A trip on The Ghan is billed as one of the world's greatest train journeys

Sydney Morning Herald

3 days ago

I'm enjoying dinner under the stars at the old Alice Springs telegraph station – one of the highlights of my trip on The Ghan – when suddenly the lights go out and the haunting sound of a didgeridoo can be heard emerging from the darkness. It's a brief moment of pure magic.
I'm going south, a journey of almost 3000 kilometres from Darwin through the heart of the red centre to Adelaide. It's an all-inclusive trip with food, drink and off-train excursions, which you select from a range of options at time of booking, included in your fare.
It's the extra touches that help make the excursions a highlight of the trip. At the Alice Springs dinner, we're treated to camel rides, a blacksmith, a live band, and marshmallows for toasting over a bonfire. I also have a picnic lunch at Simpsons Gap during a trip to Standley Chasm, and visit Nitmiluk Gorge, the opal town of Coober Pedy and the Breakaways.
Journey Beyond, which owns this and several similar services, including the Indian-Pacific, has the tourist-train model down to a fine art. Dining is gourmet, the wine list top-notch. Our crew is efficient, enthusiastic and, here's the clincher, genuine – no phony jingoism or pretentious service, just real people doing a job they love, and doing it very well.
For the first part of the journey, my gold-class twin cabin has a comfy bench seat that attendants convert into a bed while I'm off having a pre-dinner snifter, a dinky bathroom with a (very efficient) shower and luxe toiletries, a big window, room for my carry-on bag (bulky luggage is checked in), subtle lighting and a book nook next to the bed. Between the excursions, socialising and eating, however, there's not much downtime. I barely touch my stack of books.
Our crew is efficient, enthusiastic and, here's the clincher, genuine – no phony jingoism or pretentious service, just real people doing a job they love, and doing it very well.
The Queen Adelaide dining car is all etched glass and art deco ambience. Menus feature produce from the regions we pass through, with crocodile dumplings and grilled saltwater barramundi among the dishes on offer.
The train has 715 passengers on board (at capacity it can carry 730), so it definitely helps to like mixing with strangers. Dining tables are shared, and the comfy club car promotes convivial interaction over a cocktail or two. I meet mothers and daughters, couples on honeymoons or celebrating 40th wedding anniversaries, groups of grey nomads, solo adventurers. The more pals you make, the richer the experience.
After Alice, I am switched to Platinum class. My cabin is bigger, though a bit shabbier, with twin beds and a large, very smart bathroom. The combined dining and club car is sleek and modern, with the option here of a private table. It's nice but I find myself pining for my old Gold experience, which felt so much more train-like.