Today I reach the end of this memorable 3-week journey after driving the last leg back to my home in Gosford on the NSW Central Coast.

Day 21: Goulburn to Gosford 261km

This should be an easy drive, being freeway most of the way – but having to contend with Sydney’s morning peak hour traffic (which lasts most of the morning) is always a low point.

From a personal perspective it was great to get home. I start on an exciting new phase of my life when I get back home, and three weeks of holiday memories to reflect on. I’ll be compiling my photos and movies into a DVD to share with my friends and family. 

The highlight of this trip was definitely experience on The Ghan – I highly recommend anyone who can go does it. You MUST travel Gold Class – in comfort. There are generous concessions for older people – which probably explains why the abundance of older people on the train.  We even dined with someone in his 90’s. So no matter how young or old – you really should try to experience this trip at least once in your lifetime.

It was also great to experience the sites of the top end – Darwin, Litchfield National Park, Katherine Gorge, Alice Springs. Great places – highly recommend everyone gets up to the Northern Territory to see a part of Australia that is so beautiful and unique.

And whatever you do – avoid the food at the Mobil Narrandera roadhouse if driving between Sydney and Adelaide!

We’re nearing the end of this eventful 3 week holiday.

Day 20: Hay to Goulburn 529km

At sunrise we were at the old Hay Railway station – no longer used as a railway station, but is a station of a different kind – it is the home of RADIO station 2-HAY FM.

Hay Railway Station – no longer a train station, but a radio station.

For breakfast we decided to head 170km down the highway to the town of Narrandera – the idea being that truckies (truck drivers) always know the best places to eat… so we looked for a truck stop with lots of trucks and figured this would be where we eat.  At Narrandera this place was to be the Mobil Narrandera Roadhouse.  We each ordered the “Big Breakfast” – thinking this would get us through the whole day – but the Big Breakfast turned out to be a BIG MISTAKE.

It consisted of a deep-fried Hash Brown, some pieces of deep-fried Bacon, two deep-fried Sausages that were so badly overcooked they had burst and curled over in the process of being cooked, burnt tomato, two pieces of burnt toast, and three things that tasted like bits of old tyres that resembled 3 eggs.

Deep Fried Crap at Mobil Narrandera

I haven’t eaten in the 9 hours since we had that disgusting food.  I left most of mine on the plate (the above pic is my mate’s plate with the warped sausage). What little of it I was brave enough to eat left a bad taste in my mouth most of the day. Worst food ever.

We pushed on to Goulburn, the temperature plummeted down to 9c and it’s cold and windy. I miss Darwin’s weather, but I can’t wait to get back home to Gosford tomorrow.

The day got off to an interesting and noisy start. The Mt Lofty Railway Station Lodge  had a fireplace and firewood – it had been a cold night so we had the fire burning overnight, but had mostly gone out by the morning. At about 7am we tried to revive the fire, and all seemed to be going well until a smoldering pine cone let out a puff of smoke which set off the smoke detector.

The smoke detectors at the lodge are connected to an external alarm system, so within seconds we had sirens going off outside the building, in addition to the ear piercing noise of the internal smoke detector. Thankfully the owner had already prepared us for such an event – apparently this has happened to other guests from time to time. We had to punch in a special code on the door panel in order to turn off the external alarms and then call a phone number to verify the false alarm – failure to do so would mean the fire services would soon be turning up!

The internal smoke detector alarm continued, however…  we were supposed to then open some doors and windows to vent the smoke out of the room and hence stop the internal smoke detector alarm. This failed to happen and the internal smoke alarm (hard wired and mounted on a very high ceiling) continued to operate. After about 15 mins the owner of the lodge turned up with a tall ladder and was able to examine the unit and clear out the smoke particles which had lodged in the detector, and finally the unbearable noise stopped!

That was a nice peaceful start to the day.

Day 19: Adelaide SA to Hay NSW, 683km

After making our way through the eastern and northern suburbs of Adelaide we head out into the country on the Sturt Highway toward the SA-Victorian border towns of Renmark and Mildura. The Sturt Highway is the most direct route between Adelaide and Sydney.

Sturt Hwy, Renmark SA – near Victorian border

Around lunch time we crossed two state borders in the space of about 30 minutes – given the Sturt Highway has a short run into the northern tip of Victoria and through the town of Mildura before crossing the Murray River into New South Wales.

Sturt Hwy crossing Murray River, Mildura VIC at NSW border

After leaving Mildura and crossing the river into New South Wales the countryside again gets drier and flatter which is typical of western NSW. The Sturt Highway is an important truck route between Adelaide and Sydney, as is evident by a large number of heavy vehicles on this highway.

