day, three-night train journey through the ‘Red Centre’ of Australia from Darwin to Adelaide or vice versa
*Justine travelled courtesy of international rail specialists Rail Plus and Great Southern Rail.
* Visit https://www.railplus.co.nz/australia-by-rail/australias-great-train-journeys/the-ghan-expedition/ghan-expedition-prices-book.htm for more information on The Ghan and https://www.railplus.co.nz/great-train-journeys/ for other epic train adventures around the world.
*A veteran of many rail journeys organised through Rail Plus, I’ve also travelled on the Indian Pacific (see my series of four stories); and the TranzAlpine.
*Rail Plus has a dedicated team of experts to advise you on Great Train Journeys all around the world including The Deccan Odyssey between Mumbai and New Delhi in India https://www.railplus.co.nz/great-train-journeys/deccan-odyssey/prices-info.htm another epic journey I'm dreaming of doing some day. The eight-day, seven-night journey recaptures the pomp and pageantry of India's royal past visiting beaches, sea forts and world heritage cave frescoes of Western India and the Deccan plateau including the city of Goa.