FIRST CLASS TRAIN Across Australia on "The Ghan"

welcome on board the Gan this is Australia's most iconic rail journey over the next three days we'll cross the remote and rug it out back with the healthy dose of luxury along the way hello jet Setters welcome to Adelaide the capital of South Australia Today we're about to head out on one of the most iconic rail journeys in the world this is the Gan we're gonna travel straight up through the Australian Outback I'm Jeb Brooks from greenergrass.com let's head to the station and get this trip started our trip begins with a chauffeured car from the city to the train station this train is huge so big in fact there are two platforms we're getting on to platform two this is one this is going to be massive meanwhile inside check-in was underway we'd booked a gold cabin but found a last minute opening in Platinum which we bought more on the differences including whether our upgrade was really worth it as we make our way North and speaking of traveling north we'll leave Adelaide at noon today and travel the rest of the day and through the night to reach Marla by sunrise we'll stop in Alice Springs for a bike ride through the Outback and again at Catherine for a boat trip we should Belinda Darwin about 56 hours and nearly 1900 miles later I don't fully know what to expect in this trip but a train through the Australian Outback that'll be incredible it's one of those top-notch uh greatest rail journeys in the world we arrived here uh just before 10 o'clock the train doesn't leave till noon so I think we're here a little early there's plenty to see maybe we'll do some shopping I guess I could buy a gan shirt to wear on the gan I probably won't do that though in addition to souvenirs the shop also has some basic Sundries in case you forgot something at home All Aboard it's Thomas train we've got to go under the tracks to get to our platform number two for our car gee our room number one Impressions this is a really long train and this is only part of it but we eventually reached our car and this was where our sense of excitement really developed chiser absolutely beautiful our bags had already been delivered to our room and it was clear that this twin room with a massive ensuite bathroom would be an incredible home away from home but for now welcome on board home for the next three days we'll have plenty of time to explore this room in depth over the next few days but for now it's time to settle in and get ready to go so far so good I'm not complaining cheers [Music] not quite right on time but close enough with a journey this long it's not about what time we leave or what time we get there it's about what we see along the way and I can't wait to share it with you all in our train has two locomotives and 29 carriages they're also two generator cars it's nearly half a mile long and weighs three and a half million pounds we're making our way out of Adelaide and starting the journey North the landscape will no doubt change pretty significantly we'll average around 52 miles per hour at least 1900 miles but the train can reach speeds as high as 71 miles per hour along the way I decided to make my way up to the lounge car now this is a space that's going to be shared by passengers in three Platinum coaches during our trip we'll be able to eat our meals in here and also relax and take advantage of the bar as well you see all the drinks and meals are included and for platinum passengers some of those drinks are upgraded the wines were really nice [Music] this proved to be a really comfortable place to be engage in some nice conversations along the way too [Music] Wi-Fi was available in the lounge cart but it was understandably spotty we'll be traveling through some of the most remote territory on Earth after all back when we boarded our host provided us with a card showing our reserved meal times but they seem to be fairly Loosely enforced at least in Platinum we asked to eat earlier a few times and it never seemed to be a problem like this first lunch which we started at 1 15 instead of our 145 reservation each meal on board was a multi-course experience designed to take time and focus on unique Australian flavors [Music] for lunch Suzanne chose the chicken I picked the pork first kangaroos [Music] the Gan takes its name from a time when the service was called The Afghan Express you see the route traces its Heritage all the way back to the mid-1850s when Cavaliers from Afghanistan opened up Australia's Outback to Europeans by transporting supplies into the continent on trains of camels or so-called ships of the desert those camel trains transported Goods mail water and tools equipment to remote towns throughout the Outback and they even assisted in the construction of the very first rail lines through Australia even now they're three hundred thousand feral camels roaming the Outback but back in 1911 the government finally committed to building a railway from Adelaide to Darwin it would take almost 20 years to reach Alice Springs roughly the halfway point and another 75 would pass before Darwin and Adelaide would finally be linked by rail in 2004. that 93-year timeline is evidence of just how challenging this part of the world is the Gan isn't just some tourist train it's a significant link to an important part of this nation's culture and history foreign [Music] just crossing over this I guess it's a Salt Flat and then we'll be in the town of Port Augusta now this is the