Truck passes windmill on Sturt Hwy near Balranald – outback NSW

Between the towns of Balranald and Hay in south-west NSW is an area known as “The Hay Plains”. This stretch of road goes for some 150km (90 miles) of the absolute flattest, dullest, un-interesting landscape from horizon to horizon. It’s the un-interestingness of it all that makes the Hay Plains noteworthy.

Hay Plains – outback NSW

The Hay Plains is not without its dangers – especially at sunset which is the time when kangaroos start coming out to feed and are notorious for being the stuff of roadkill on highways all over Australia. And the kangaroos out here are quite BIG – we actually spotted a large Red Kanagroo next to the highway grazing on the grass, he would have been about 1.5m (or 5′) in height.

We spend the night in Hay before continuing on to Goulburn tomorrow.

Today was a bit of an explore around the surrounds of Adelaide day. After waking up I grabbed a few more photos of this very unique accommodation where we are staying. 

The Mount Lofty Railway Station lodge is at the highest point on the line between Adelaide and Melbourne, at a height of 492m (1,613′), and is 31km from Adelaide (19.5 miles). The tracks through here were originally broad gauge (the Victorian and South Australian standard) but have since been converted to standard gauge all the way from Adelaide to Melbourne around 1996 and part of an initiative to standardize the gauge of all interstate railways in Australia.

Mt Lofty Railway Station Lodge

Our first port of call was the historic village of Harndorf in the Adelaide Hills – a picturesque German village.  A further 30 minutes down the road we reached the small town of Tungkillo where I lived for a a short period around 1990. It was great going back there for the first time since, and as expected – absolutely nothing has changed.

Ben revisits Tungkillo

From Tungkillo we drove a different route down the hills back into the Adelaide region, visited the shopping area at Unley, and headed back to the lodge via Belair and Crafers.

Not much of a day today, really. Heading back toward Sydney tomorrow – not really sure exactly how far we’ll be going at this stage – but I’m aiming for the town of Hay, or preferably Wagga Wagga.

Today we complete our journey and it marks the end of the train phase of the entire trip. It will be sad to leave the train behind – it’s been my first big train trip, and it was thoroughly enjoyable.

We push on southward toward the South Australian capital, Adelaide. The landscape becoming bushier, a little greener, and the sky again covered in the grey wintry cover we had left behind on our journey north. 

Changing Conditions Outside as we head South

During our breakfast of scrambled eggs we make a brief stop at Port Augusta to pick up some supplies and today’s newspapers.

Breakfast in The Stuart dining car

Morning tea was supplied as we roll in through the outer northern suburbs of Adelaide for our on-time arrival into Adelaide’s rail terminal just on lunch time.

Approaching Adelaide’s Rail Terminal

A short taxi ride from the rail terminal took us back to the Comfort Inn in the city where my Subaru had been safely parked. Again – I want to thank the helpful people at the Comfort Inn, North Terrace for allowing me to leave the car there for 8 days at a fraction of the price of a long-term parking establishment.

A short drive out of town takes us to where we are spending the next two nights – Mount Lofty.

Adelaide City viewed from Mount Lofty

We are staying the next 2 nights at Mount Lofty Railway Station Lodge -  yes, this is a Railway Station that has been converted into a 2-unit lodging house with all facilities provided. This station is no longer a passenger station, and is located on the main Adelaide-Melbourne rail line. Groups of rail enthusiasts often rent out the station for holidays. The unit we are in has 5 single beds and a double bed, a kitchen, two bathrooms, a large eating area, television/DVD, cooking facilities, microwave oven, two electric heaters, an open fireplace with firewood supplied – all for just $95/night (weeknight rate). The eating room is the old signal box, and the balcony is the station platform – with real trains going past day and night!  It’s an amazing place – as Erk Pod’s BJ the Research Guy shows in this Erk Pod video report below - 

See you back tomorrow for more!

We continue our southbound return journey today traveling through the night down the centre axis of the Northern Territory and through the heart of Australia, witnessing some amazing landscape.

Desert Sunrise, about 100km south of Tennant Creek, NT

The day started with a truly amazing desert sunrise about 100km south of Tennant Creek of which I was lucky enough to capture some amazing pictures and video footage.

Dust Storm, near Alice Springs NT

As our train rolled closer toward Alice Springs we indulged in a breakfast of pancakes with cream and berries. With the changing landscape we witnessed some spectacular sites including a desert dust storm I was able to photograph from the train.

One of the Friendly Critters at the Desert Park – Alice Springs, NT

Today’s highlight was a visit to the Alice Springs “Desert Park” – a popular tourist destination where various desert plants and wildlife are on display.

