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| Darwin
- Alice Springs |
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1
day - 1 night
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T'S A DRIVE OF ABOUT 20 MINUTES from the
centre of Darwin to the station, the Ghan appearing like
a |
long silvery snake dozing in the sun...
At the end, trailers have been attached
to convey the cars and 4WD's of passengers who
have been exploring the Northern Territory independently.
They will now sit back and in the words of an
old British Rail advertising campaign, "let
the train take the strain" via Katherine
to Alice Springs or through to Adelaide. |
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The Ghan departs Darwin on Wednesday in the late
morning, making two other stops en route to Adelaide...
On the first day you visit Katherine, about 200
km south of Darwin, where tours of Nitmiluk national
Park's famous gorges are available by boat or
helicopter. A two hour cruise upriver will give
you a taste of this natural wonder. Dizzying monoliths
of rose, ochre and charcoal rock plunge into quicksilver
water so dark and deep and rich with nutrients
that 40 species of fish reside here, as well as
freshwater crocodiles. At the cliff summits, you'll
see craggy rock formations brooding like carved
saints atop some Roman monument.
The arrival at the Alice is heralded by the MacDonnell
Ranges, whose ancient spine was once as high as
the Himalayas. The ranges preside over Alice Springs
as a constant reminder of its edgy relationship
with the desert and form an imposing backdrop
for the Alice Springs Desert Park, about five
minutes out of town.  |