last sort of major town we'll see for uh well a long time we pulled into the rail yard where just taking a break here in Port Augusta not sure why we sat for about an hour before pulling out and being on our way again turned out we needed to make room for a passing freight train thank you as the sun set we drank in the views just the slightest hint of what we'll see tomorrow we ate some of our meals at tables for two by ourselves and others like this one we ate with fellow Travelers Suzanne started with the cheese souffle I opted for the kangaroo which was not very different from beef for a main course we both had the lamb [Music] we returned to our room which had been completely transformed it was like an entirely different space what do you think so far the scenery was not spectacular today it was cool for fish was interesting as I got more sparse but I'm real excited about what's in store the next couple days so unfortunately they came in to set up the room and my iPad um I often see into my iPad and the rough part about that is I was going to watch a movie tonight but I guess I won't instead I'm just gonna go to bed which means that's a wrap on day one it's a little narrow but really comfortable I guess you can call me uh Ricky and this is Lucy there are also Platinum double cabin so this twin was all that was available when we upgraded it's time for bed we slept off and on for about eight and a half hours It Was An Extremely Loud night but we reached Marla where the train stopped for us to enjoy the sunrise at six in the morning good morning that was uh that was a night of sleep it was okay we understand maybe the track tonight will be smoother than one the track last night was pretty rough there were several stops and starts but it was a train that night of train sleep and I slept reasonably well I'm excited to head outside and check out the sunrise this morning over the Outback so Let's uh let's head that way the team had set up a bonfire to warm us up as the sun slowly came over the horizon coffee tea and some breakfast was also available this was the first chance we'd had to really appreciate the size of this train as the number of passengers on board we go out of our way not to film other passengers but it was clear on this morning there were literally hundreds of other people on board this is a truly massive operation peaceful as this place was it was difficult to find a moment alone Outback's a pretty desolate place thank you foreign [Music] these shoes are not going to stay white too long we are getting to that red dirt mine already got the Reddit red reddited mine are already red and by eight o'clock two hours after we'd stepped off the train we were on our way again we'll soon be passing from South Australia into the Northern Territory South Australians take great pride in being the only state in the country not originally settled by prisoners of course it also seems like every other state takes great pride in being settled by prisoners so that's really to say everybody in Australia is pretty proud to be Australian and I can see why the Northern Territory was originally part of South Australia but it was broken off because of a well a rather confusing but politically charged process during the colonial times [Music] we're back in the room now and uh unfortunately you know the room is either in bed mode or in day mode but we think we might want to take a nap so we're living into bed mode which you know isn't too uncomfortable so I'm just going to read my book here for a little while I couldn't keep my eyes on my book for long though this was where the full Majesty of the Australian Outback was on display today the second day of the Northbound trip was the highlighted terms of scenery and there's no better way to take it in than over breakfast in the lounge car [Music] what are you drinking there having some fresh apple juice that's apple juice fresh from the Apple doesn't look like that back home yeah well we have back home is made of plastic [Music] Suzanne had the full breakfast and I had the salmon frittata [Music] foreign [Music] slowed as we approached the Iron Man it's a Monument built to commemorate the millionth concrete sleeper laid on this track it's the little things at this point we decided to head back to our room and show you around this Platinum twin cabin ET what if this is an incredible room there's a table here in an ottoman a super small but convenient desk right now we've got the room set up kind of halfway between daytime with his chair and night time with his bed here it is during the day and here it is at night my favorite part of any room or even airplane seat is the storage and there's tons on this train and we're taking full advantage of it right there even more on this other side there's a huge bathroom right in here it's got everything you could possibly want including a pretty large shower which I'm going to take advantage of this afternoon for sure there's also of course a sink and a toilet now what's really great is they'll refresh the towels anytime you'd like that to happen here that bathroom may be the most significant difference between Gold Class and platinum in Gold Class you have a much smaller ensuite bathroom that Platinum class bathroom is pretty nice but enough about that we'll talk more about those differences later because we're nearly to Alice Springs where everybody's able to get off the train and engage in an Excursion of some kind so uh