Travel / Australia's The Ghan

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OUTBACK

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The Ghan, a journey that dissects Australia from north to south, offers a moving experience of the Outback. Travelling from Darwin to Alice Springs on board this luxurious locomotive is also a history lesson on the continent’s cameleering past WORDS NELISSA HERNANDEZ

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here are about half a million camels in Australia,” says our guide, Steve, as we ride the long-legged mammals in Alice Springs. Half a million? I scan the expansive vermillion panorama before me as Doc, my camel for the day, sauntered past occasional acacia trees and scattered saltbushes in our four-kilometre tour. Where are they?!

It’s hard to believe that mindblowing number because besides our group of six – and Doc’s three mates – only free roaming buffaloes are the signs of life in this sprawling landscape framed by the West MacDonnell Ranges.

Naturally, being in the Outback is an exercise in disbelief. Here the sky is the bluest of blues, the earth the fieriest of reds, and the sunshine so golden even in the middle of the Australian winter.

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Add a trip aboard The Ghan, and you’ll run out of superlatives.

At least I did. Departing from Darwin, I embark on one of the most celebrated rail journeys in the southern hemisphere, which brings me to the heart of Australia, where in the past, the pioneers of Outback exploration braved the harsh topography in order to explore the unknown – with the help of Doc’s ancestors.

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This spread, clockwise from top left: The Ghan is known for its warm, thoughtful hospitality; dining with a view at Queen Adelaide Restaurant; marvel at the Outback’s raw beauty from the cabin

GETTY IMAGES; THE GHAN

The desert creatures and their handlers first arrived in South Australia in 1839 to assist adventurers in inland explorations, and to help transport supplies, tools and equipment to remote towns during the construction of the rail lines in the 1860s. Called the “Afghans”, the cameleers hailed from the arid hills of Afghanistan and Pakistan, and their shortened moniker – the ‘Ghans – inspired the name of the train.

While the inaugural trip of The Ghan steamed out of Adelaide to Alice Springs in 1929, it was only in 2004 that the journey from Adelaide all the way north to Darwin took place, almost a century after the Commonwealth promised a transcontinental line when the Northern Territory separated from South Australia.

Now the 2,979km between Darwin and Adelaide is considered one of the world’s best rail experiences.

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THRILL OF RAIL TRAVEL “The Ghan has many stories...” begins the commentary, as the serpentine 898m-long train starts to slice through the Outback during our first day on board. As 39 carriages trundle along the tracks, it’s hard to focus on the information spewing from the speakers as Darwin slowly fades away, replaced by the Outback in its three-coloured vista: the blue skies flecked with itinerant clouds; the distinctive marmalade earth screaming for attention;

and the brownish ghost gum trees dancing to a blur. From my seat on the Gold Service cabin, which feels like a tiny five-star hotel room with all the luxurious trappings, Australia is a moving postcard. The big window seems like a TV with a National Geographic Outback video on loop, until the train goes further south of Berrimah Station when the trees give way to the termite cathedrals.

As The Ghan crosses the Elizabeth River Bridge, 17km from Darwin, the landscape becomes greener, there are more and bigger termite mounds, the Top End completely mesmerising me as it rolls on by. But my dining card beckons – time to visit the elegant Queen Adelaide

Restaurant two carriages away.

It’s easy to feel like you’re in a hotel on the train, except when you have to walk between carriages. The fleeting moment of being in transit, when you pull open the door of your carriage – the wind assaults you with a whoosh! – and then push open the door of the next one in front of you, gives a sensation of being ‘exposed’ despite the covered path. An apt experience that transitions you from the quiet of your cabin to the endless chatter of the Outback Explorer Lounge.

FIT FOR A QUEEN “I’m one of your two-minute friends!” quips Diana, a retiree from Geraldton, Western Australia, before taking a sip of SILKAIR.COM | 37

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her coffee. This is her reference for transient acquaintances on the trip. With 300 travellers, there are plenty of moments to meet new people and share a story or two while fuelled by fine wines on board.

For a train as long as The

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Ghan, three lounges and three restaurants are spread out among the carriages. The one closest to mine is the Giles Lounge, named after legendary 19th-century explorer Ernest Giles who led five expeditions during his lifetime.

If he were looking down from heaven, he would be proud of our desire to see the heart of the continent, and probably envious that we’re doing it at this level of comfort.

After a round of drinks, the crew asks us to transfer to the dining car. Stepping into the Queen Adelaide Restaurant is like a step back in time, with its classic leather booths with glass partitions and crisp linen tablecloth. The stars here, however, are the exquisite dishes inspired by the Outback and cooked using seasonal ingredients from the regions we are passing. Every meal is “Australia on a plate” – our lunch and dinner options include buffalo curry, crocodile sausages, grilled saltwater barramundi, rump steak and beetroot tart while desserts include lemon myrtle cheesecake with wild berry salsa.

Besides these great meals and “dining with a view”, what makes the trip enjoyable is the

impeccable service on board.

Brett, the train attendant, reminds me that he can bring tea or coffee, if I’d like some, for the next morning’s wake-up call, which, in old-fashioned tradition, is a gentle knock on my door 30 minutes before breakfast. So very thoughtful.

Later that day, I return to my cabin after dinner and my bed has been made, a turn-down chocolate waiting for me. As if in approval, the half moon beams from the jetblack sky, the train speeds up, and I drift away into the night.

