A gallop on The Ghan

[JohnM]

An 850m long train at Manguri, in two parts.




Gaahh - that was sloowww.

 

[JohnM]

Oops, getting confused. Just realised I had already posted the dinner pics from last night.

Sending pics to PJM at the same time and erratic speed doesn’t help.

 

[JohnM]

Sundowner at Manguri before an 1800h roll.

 

[JohnM]

And, since the last pic uploaded quickly, another one.

 

[JohnM]

Tonight’s menu and plenty of wine going down.

I seem to have been adopted by the Naughty Group. Now, how did that happen?

 

[love_the_life]

Adopted by the naughty group? You? Never!!

 

[JohnM]

The train ran out of some of the wines.

How did that happen?

 

[ellen10]

Looks like a great trip. Definitely considering the experience. Enjoying your trip report.

 

[JohnM]

The train arrived in ADL spot on time at 1050. Now in the QP waiting to slip into, funnily enough , 1A on QF887 to PER at 1540.

Thanks, peeps, for the interest in the TR.

After I get home, I need to sort some photos to post of activities and anything on the train that I may have missed, and then do a wrap-up. I need to sit and digest the trip and scope the ADL-DRW trip notes on the Journey Beyond website to make some comments with broader context.

The next train ride is the Indian Pacific SYD-PER Wednesday 19-Saturday 22 October.

I wonder whether there will be a Naughty Group on that to brutally drag me into their nefarious clutches…

And whether I should be a helpful citizen and alert the company about the need for wine reinforcements in case there is a Naughty Group with a comparable thirst to that just experienced...

 

[VPS]

The train arrived in ADL spot on time at 1050. Now in the QP waiting to slip into, funnily enough , 1A on QF887 to PER at 1540.

Thanks, peeps, for the interest in the TR.

After I get home, I need to sort some photos to post of activities and anything on the train that I may have missed, and then do a wrap-up. I need to sit and digest the trip and scope the ADL-DRW trip notes on the Journey Beyond website to make some comments with broader context.

The next train ride is the Indian Pacific SYD-PER Wednesday 19-Saturday 22 October.

I wonder whether there will be a Naughty Group on that to brutally drag me into their nefarious clutches…

And whether I should be a helpful citizen and alert the company about the need for wine reinforcements in case there is a Naughty Group with a comparable thirst to that just experienced...

and beautiful sunny weather for you in Adelaide today

 

[kookaburra75]

Adopted by the naughty group? You? Never!!

I suspect they might have originally been a quiet group, enjoying each others company and the surroundings, before @JohnM crashed their party, and turned them to drink

 

[RooFlyer]

The next train ride is the Indian Pacific SYD-PER Wednesday 19-Saturday 22 October.

I wonder whether there will be a Naughty Group on that to brutally drag me into their nefarious clutches…

I vaguely remember taking the Indian Pacific to take up my first job, in WA many years ago. I got attached to the 'naughty group' - a couple of welsh guys. We didn't drink the train out of beer, but we gave it a damn good crack.

 

[JohnM]

I suspect they might have originally been a quiet group, enjoying each others company and the surroundings, before @JohnM crashed their party, and turned them to drink

I can assure you Doubting Thomases that was not the case. The 4-couple core of the bunch had been in DRW for four days prior and had hit it hard then.

I ran into one of them in the ADL QP and he said “I’m leaving those others; I need to go home to SYD to dry out!” The other three in his group were staying in ADL to party on.

The other two women arm-twisters were just perpetual party animals, I suspect. Synergy.

I was merely an innocent abroad who got adopted by members of the Naughty People tribe and couldn’t say no to conversion.

 

[Major]

Do they still have amenity kits?

 

[JohnM]

Do they still have amenity kits?

View attachment 279648

This (sans a cake of soap that I used).

 

[mrs.dr.ron]

I like Majors !!

 

[JohnM]

Righto, a summary that I did for my record and for PJM coming up. There will be repetition from what I posted en route but I'll plonk everything in for simplicity.



The serpentine corridor in the Gold Single car; straight corridor in Gold Twin.



The single cabin.



The Gold lounge and dining cars.



Shared bathroom/toilet in Gold Single. Very roomy and spotless.

 

[JohnM]

Passing through the savannah between Darwin and first stop, after lunch, Katherine. A little blurry as the windows are double-glazed. The usual mosaic of unburnt and burnt areas refreshing the grassland. Then irrigated lucerne production for hay near Katherine.



Katherine stop and inclusive Nitmiluk Gorge and Nitmiluk First Gorge Rock Art cruises on offer, or optional additional-cost helo flight over the 13 gorges. Helo flight for me.



A bunch of R44’s.

 

[JohnM]

It may come as a surprise to many, but this year’s ‘wet’ has been very dry in the far north (as I recently noted for the Atherton Tableland/Daintree: Taking credits on the Qld coast).

Nitmiluk Gorge was no exception. The river cruises were faced with walking between sections and the waterfalls were non-existent.

 

[JohnM]

Back on the train late afternoon to continue towards Alice Springs. Sunrise at breakfast next morning. Foggy/ low cloud and cool coming into Alice. The optional extra-cost flight out to Uluru was cancelled. It did not affect me.

Three included tour choices for the full day and evening in Alice. I opted for the Simpson’s gap walk.



Flynn of the Inland’s (founder of the RFDS) grave. Low cloud over the MacDonnell Range.



On to Simpson’s Gap.