Alice Springs from ANZAC Hill with The Ghan in the foreground

On our return to the train, our bus driver had time to take us on a quick tour of the Alice Springs township with a visit to the ANZAC Hill lookout – near the centre of town where we were able to get some amazing pictures of our train from a distance, and the amazing landscape that surrounds Alice Springs. Before long we were back on the train and rolling again.

It goes without saying, dinner aboard The Ghan was again amazing – with a variety of amazing dishes available including Barramundi, Kangaroo, Chicken, Pork as we crossed the South Australian border into the night.

We leave Darwin this morning on The Ghan for our return 2979km train journey to Adelaide. 

Darwin to Adelaide:2979km (2.5 days by train)

Our Gold Kangaroo courtesy bus collected us from Cullen Bay, and after making a few other stops to collect fellow travelers from other locations around Darwin city, we made the swift 20km trip out to the Darwin Rail Terminal where our train was waiting for us to board.

The following is a quote from the ON TRACK welcoming newsletter, which gives a bit more information about the trip for those interested - 

Welcome to the Gold Service aboard “The Ghan”

Good morning and welcome aboard The Ghan.

The Ghan travels some 2,979km between Darwin and Adelaide traversing the Australian continent from North to South. This service commences in Darwin, making its way towards Katherine on the recently constructed AustralAsia Railway. This 1,420km of track between Darwin and Alice Springs was completed in early 2004, enabling this legendary train to finally make its historic, long awaited transcontinental journey to Darwin from Adelaide on 1 February 2004. The Ghan travels through the lush landscapes of the tropical north of Australia from Darwin to Katherine “where the outback meets the tropics” and as we head towards Alice Springs you will notice the scenery change to the red desert sands and spinifex plains that are characteristic of Central Australia. After departing Alice Springs we will travel across the Finke River on our way towards the far north region of South Australia before traveling down along the southern Flinders Ranges and Adelaide Plains before arriving into Adelaide.

During diner this evening you will be invited to attend one of the Gold Service Receptions in the lounge car. It’s a great opportunity to learn a little more about The Ghan and get to know some of your fellow Gold Service guests. The Reception will be announced over the public address system approximately 5 minutes prior to commencement.

On our journey south towards Adelaide there are a range of optional off train tours available at Katherine and Alice Springs for you to consider. Whilst at Katherine there is a chance to visit the Katherine Gorge , now known as Nitmiluk National Park, as well as other tour opportunities of the area. Whilst at Alice Springs there are a variety of off train tours available that cover a range of highlights in the Red Centre. Selected Tours in Alice Springs include lunch. Please refer to your complimentary Platform magazine for more details.

In the mean time, relax and enjoy our hospitality on this great train adventure through the centre of Australia.

We arrived in Katherine today after an early light lunch. The train sat at Katherine station for 4 hours while most of our fellow travelers went on tours of the famous Katherine Gorge.  We had already done this on the trip up, so we decided to stay with the train this time. Thankfully they allowed the few of us who remained behind to spend the time in air conditioned comfort of our cabins or the lounge car after stretching our legs outside at the station.

Katherine station is one of the newest and most remote railway stations in Australia, having only been opened in 2004 when the line through to Darwin was completed. But having said that – it’s a rather no-frills station. The building itself is little more than a large steel shed surrounded by roller doors that can be raised in the four-times per week when the station is used.

The Ghan sits at Katherine Railway Station, NT

There is no platform level with the train here. Just a concrete and asphalt walkway along the track, however portable steps are provided to get on and off at the 25 or so passenger cars. 

Beside the concrete path there’s grass, and dirt. That’s about it.  There’s an abundance of Kangaroo droppings all over the grass – which is watered regularly and so must be a popular feeding ground for the local wildlife!

The evening was topped off with a great meal in the Stuart Dining car, followed by free welcoming drinks and reception in the Hannan’s Lounge. Just to clarify – there are actually 2 Ghan trains in operation, and during peak season there is a double-consist Gold service on each, therefore each Ghan train is equipped with two gold Lounges, and two gold Dining cars – each with its own character and appeal. On the trip north, our dining car was exquisite, but the lounge car was rather ordinary. On the trip back we find the dining car to be rather ordinary, but the lounge car is truely first class.

Hannan’s Lounge aboard The Ghan

I’ll end today’s entry with another quote from the ON TRACK welcoming newsletter about trivia and items of interest we see along the way - 

* Litchfield National Park is home to 2m high, thin termite mounds which are aligned north-south to keep the inside of the mound from getting too heated by the sun (which tracks east-west).

* The Elizabeth River Bridge is the longest bridge we cross on our journey south at 510 metres in length.

