Adelaide to Darwin on the Ghan

We had a wedding to attend in Darwin so we decided to fly to Adelaide and board the Ghan to Darwin.  What a wonderful experience.  Three days and two nights with stopovers in Alice Springs and Katherine.  We went Platinum Class and would recommend anyone contemplating travelling on the Ghan to look at the upgrade.  

Our Cabin

 This is the cabin.  The first thing you smell when you enter the room is the wonderful aroma of polished timber. The cabins are compact (it is of course a TRAIN!) but have a very well thought out plan.  Where DH is sitting folds down into a quite comfortable double bed that is made up for you each evening while you are eating dinner.

The Ensuite

Each cabin has its own en-suite. This is also very compact but well designed with a full size shower and toilet (NOT fold-down).  There is only room for one person at a time, but hey, what the heck.
The ensuite is cleaned every morning to its sparkling best and of course we are issued with clean towels if you so wish.  We decided against this.




The food was quite good considering the size of the galley that the chefs have to cook in.  The dining room itself was very plush with lots of gold leaf and of course the views from the windows as you travel along are amazing.

Dining at its best

We meet some wonderful people on board the Ghan. It became the norm for us to meet in the bar for drinks each evening prior to dinner and to chat about our day before dinner.

The Alice
Our first stop was Alice Springs.  The tour we chose took us to the original Alice Springs goal and to the Overland Telegraph station just outside Alice Springs.  We also had a photo opportunity at the highest point in Alice where this photo was taken. 

The next day was Katherine where we had chosen a trip to the Katherine Gorge.  Unfortunately for all onboard, we were given the news by the head steward that we would not have enough time in Katherine to go on our chosen tour.  The Ghan was slowed down the previous night by a slow moving freight train in front and would not arrive in Darwin on time if we had the allotted time in Katherine.  It didn't make sense to me but who was I to argue. We did however decide to come back to Katherine the day after we arrived in Darwin.  We booked a bus tour and were very glad that we did.  Katherine Gorge was amazing.

Katherine Gorge

Darwin is a lovely city and has changed dramatically in the years since cyclone Tracy.  We were told by our bus tour guide that Darwin was completely re-designed after the cyclone with many more high rise buildings able to stand the brunt of a cyclone.  The new harbour area is beautiful and we enjoyed coffee and cake at one of the many restaurants.  We stayed at Cullen Bay Apartments that are looking a little bit tired but nonetheless still a nice place to stay.  This sunset photo was taken from one of the many restaurants at Cullen Bay. 

Sunset at Cullen Bay