14th & 15th February 2010 After our 5 days in the outback we spent the whole of Sunday just chilling, catching up on some sleep, getting clean and getting our clothes clean, venturing out just for food. Monday was our last day in Alice Springs and the morning was spent checking emails and booking accommodation, travel and tours for the next stage of our trip. We were leaving for Darwin that evening and would need a hotel for Tuesday night. ...
16th February 2010 We both had a much better night’s sleep than on our previous Ghan journey with room to lie down and the train rocking us gently to sleep, before we knew it we were awoken by the train manager announcing the first breakfast sitting (for gold and platinum customers). Overnight we passed through the remote mining town of Tennant Creek and were well on our way to Katherine where the outback meets the tropics. The landscape had become even greener and there were loads more trees and pools of standing water. ...
7th & 8th February 2010 The last time I visited Australia ten years ago, I elected to do an outback tour from Adelaide to Alice Springs via Coober Pedy instead of taking the Ghan. While I don’t regret this decision for a moment, I’ve always still wanted to take one of Australia’s most famous journeys. In the end, it has worked out for the best because ten years ago, I would only have been able to get as far as Alice as the last section of the Ghan from Alice to Darwin has only been completed in 2004. So finally, we’re taking this epic journey on the longest north to south railway line in the world. ...