Suzanne what are we doing we chose biking we're gonna mountain bike and uh we'll let you know how that goes fingers crossed we stay on the bikes there are several excursions to choose from each day and the cost of most of them are included in your train fare you can pay extra for example you'd like to take a helicopter ride though now they also require varying levels of Fitness but all of that is outlined for you in a book that's in your room as we come into Alice Springs here it looks like some of the first signs of civilization we've seen in nearly a day I think that's exactly right it's just amazing how remote this is thank you the area around Alice Springs really was a welcome change from what we've been looking at most of the day and by this point we were ready to get off the train and stretch our legs welcome to Alice Springs as most everyone on the train made their way to buses Bound for tours near and far we found our bikes and adjusted to how things are done down under the brakes are backwards the left is rear and right is front doesn't make any sense to me took some getting used to and I was glad to start on pavement but I got it off the pavement now it was a nice flat ride and I'd even say it was pretty easy well until we got to the sand Crossing thankfully the camera wasn't rolling on my first attempt since I crashed pretty hard but as I've always said you aren't really riding if you aren't crashing that was amazing we spotted the original Alice spring before hiking up to the top of a nearby Hill for a solid view of the area that's the telegraph Office right there and then over there is the original Alice Springs boy does it feel good to stretch those legs yeah we've been sitting a little too long the Flies are loving it too what are you gonna do flies or no flies this was some of the most fun we'd had yet it was peaceful and a welcome change of pace we were really glad to have chosen this excursion despite some reservations it was definitely out of my comfort zone for sure but it was a lot of fun and definitely carries on that Spirit of Adventure that this train has only problem this is not our train this is the southbound can so we have to wait for it to get out of the way for our train to come back so we can get back on so we're just killing a little time while we wait this is a bit of a down or this this waiting we've been here for about 45 minutes now and I guess we're still waiting for the southbound train to move out of the way to make room for the Northbound I think it's not a big deal it's a beautiful day out here uh perfect temperature the Flies aren't too bad and generally comfortable so but we would like to get on and take that shower so hopefully the uh the train gets out of here soon and ours comes back and about 15 minutes later ladies and gentlemen I'm pleased to announce we have motion on the game and seeing our train this morning at Marla made it clear just how long it was but then seeing this here this southbound train was a reminder there are actually two Gans this is a truly massive operation now if you choose to travel Southbound on this route that adds an extra day to your timeline and like The Prodigal Son the Gan is back and about an hour and five minutes after we got to the station we were back on board before we left we asked to have the room reset to the daytime mode which we really haven't had today and uh it's uh it's a reminder of how nice this room is in pretty much any configuration but I think the most exciting thing we're about to experience about this room is the shower so um let's uh let's transform I try to avoid showering on trains it's just process and small but I don't mind the shower it's spacious and the water pressure was good nice hot water thumbs up so we're just pulling out of Alice Springs after a really nice visit uh here now the tracks were going to be on tonight were completed in 2004 newer than the ones were on last night so we've heard that maybe we'll have a better night's sleep but to only time will tell [Music] despite our 715 reservation we were hungry so we headed up at 6 30 and lucked out so here's the secret tip get here early and then get a seat I don't know if it always works but it's working for us now it's great the venison Carpaccio was really nice and Suzanne liked her duck but I was obsessed and still I am obsessed with these crocodile dumplings I really enjoyed tasting uniquely Australian fare on this trip Suzanne a sucker for chickpeas went for the doll and continuing my tour of classic Aussie Foods I had the barramundi we were both extremely pleased well it's going to be an early night tonight it's a long day a great day hopefully tonight is a better night of sleep than last night these are new new tracks back from 2004 so that's a promising thing but for now it's time for good night I slept for a solid nine hours good morning uh that was actually a really good night's sleep the train was um quiet and smooth that was by far the smoothest night of train sleep I've ever had we've got another day on the train uh got an Excursion at some point today we're not real clear about when but for now I think we'll just kind of get get rated for the day and go find some breakfast and this is really the magic of riding on a train we left yesterday it was kind of that desert Mars red dirt landscape and look at this today um a totally different landscape totally different place all these trees kind of in Forest it's just magic you go