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The Ghan

Take an iconic Australian train journey aboard The Ghan.

The Ghan: Adelaide to Darwin by train

Take an iconic 3,000km train journey from South Australia to the Northern Territory.

First things first: Ghan rhymes with ‘ban’, not ‘barn’. I’d been getting it wrong. And it’s not just the lemon juice tang of Australian pronunciation, either. ‘Ghan’ is short for Afghan. The iconic train is named for the Afghan cameleers who arrived in 1839 to assist in the early exploration of the Australian outback and worked to build the original railway lines.

The train has been travelling the 3,000 kilometres between the top and bottom of Australia since 1929 and is considered a must-do experience by many Australians, providing a glimpse of the country’s vastness from air-conditioned comfort. 

The Ghan train
The Ghan is one of Australia's most famous train journeys. Photo by Jo Percival.

Amidst the dulcet tones of 70s soft rock and clinking champagne flutes at the Adelaide train station I overhear similar phrases being repeated amongst the silver-haired crowd: ‘once in a lifetime,’ and ‘bucket list’ pop up frequently.

Boarding the train it immediately becomes clear why there are strict limits on the amount of luggage I was allowed to bring. I slip down the carriage corridor that’s not quite wide enough for two people and into my compact Gold Class cabin. With tiny compartments for stowing provisions, a microscopic ensuite and a couch that gets converted into a single bed at the end of each day, there is no room for excess. But with its wood-panelling and brass trimmings, I feel like I’ve walked into an Agatha Christie novel. 

A comfortable, compact Gold Class cabin.
A comfortable, compact Gold Class cabin. Photo by Jo Percival.
The narrow corridor onboard The Ghan.
The narrow corridor onboard The Ghan. Photo by Jo Percival
Outback views from The Ghan.
Outback views from The Ghan. Photo by Jo Percival.

In the Outback Explorer lounge, reached via a swaying string of carriages, I chase the welcome bubbles with a glass of Margaret River chardonnay while watching the graffiti painted back end of Adelaide slipping past the big windows. There is nothing to do but sit and enjoy the view. How luxurious.

Travelling by train makes you aware of the mechanics of motion. The clunks and creaks, rhythms and rattles of locomotion form the juddering backdrop of the journey as we travel up the guts of hinterland Australia. 

We pass dusty utes waiting at level crossings as the bells ding red. Behind them, pasture and paddocks grow bigger and bigger under a cloudless blue sky.

Later, the sunset turns the Flinders Ranges ochre, a skeleton army of white wind turbines standing at their feet.

Although we are contained in our rattling, hurtling bubble travelling through these Australian landscapes we can still get a taste of them. In the elegant dining car, each three-course meal showcases local produce and unusual ingredients. Dinners include crocodile, kangaroo, barramundi and lamb, all accompanied by generous pours of Australian wine. 

The luxurious dining car onboard The Ghan.
The luxurious dining car onboard The Ghan. Photo by Jo Percival.

Before dawn, there’s a knock on my cabin door. The train has come to a stop and despite the thick starry darkness outside we’re to disembark. But it’s not a hardship – this is an experience I’d been looking forward to: sunrise at Marla, a tiny spot just over 1,000km from Adelaide.

The Ghan disgorges its passengers onto red dirt, and we pick our way amongst carefully placed hurricane lamps to pre-lit bonfires as the horizon begins to glow. The crew dispatches pastries and butties and I warm my hands on a mug of coffee while gazing at my first outback sunrise. 

Watching the sunrise in Marla.
Watching the sunrise in Marla. Photo by Jo Percival.
A sunrise bonfire at Marla.
A sunrise bonfire at Marla. Photo by Jo Percival.

Back on the train I lie on my bed and watch the scenery that unfurls like a soft-focus loop of a video game – scrub, red dirt, burnt out car, scrub, bone-like pile of sticks, dirt. It’s repetitive but also mesmerising. I find myself instinctively seeking any points of difference or human-made landmarks, but there’s nothing besides an occasional decapitated hill on the horizon.

Near the border between South Australia and the Northern Territory I check my phone and discover, pleasingly, that there is not a single bar of reception. Just me and the momentum and the endless desert views. 

Taking in the views from The Ghan.
Taking in the views from The Ghan. Photo by Jo Percival.

Alice Springs is nearly 2,000km from any other major city in Australia. In summer, the temperature can get up to 46°C. In winter, it plummets to -7°C. We arrive at a pleasant midpoint of 25°C, leaving the train for a welcome leg stretch at Standley Chasm.

The chasm is one of those rare outback spots with a perpetual water source; water was also instrumental in the creation of the fiery-hued chasm. The quartzite walls were forged in an ancient seabed more than 2.2 billion years ago, making this one of the earliest mineral formations on the planet. Ochre rock walls soar above the narrow gap, and we pick our way over loose boulders to admire the reflections cast in the emerald pool below. 

Standley Chasm, near Alice Springs, is a geological marvel. Photo by Jo Percival.
Standley Chasm, near Alice Springs, is a geological marvel. Photo by Jo Percival.
The walk to Standley Chasm.
A gentle walk to Standley Chasm provides a welcome leg-stretch. Photo by Jo Percival.
Standley Chasm pool
The beautiful emerald pool at the base of Standley Chasm. Photo by Jo Percival.

I sleep well that night, rocked in my narrow bunk under a fingernail of moon sitting in the corner of my cabin window, winking occasionally behind passing undergrowth.

Overnight, we covered many more kilometres. The Northern Territory landscapes are subtly different to those further south; the town of Katherine is even more distinctive with its strange hybrid of desert and tropics. Pockets of large, lush frangipani trees and bougainvillea grow where sprinklers work overtime. The other side of the road is parched and blackened from fire. 

The Nitmuluk Gorge near Katherine in the Northern Territory.
The Nitmuluk Gorge near Katherine in the Northern Territory. Photo by Jo Percival.

Our final off-train experience includes buses and boats – travelling to and then up the stunning Nitmuluk Gorge. Red, orange and pink cubic cliffs frame the deep river that flashes with silver fish. We take a short walk over rosy hued rocks, weather blasted until they are glossy and smooth. Dragonflies flit and hover in a breeze as comfortable as a loving kiss.

Returning to the train, we’re served a last supper and watch a final sunset, clashing fluorescent pink against the dusky red earth as the train heads towards our final destination at the top of Australia. 

Story by Jo Percival for the Autumn 2025 issue of AA Directions Magazine. Jo Percival is the Digital Editor of AA Directions Magazine.