The Ghan Train runs from Adelaide to Darwin, across some of the most challenging and desolate parts of the Australian Outback. We boarded the train in Alice Springs, which is just about the mid-point on the route.
The Ghan Train
“The Ghan” is a sort of throwback experience to the days of luxury train travel. From the moment we boarded the train I felt like we were in an Agatha Christie novel. As we were settling into our ‘cabin’, the consigner stopped by to explain everything and answer our questions.
Lucky for us, the bar was the next coach forward and the restaurant was just in front of that. First stop, the bar. We sat with many of our traveling companions from the group and had a drink before dinner. Meals and drinks are included, so what the heck! Our dinner was elegant and delicious; Linen tablecloths, fine silver, and stemware. This is definitely the way to traverse the Australian Outback.
By the time we’d returned to our cabin, it had been set up for sleeping with an upper and lower berth. We drew straws and Julie got the upper berth. Then we drew straws three more times until Julie got the lower berth. (Funny how that worked out…) While I slept great, the swaying of the train woke Julie up several times through the night. Before we knew it, it was time to get up.
Like dinner the evening before, breakfast was delicious and the coffee was hot. We had a planned stop at Katherine Gorge at 9:00 AM. I liked to think that they were taking on water and coal for the engine, but the engines were diesel and it was simply an opportunity to see the gorge. Where was Agatha Christie when you need her?
Kathrine Gorge
1,000 km north of Alice Springs, Katherine Gorge is a great stop for a little sightseeing. Actually a series of seven separate gorges, Katherine Gorge was just entering the wet season. Over the coming months, the water will be upwards of 18 feet deeper than it was when we were there in November. We cruised two of the gorges, walking between the two because of the low water levels. We had a glimpse of ancestral drawings on the gorge wall along the way. The geology of the gorges is interesting and the views stunning. Before we knew it, we were back on the train and headed another 300 km down the tracks for Darwin.
Kakadu National Park
Kakadu, located several hours east of Darwin, is almost 20,000 square kilometers – that’s about half the size of Switzerland, so we only got to see a small portion of what this place has to offer. The park offers cave paintings, the oldest of which are up to 20,000 years old. The park also has more than 10,000 crocodiles – a tenth of all the crocs in the Northern Territory! This was the start of our ‘beware of crocodiles’ portion of the trip. If there’s water, there are crocodiles. Over the following week, we saw countless crocks, the largest was about 18 feet.
The cycle of the region is for the floodplains to flood during the wet season with water covering thousands of square kilometers. Gradually the water retreats and the floodplains dry – this is the dry season. No winter, spring, summer, and fall – just wet and dry. As we visited at the end of the dry season, much of the wildlife had retreated and concentrated in the remaining wetlands and rivers.
We took the Yellow Water Cruise one afternoon and saw plenty of crocks in the water, water buffalo on the floodplain and tons of birds. At one point we came across the remains of a large water buffalo killed by a crock.
PWhistling ducks and magpie geese were abundant as we cruised through the wetlands. The guide on the boat kept pointing out different birds and sometimes got excited – ‘ooww, there’s a blue-eyed ring-nosed fish trumpeter…’ or something similar. We must have had ‘bird people’ on the boat because they also got excited… ‘Frank, look, that’s a male frog darter, what impressive plumage…’ (Frankly, they mostly looked the same to me). The camera clicked away.
Another notable aspect of the park is the abundance of termite mounds. These monsters can be over 25 feet tall. We stopped at one that was maybe 13 feet high and had our pictures taken with it. I kept looking over my shoulder for the swarm coming out of mound to carry us away, but it never came. Before coming to Australia, i’d always thought the mounds were sort of crusty-soft or sandy, but they’re not. Through some chemical process, the termites build the walls of the mound to be nearly as hard as a rock. I knocked on one to get an idea of how hard it was – it was solid. Then, when I thought I heard a rumble of termites massing for an attack from inside the mound I ran for the safety of the bus.
We heard a story of a young guy, who may have consumed some number to beers, who then drove his car into a termite mound. His car was destroyed and the mound remained. There is no truth to the rumor that he was then carried away and into the mound by soldier termites…
Nourlangie Rock Walk (Burrungkuy)
The Nourlangie Rock Wall is one reason why Kakadu is World Heritage-listed for outstanding cultural values. With its stunning rock paintings, this famous site documents life in the region from 20,000 years ago to the first contact with European explorers. We took a walk through this area; it was like exploring an outdoor museum, viewing several different examples of art from different periods.
Unfortunately, those of us that left our bug nets behind were frequently attacked by swarming insects. The bugs can be one of the distractions at this time of the year. A lightweight bug net is an east remedy. Add to that the heat and humidity and you can understand why we didn’t linger there too long. While we were there we did see some incredible wall painting.
In order to get a bird’s eye view of the park, Julie and I took a ride in an airplane over the park. The area is a mix of rock formations separated by broad wetlands or narrow rivers. Australia had done a wonderful job of preserving the area in its natural state. The flight provides a wonderful perspective on the diversity of the terrain and the scale of distance. There is little sign of human presence outside of several small towns.
Australia’s Northern Territory is a wonderfully diverse region that shouldn’t be missed. If you have the time, The Ghan Train is the best way to get there and enjoy a unique experience in the process.
For more information, check out the following links
Ghan Train
Katherine Gorge
Kakadu National Park
Wow!
Fascinating!! Don’t hear much about the land down under, but through you two!