* The township of Adelaide River came to prominence during World War II, when it became a major military headquarters. The War Cemetery here features the Northern Territory Memorial to the Missing, a monument bearing 293 names to commemorate those who served and lost their lives.

* There are a total of 13 gorges in the Katherine Gorge/Nitmiluk National Park gorge system, which have been carved out of the sandstone rock by the torrential river waters over millions of years.

* Located approximately 100km south of Katherine is the Mataranka Thermal Pools. The water in these pools has its origins thousands of kilometres away in Papua New Guinea and bubbles to the surface at Mataranka at 30.5 million litres per day, at a temperature of 34 degrees Celsius.

* The Northern Territory contains one-sixth of the entire landmass of Australia but only one percent of the national population.

* Some properties in the Northern Territory are as big as entire European counties or American states.

* The Finke River is listed in “The Guinness Book of Records” as the oldest river in the world.

* Coober Pedy comes from the Aboriginal words “Kupi piti” which means “white man’s burrow”. Given that most of the towns population live underground in dugouts, the words are very apt.

* Near the town of Pimba is the township of Woomera. Woomera was set up in the 1940’s as a rocket testing range. Woomera is an Aboriginal name for a throwing stick, a form of lever used to further the distance and speed of a thrown spear.

* The Port Augusta Power Station produces approximately 40% of South Australia’s electricity. It is fuelled by brown coal which is transported by rail approximately 250km from Leigh Creek. Around 2.5 million tonnes of coal are burnt each year.

* Adelaide has more restaurants per head of population than anywhere else in Australia.

After so much running around it was time for another easy day, mostly touring the sites of Darwin city by foot. Darwin is a city of military significance, with military bases and a military history – having been the only Australian city to be bombed by the Japanese in WW2.

During that time a network of oil storage tanks was constructed under the city, the theory being that oil reserves should be stored in secret underground locations so that enemy bombers could not wipe out the supplies. That network of tunnels is now open for tourists to see in a self-guided tour under the city.

This oil storage tunnel has a capacity of 3,847,500 Litres.

Just above us on the surface are the lush parks and wide streets of modern-day Darwin – pictured below is the Parliament building of the Northern Territory, known affectionately by the locals as “The Wedding Cake”.

NT Parliament building – “The Wedding Cake”

That’s about all the news for today. Had prawns and chicken back at the room for lunch, had a swim in the pool, and went back to the nearby Cullen Bay marina area for a great dinner.

Tomorrow morning we’re back on the train – so it’s just like days 9, 10 and 11, but in reverse.  Sadly I’ll have no interweb on The Ghan so the next update won’t be at least until Monday afternoon once we’re back in Adelaide.

See you then, and thanks for the comments – keep em rolling in.  See you again late Monday.

A big part of the attraction for coming to the Northern Territory of Australia is the fantastic wildlife and scenery – and when you’re at Darwin there’s plenty to do and see revolving around both things. There’s crocodile parks, aquariums, boat cruises, and two national parks – Litchfield National Park, and the famous Kakadu National Park – both of which are within easy reach.

Kakadu is huge, and to see it properly you really need a few days dedicated to go touring there. Litchfield is closer and more accessible for day tripping from Darwin. There’s an abundance of organised coach tours for both – the Litchfield tours costing around $115 per person for a day trip – but if there’s two or more going it really makes more sense to hire a car. The roads are sealed to Litchfield and all the popular attractions at Litchfield – so it’s very accessible, even for the small economy hire cars like the Toyota Yarris or the Hyundai Getz which you can pick up for about $125 with enough km in the allowance to cover the 400km round trip.

But with accessibility comes the people. That was the only disappointment at Litchfield – it was very hard to get away from people. The car parks are usually reasonably full, the swimming holes and walking tracks crowded. So some advice: if you want to be alone, don’t go to Litchfield!

130 Speed Sign – only in Northern Territory

One of the first odd things you see after leaving the Darwin area is speed signs that say 130 (km/h). Until recently there were large parts of the NT without an official speed limit – the Stuart Highway (pictured above) used to be colloquially known as the “Gun Barrel Highway”, but 130 limits have been introduced to curb some of the irresponsible driving behaviour.  And yes… you can get a Hyundai Getz up to 130km/h without blowing up the motor!

We even overtook a three-trailer Road Train in the Getz!

When you arrive at Litchfield one of the first things seen is the “Magnetic Termite Mounds” – these are large termite nests – up to 3 metres in height. Most of them are flat and built in an east-west aspect facing magnetic north. The theory is they are able to avoid the heat of the day by building their nests in this fashion.

