By Ann Duwe
 Traveling on Ghan Railroad provides the ultimate Australia experience. |
“For a ripper of a time, join us for a journey on The Ghan railroad,” declared Tim Scott, president of Pionair, the company providing ground services for Town Crier Train Tours’ journey across Australia, Sept. 3 - 14. Scott has an endless fund of Aussie expressions that can make conversation akin to solving crossword puzzles.
Talking about recent acquisitions by the National Railway Museum in Adelaide, Scott referred to “historic PA car.” That’s shorthand for “pay car,” a carriage like a miniature bank, with a safe and money cage as well as the usual tables and chairs. Early in the 1900s the train stopped wherever it came upon someone, railroad employees, for example, authorized to receive funds from the onboard paymaster. Town Crier participants can see the car during their curator-led visit of the museum.
Bruce Cann, Los Altos resident and native Aussie, still has the crisp edges on his pronunciation that identify him with his native land, though he has lived on the Peninsula for 35 years. Cann loves trains and is eager to cover all 1,740 miles of track between Adelaide and Darwin, especially since discovering the beauties of Darwin.
Photos of the harbor decorate Cann’s living room. He waxes poetic when recalling a sunset cruise on the harbor with evening temperatures near 80 degrees.
Before completion of the route between Adelaide and Darwin in 2004, Cann took The Ghan roundtrip from Adelaide to Alice Springs several times. “On one occasion 15 years ago, the trip was a nonstop party,” recalled Cann. “I played piano all the way to Adelaide while passengers and staff sang.” This is what Scott would call “a ripper.”
The impulse to party in a casual, all-inclusive way, even with strangers, is a national trait, according to Cann. In 2002 he took nine members of his family, including grandchildren, on The Ghan. All agreed the train provided an ideal atmosphere for fun. “There was a high degree of camaraderie among all onboard,” said Cann.
Having ridden trains in the United States and abroad, Cann found the ride on The Ghan “very smooth.” “The sleeping quarters compare favorably with those on the American Orient Express,” he said.
The Town Crier Train Tours’ journey is as much about seeing highlights of Australia as it is about experiencing a classic train ride. There is an optional extension to the Great Barrier Reef. The tour begins and ends in Sydney, where travelers stay city-center at Circular Quay. They can attend the opera “Turandot” in the signature Sydney Opera House, visit the Rocks neighborhood on foot and spend time at the Australian Museum with exhibits on natural history and Aboriginal culture.
The rail portion of the trip is punctuated with a two-night stay at Sails in the Desert near Ayers Rock.
Distinctive white panels float above buildings and walkways to provide shade from the intense desert sun. Travelers can observe the enigmatic beauties of Ayers Rock at all times of day. One can take the 6-mile perimeter walk.
“The loaf-like shape of Ayers Rock is recognizable around the world. Up close Ayers Rock has crannies carved by seawater thousands of years ago. There are caves and springs, even a waterfall on the crenellated red sandstone surface.”
During a two-hour excursion participants will travel to tropical Katherine Gorge, described by one traveler as “surreal … shockingly green after the scorched landscape of Central Australia.”
Katherine Gorge is a series of deep fissures carved from surrounding tablelands by the Katherine River. It is a place of profound spiritual significance for the Aboriginal people. Dreamtime experience going back thousands of years is recorded in the rock art still visible today.
For more information about Town Crier Train Tours and the journey on The Ghan, call program planner Ann Duwe at 941-6381 or e-mail ann.duwe@sbcglobal.net.
