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| Adelaide
- Alice Springs |
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1
day - 1 night
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HE GHAN FOLLOWS IN THE FOOTSTEPS
of the early explorers to the very heart of Australia
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mysterious Red Centre - passing through harsh, forbidding country
in all the comfort and style of a fine hotel.
Australia's most historic railway, 'The Ghan' connecting Adelaide
in the south and Alice Springs in the centre, has recently been
refurbished and extended to serve Melbourne and Sydney... Travelers
now ride in comfort through the Outback to "the Alice"
your gateway to the mysterious Ayers Rock (Uluru),
Olgas rock formations, Kings Canyon
and Northern Territory. |
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An early afternoon departure from Adelaide takes The Ghan
north through ancient mountain ranges and the red-baked earth
of the Simpson Desert... breakfast is served
against the magnificent backdrop of a central Australian desert
sunrise.
The starkly beautiful, unforgiving landscape of the Outback
is the prime attraction when taking this 20 hour, 1559 km
(972-mile) trip... you'll pass mountain ranges, the Murray
River and dry creek beds... You'll cross the red-baked
earth of the Simpson Desert and endless acres
of flat empty scrub... A single dirt road parallels the train
tracks, but to see even one vehicle is a rarity.
There are no sightseeing stops en route, but a commentary
- sometimes live, sometimes taped - describes the history
and the passing landscape, with an occasional interruption
for major news flashes, such as... "Australia just
won the one day cricket series with 180 runs."...
The Ghan Museum, in a resorted Outback station just outside
Alice Springs, displays a collection of original rolling stock
and memorabilia from Australia's pioneering railway days.
The Ghan makes two weekly trips between Adelaide and Alice
Springs... leaving Adelaide on Sundays and Fridays in the
late afternoon to arrive in Alice the following afternoon
at midday... It departs Alice Springs each Thursday and Saturday,
arriving in Adelaide the next day at about 9.00 am.
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| Attractions |
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Showtown grain silos * Cristal Brook
* Port Augusta pop. 17,000 * Pimba * Tarcoola * N.T. border
1287 km from Adelaide * Iron man sculpture commemorating the
one millionth concrete sleeper laid during construction * Fink
River Bridge. |
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