Page 171 - Marie Claire Australia (January 2020)

ESCAPE
eing trapped on a train for
days with two teenagers and
no wi-fi – I repeat, no wi-fi
– wasn’t my idea of a holiday.
BBut once you relax into the
meditative rhythm of Australia’s most
iconic locomotive, there’s no better
way to disconnect from the world
and reconnect with your children.
The Ghan – the kilometre-long train
that steadily snakes from Adelaide to
Darwin – is a luxe, all-inclusive journey
offering up impeccable service (you’re
allocated your own butler), cosy
accommodation, superb food and
thoughtful additions (for coffee snobs
like me that means Nespresso).
There are dozens of Ghan adventures
to choose from, but we were invited
to experience The Ghan’s “official”
birthday voyage, which departed
on August 4, exactly 90 years to
the day since the maiden journey. After
settling into our cabin, we visited the
pop-up “Bollinger and Brims” carriage,
where French bubbles flowed while
we bought obligatory Akubras.
As The Ghan rumbled past outer
PHOTOGRAPHY BY ANDREW GREGORY. we came to a grinding halt at Pimba
Adelaide’s pastoral plains and entered
the rusty-red terrain of northern SA,
for a desert concert featuring artists
from every 80s Aussie rock playlist,
including Goanna and Joe Camilleri,
plus Christine Anu. The two-hour gig
was only bettered by the fireworks
finale, which lit up the outback sky.
The next morning, we lumbered
into Alice Springs and embarked on
our first expedition: a three-hour,
four-kilometre walk through Simpsons
Gap. (For a fee, you can instead soak
up the sights on a camel or via
helicopter.) At the Gap, a gorge in
the West MacDonnell Ranges, you’ll
spy goannas, rock wallabies and
towering Insta-worthy red cliffs.
Day three presented another
off-board delight: a cruise down
Nitmiluk (Katherine) Gorge. Here,
freshwater crocs lounged on nearby
rocks and, to my daughter’s despair,
swam up to our boat. The prehistoric,
pristine wilderness of Katherine is
powerful beyond words. Swimming is
mostly forbidden, but there are a couple
of “safe” waterholes to escape the heat.
Back on board, nights were spent
chatting to fellow travellers over bottles
of Bollie as guitarists beckoned guests
to their feet. Even my teens danced to
John Denver with a couple of spritely
octogenarians. See what magic happens
when there’s no wi-fi? As The Ghan’s
brochure correctly states, it’s about the
monosyllabic son. As we alighted at inside the Platinum Class cabin; Nicky and
journey, not the destination. But the real
thumbs up came from my usually
Darwin he whispered to me, “Mum,
that was actually pretty good.”
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT Bottles of
Bollinger; the Queen Adelaide restaurant;
Prices range from $1919 (Gold
cruising Nitmiluk (Katherine) Gorge;
Single cabin) to $4079 (Platinum Class
cabin pp). Visit journeybeyond.com
her family in requisite Akubras.
marieclaire.com.au | 169