Magnetic Termite Mounds – Litchfield Park

The mounds are spread through the park, some clustered in groups in fields like the one pictured above – they have an erie feel – and look not unlike graveyard headstones – all flat, and facing the same direction.

Florence Falls – Litchfield Park

Litchfield is home to a number of impressive waterfalls, and rock pools where you can swim. We went swimming at Florence Falls (pictured above). It makes a great escape from the humidity of Darwin, and the water is a comfortable temperature.  But as with everywhere at Litchfield – don’t expect some outback swimming oasis where you’ll be alone to enjoy nature – these places are very popular tourist attractions.

For lunch we continued down the road to the Monsoon Cafe for lunch. All the Litchfield Tours go to the Monsoon Cafe – so we thought we’d do the same.  BIG MISTAKE.   Bad food. High prices.  A no-frills basic hamburger for $10 which doesn’t even come with a side serve of chips (fries). No way.  If you go to Litchfield – AVOID the Monsoon Cafe – they take advantage of the fact you are out there and the nearest similar eating place is at least 50km away and they RIP YOU OFF.

There is a smaller Kiosk at Wangi Falls closeby. I’m not sure whether the food or prices are any better there.

Bottom line – take your own food or be prepared to get ripped off.

Wangi Falls – Closed for Swimming due to Crocodiles

The Wangi falls were also spectacular, but presently closed for swimming because of the possibility of crocodiles in the river. I wasn’t going to argue with that.

Tolmer falls is another must-see, but again… not a swimming area.

As the afternoon passed by we headed back in our zippy Hyundai Getz to the renowned Mindil Beach Markets – a Thursday night institution in Darwin. These beachside markets abound with food, souvineers, trinkets and jewellery, and just about everything else.  I think the whole city of Darwin congregates at these markets every Thursday from 5pm.  It was so incredibly popular – and once you go, you can see why.

The Indo-Aboriginal influence is everywhere – it’s a unique mix of culture flavours from Indonesia, Bali, Territory Aboriginal and modern Australia all mixed together in the one place and on sale at the Mindil Beach markets!

Just before sunset thousands make there way onto the sands of Mindil beach to watch the sunset across the Timor Sea. As the sun sets, the markets explodes into a musical mesh of aboriginal didgeridoo playing mixed with a heavy rhythmic modern drumming. This is one place you must go but get there early because it gets VERY busy after 6:30pm at sunset.

I’m actually running a little behind with these updates.  I’m writing this at the end of Day 13. 

The place we’re staying at in Darwin is great. It’s called the Cullen Bay resort – in the Cullen Bay marina district of Darwin. We’re on a bit of a hill, on the 2nd floor – overlooking the marina. At the bottom of the hill is a nice collection of shops and restaurants.  Darwin town centre is about a 2.5km walk.

View from our balcony across the Cullen Bay Marina area, Darwin NT

As you would expect in the tropics, it’s been a balmy 32c every day, quite hot, quite humid and sticky. No rain so far though. Unlike southern Australia which has the normal 4 seasons, the northern tropics only has 2 seasons – the “wet” season (in the summer months) and the “dry” season (in the winter months).

The dry season (i.e. NOW) is the most popular with tourists.  It’s always warm here – day and night.

Darwin is only a small city with a population of 120,000. Walking around it is no different to walking around my home town of Gosford, or even somewhere like Penrith – just a lot more of a tourist focus.

Part of the problem when trying to do this type of blogging thing on the road is getting Internet Access – it’s not always straightforward. Thankfully I have a program on my Macbook called istumbler – it sniffs out open wi-fi networks and usually you can find something. Failing that I can always use my 3G phone – but why pay when you can usually find some free wi-fi ?

I’m discovering there can be a real art to getting the strongest signal sometimes.  I have two free hotspots I can connect to here, but only on the balcony, and only right in the middle of the balcony – about 1m off the ground gives strongest wi-fi signal…  so I set up this makeshift rig made up of an outdoor chair and inverted small outdoor coffee table – which I rest my Macbook on to get free wi-fi.

The Sweet Spot to receive the strongest free wi-fi signal

These updates are being brought to you via the open routers of the “Arafura Sailing Adventures”, and “PJ-Home” – thanks guys, couldn’t have done it without you.

Our first day in Darwin was spent just walking around the town centre, orientating ourselves, stocking up on some food supplies, and we had dinner at the Cullen Bay restaurant area which I highly recommend. It’s right on the water (you eat outside) and all the big fish hang around because the patrons take great joy in throwing pieces of their meals into the water and watching the fish haggle for it.

I’ll be back in a few hours to update Day 13 where we hire a car and visit Litchfield National Park. See you then!