The stillness jolted me awake. Stopped mid-way down Australia’s dusty red centre, the open blinds let in dawn’s dull light and revealed a truck parked by my window. I peered in. No outback bandits stared back, so I sank into the cushions of my snug, wood-pannelled cabin, waiting for its rattle and shake lullaby to resume.
Travelling 1,851 miles through Australia’s empty middle brought many arresting moments. During The Ghan Expedition, a four-day train journey, I sailed through a crocodile-rich gorge painted with millennia-old rock art, admired Uluru from above, and up-close, danced under the stars at Alice Springs Telegraph Station and met an opal miner whose stories could be ripped from Mad Max.
With each meal and peaceful sleep, the carriages felt more like home. My easygoing neighbours added to the comfort. Most were Australian, with domestic travellers making up 75 per cent of The Ghan’s customer base, while just five per cent come from the UK.
Gold cabins have a pleasingly retro feel, and an unspooling view (Photo: Journey Beyond)
It began in the Northern Territory capital of Darwin. At 8am in Australian spring, it was already 26°C at the railway station. Crew members wearing wide-brimmed Akubra hats and crisp, striped shirts checked in passengers. Behind them, a tomato-red locomotive, offset by a cornflower blue sky, came into view.
