After surviving the ordeal of being in the shuttle bus in Adelaide for around 45 minutes (long enough to start getting a headache as it was not possible to open the windows), we finally arrived at the Parklands Rail Terminal.
The impressively long Ghan was standing at the platform, with its trademark red engine at the front, and a long line of silver carriages. The large entrance hall contains a check-in area, a NT Tourism desk, a shop and a cafe. Boarding commenced at 11:30 and the train left Adelaide at around 12:20.
The Gold Service cabins are small and old-fashioned, but functional, with a long bench seat, a window, an en-suite (with complimentary toiletry packs) and two fold-down bunk beds. Sitting on the benches, one travels backwards. According to my extensive observations on Melbourne trams and trains, this is not the natural preference for most of the human race, who, given a choice, will normally sit facing the direction of travel. (I later found out that half the cabins face in the direction of travel - as a keen photographer it would have been nice to have been offered a choice.) The cabin was a bit stuffy to start with but quickly cooled off once the train got underway. Free tea and coffee is available in a small kitchenette at the end of the carriage. A selection of music is available in the cabin, and the classical content is certainly of good quality. (Unfortunately for classical music lovers who "know their stuff", the selection is repeated.) Apparently WiFi is in the process of being installed, but I am not sure whether I actually like the idea as it is rather nice to be liberated by being free of email and the Internet for just a few days. At some stage during the first evening we also passed out of mobile phone network coverage and this felt strangely blissful. I expect connectivity will be resumed again when we pass through major towns during the rest of the journey, but in the interim the feeling of freedom from modern technology is rather pleasant! All part of the enchanting romance of train travel - sometimes less is more!
The customer service was excellent, both in terms of management of the cabin area, the lounge and the dining car. Announcements of relevance were made from time to time. A complimentary drink was provided in the lounge prior to lunch. Lunch and dinner times are booked and staggered in order to allow everyone to be served in the small Queen Adelaide dining car. (Meals have been reviewed separately.)
The Ghan initially follows the same route as the Indian Pacific (to Perth) but turns north at Tarcoola. Once we passed out of Adelaide we quickly encountered great expanses of farmland, red earth and golden stubble under a cloudless postcard blue sky. As well as catching glimpses of the Spencer Gulf on our journey to Port Augusta, we also saw vast white salt flats and acre upon acre of olive-green saltbush contrasting with the orchre earth. The impressive Flinders Ranges seemed to stretch from here to infinity, and we were told that we were looking at a very old remnant of ancient history that was once connected to Antarctica. Having travelled extensively in alpine and arctic regions, seeing a vast treeless landscape gave me the (false) sensation of being at altitude or high latitude. In the late afternoon we saw grey kangaroos, emus and sheep grazing amongst the saltbushes, unperturbed by the passing train. It was not difficult to spare a thought for the early explorers and the people who did the hard work of constructing the railway in such a hostile and unforgiving environment.
The bunk beds (and pillows) were reasonably comfortable. Coming from Melbourne, it was a case of going backwards in time twice - half an hour for South Australian time, and then an additional hour for Central time (as the NT does not have daylight saving). I have never had any trouble sleeping on trains - I find the motion quite soothing (if a bit noisy) and if it works for recalcitrant babies, why should it not work for adults? My last experience of a sleeper car was on the overnight train from Stockholm to Malmö, where there was a dizzying number of bunks stacked up to the ceiling, and a disconcertingly early arrival in Malmö. Taxi prices there are unregulated, so I was lucky there was a bus service which stopped close to the youth hostel in central Malmö. Even luckier that the driver took pity on a poor foreigner and did not charge me for the short journey!
Ah the irony of "mozzing" oneself! It turned out to be quite an eventful evening. Upon first retiring the train was "going like the clappers" with every imaginable vibration and groan. Despite being in the middle of nowhere with the blinds down, it was surprisingly bright with 'lights off', so I opened the blinds and peeked out and there was a full moon in a cloudy sky. Accustomed as I am to sleeping with a beautiful malleable feather pillow, the pillows provided were too 'lumpy' (fixed shape synthetic) and gave me no joy. Not long after midnight we stopped abruptly and remained stationary for about two hours. Perhaps this was to give way to another train. Once travel resumed it seemed to be at a more sedate pace (or else on a newer section of track) as the rattles and vibration were less than previously. I drifted in and out of sleep, wrestling with the pillow and trying to find a comfortable position, and was then fully awake by 0600 Central time, waiting for the knock on the door with the promised 'wake-up' coffee. This failed to materialise, but no matter. With the airconditioning going all night my mouth became a little dry so it was good to have a water bottle handy.
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