A cruise on the Katherine River is framed by the towering Nitmiluk Gorge

KATHERINE CALLING The Ghan is not just merely about marvelling at nature’s breathtaking canvas whirring by the window. It’s also about off-train excursions to see the

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CULTURE/ FUJIAN

ALL ABOARD A one-way journey on The Ghan takes two nights and three days, departing either from Darwin or Adelaide with excursions at Alice Springs and Katherine. The Ghan Expedition, seasonally operated and runs from May to October next year, covers three nights and four days, and includes a stop at Coober Pedy.

Also available are two-day one-night trips from Darwin to Alice Springs (and vice versa) and Adelaide to Alice Springs (and vice versa). Prices include all meals and drinks on board and several off-train excursions. greatsouthernrail.com.au

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Transiting through Singapore Changi The Airport? Hop on to the Free Singapore Merlion Tour* for a sample of the wonders and marvels of the Garden City!

Get up close and Showcasing Singapore’s magnificent personal with and vibrant cityscape, here are some of Singapore’s the places that you can expect to visit national icon – during the City Sights Tour! the Merlion. that house about 400 art sites dating back 30,000 years. We hop off the boat and take a short stroll next to the 23-million-year-old cliffs, which are dotted with kapok tree sprouting yellow flowers that provide a touch of colour to the black-stained amber rock face.

WILD CARD With the morning drenched in crisp sunshine the next day, I meet new two-minute friends over breakfast while our driver announces our approach to Alice Springs. What better way to get to know the Outback’s cameleering history than with a trip into the wild – where I meet Doc and Steve at the Pyndan Camel Tracks.

The 60-minute tours, which happen four times a day, offer a good insight to the role of the cameleers in opening up inland Australia – while riding the ‘ships of the deserts’ themselves.

During our tour, the comforting 12-degree wind whispers around us while the earth crunches under Doc and his mates’ padded

feet. Shy buffaloes peer from the trees at White Gums cattle station as we pass by. Steve dishes out historical tidbits every now and then, but my travel mates and I are busy snapping one selfie after another – an attempt to immortalise this magnificent panorama of the West MacDonnell Ranges in the last leg of my journey on The Ghan.

As the train choo-choos away from Alice Springs station bearing some of my travel companions who are continuing on to Adelaide, I can’t help but thank Doc’s ancestors and the brave expedition leaders who paved the way for Outback exploration.

Without them, this trip would not have been possible. The Ghan is a testament to the gumption of those trailblazing legends – camels included – to heed the call of the wild.

SilkAir flies four times weekly between Singapore and Darwin

The Esplanade Theatres on the Bay

Follow the path of ancient explorers with the Pyndan Camel Tracks tour in Alice Springs

The spiky glass facade of Singapore’s premier arts destination resembles a popular local fruit - the durian, making it a striking architectural icon by the waterfront.

PYNDAN CAMEL TRACKS/PETER CARROLL; GETTY IMAGES

Outback up-close. Travelling from Darwin includes a stop in Katherine, a riverine settlement in the Northern Territory. Activities here vary from a visit to a cattle station to a tour of an ancient rock site, and a boat cruise in the beautiful Nitmiluk Gorge, which promises a 360-degree view of the monumental sandstone cliffs.

“The crocodiles would not harm you, unless you take a selfie with it and mistake it for a Pokémon!” jokes our boat guide as he points to the Top End’s infamous reptile lying on the bank of the Katherine River during our cruise. “Do you know how to identify a crocodile’s gender?” he quizzes us. “The males are just sitting on the banks, while the females run around!

Sounds familiar?”

Everybody laughs, and then there was silence as we all gawp at the imposing 70m-high naturally sculpted sandstone cliffs that appear before us. Home to the Jawoyn people, Nitmiluk (literally “cicada country”) has 13 gorges

Take in the vibrant sights of the Supertree Grove at Gardens By The Bay. Photo credits: Singapore Tourism Board (Derrick See)

The Esplanade has been the setting for several high-profile performances and events such as the Phantom of The Opera and The Singapore Arts Festival.

The Singapore Flyer Standing tall at 165 metres, The Singapore Flyer is currently one of the world’s tallest observation wheels. A ride on this wheel offers a bird’s eye view of the Singapore skyline and its surroundings.

from over 2,200 species. Be wowed by the 18 Avatar-like Super trees during your stopover. These iconic tall structures come alive with a dazzling display of lights – a sight to behold!

Jam-packed with plenty of picturesque sights and nuggets of information, the Free Singapore Tour is the best way for the wandering This mythical creature, with the head traveller to catch a glimpse of of a lion and the body of a fish, stands Singapore. tall with the impressive cityscape as a backdrop. Look out for the Merlion’s In addition to the City Sights Tour, do check out the Heritage Tour, ‘cub’ a few metres behind! which is also available in the day with two stopovers at the Merlion Gardens By The Bay Park and Kampong Glam, one This award-winning horticulture oasis of Singapore’s colourful ethnic features more than 500,000 plants precincts.

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*Free Singapore Tour counters are located at the transit areas of Terminal 2 and Terminal 3. Availability is on a firstcome-first-serve basis. SilkAir and Singapore Airlines passengers can pre-book a seat on the tour before their flight.

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