go to sleep you wake up in a completely new place [Music] oh [Music] this morning Suzanne and I both had the chorizo it really hit the spot [Music] not only is the landscape completely different but this part of Australia is also tropical and tropical means hot humid and generally muggy and here we are pulling into Catherine we'll be here for a few hours exploring the region here and then back on the train situation to Darwin we're off to another adventure another one of those times where YouTube does not pick up the stickiness and the Heat and we literally just got off so stand by for more we made our way over to a bus that took us 30 minutes away from the train to the nitmulla national park in the Catherine River [Music] Once on This boat we learned about the indigenous people here and their connection to the beautiful Gorge that we were exploring and despite the Heat this was another highlight [Music] a long lunch was served in the visitor center [Music] well that was a great fun time today for uh for sure I enjoyed getting out on the water and exploring a little bit of this part of the Northern Territories but it'll be nice to be back on the train I think maybe time for another shower then it's supper and then we'll be in Darwin before we know it corporate this had it's probably at least 35 degrees out here can't really translate that not sure I parted 35 and humid um yeah great hat look good too look good too I don't know I'm the editor I wish my hat were not black [Music] um I should have learned something in Saint Bart we were exceedingly grateful for the cold drinks our crew had put in the room but even more thankful for the shower best trained shower ever we pulled out of the station right at 3 30 and our train attendant came by and asked if we'd like anything else to drink I found this section through the Northern Territory to be some of the most beautiful of the entire trip but it also gave us some time to reflect on the experiences we'd had off the train now Train Excursions [Music] like Disney to me caveat I've never been at Disney and that's not necessarily a bad thing like we got to see some things in Australia we probably would never have seen if not for the train but just something to note if you're thinking about taking this trip kind of to set your expectations I think that's a fair observation I mean this is not a super exclusive thing using the word exclusive to mean a small number of people there are definitely a lot I mean I think back to that Sunrise experience yesterday I mean it was hard to sort of have a moment with the sunrise to yourself it was just so crowded um but that said I mean we feel very fortunate to be on board at all and to get to see all these as you said all these places around Australia that we otherwise wouldn't have so a pretty special experience nonetheless absolutely we made our way up to the lounge car where we enjoyed more scenery and even the background music fortunately passengers are discouraged from exploring the train and visiting other sections which meant we did not get to see gold service now there's several types of gold cabins and for the most up-to-date information head over to the journey Beyond website Linked In the description below it's important to know that gold cabins have bunk beds and unlike Platinum cabins with windows on both sides of the train they only have Windows on one they also have smaller bathrooms without a separated shower and the dining rooms don't have two top tables so if you're a couple you'll always share every meal now a benefit that may not exist on every trip for us is platinum passengers was it because there were fewer people in our section we were not limited to our assigned dining times like this our our final meal on board we enjoyed it a bit earlier than we were supposed to [Music] Suzanne had the carrot tart and I opted for the Buffalo Curry [Music] this iconic rail Adventures won every rail Enthusiast should add to their bucket list it's a truly special adventure and we feel fortunate to have been able to enjoy it the best part for us was watching the sun set as we pulled into Darwin exactly 56 hours after leaving Adelaide between now and the next time see on the rails we're here that's all she wrote one of the best parts of Australia without a doubt the meat pie how long do you think I have to wear this I think the entire time even when you're sleeping it don't look quite ready for us the vast Valiant let's say yeah that's a Qatar A380 Doha to Sydney at 40 000 feet if you haven't seen Dennis phonics video about how Qatar cleans their blankets this is your chance after this video is over can you move that way that way morning person not a morning person Suzanne you know they say Drover's got a drove they do uh uh foamer's got a foam hiring yourself a foamer I am I just play one on YouTube might be the train who's a farmer now

Channel: Jeb Brooks

Views: 1,039,795

Keywords: first class train, first class train cabin, first class train travel, first class train food, the ghan, the ghan train, first class train ride, luxury train, luxury travel, train travel, train trip report, australia train, the ghan train reviews, train in australia, luxury train travel, ghan platinum class cabin, ghan platinum reviews, ghan platinum class, ghan platinum double, trains australia, luxury sleeper train, luxury trains, train across australia

Id: gNmhrTOYcqg

Length: 25min 56sec (1556 seconds)

Published: Sat Apr 29 2023