The Ghan... Adelaide to Darwin, Australia

From the wheat fields and Flinders Range Mountains outside of Adelaide to the big red desert in the Center(Alice Springs a.k.a., The Alice), to the tropics of Katherine and Darwin(a.k.a., The Top)---- we rode the Ghan. Our decision to book the Gold class instead of coach was a smart one. We had an ensuite room with a shower/toilet and twin beds. The big plus was the dining car and the lounge car. These carriages had great big windows for viewing the landscape, comfy chairs for making new friends and a nice bar area where you could have a glass of wine. We saw rivers that hadn't been seen for 10 years! We saw wallabies and kangaroos, cows and sheep and heaps of red red earth. The big nothingness in the middle of Australia is difficult to comprehend, but our little train ride of 2,700km gave us a feeling of what this varied landscape and country are all about---- HUGENESS!

The Ghan train... Adelaide to Darwin, Australia

We're back in Melbourne and have wifi! Sorry for the delay. A few of you emailed wondering what happened to us, but when you are in the middle of nowhere (The Big Nothing) Australia, wifi is impossible to find.

We loved our train ride through the heart of Australia. The train sliced right up the length of the country. I didn't mean to cut Darwin off in the picture, but you get the idea.

We were really surprised by how much we loved the train ride. For 2 nights and 3 days, we clickety clacked on the railroad track for 2,500km. It was amazing! We relaxed and read, met lots of nice people from all over the world, looked out the window at the Big Nothingness and simply enjoyed this nice slow way to travel. We were also surprised and delighted with the food. Every meal was delicious.