Day 1: The Ghan/Uluru/Darwin.

This is just before I set off to the station. I’m saying goodbye to two VERY unimpressed dogs. I’m experimenting by using a backpack instead of my leather satchel bag as my everyday bag. (So far, I’m not loving it…)

I took a room in the Novotel at Tullamarine because my flight to Adelaide left at 6:30 AM. Even with doing this, I underestimated the time it would take to get from the hotel room to the plane. By the time I’d walked the length of the airport and got through security, time was a’ticking.

I looked at the board and my flight was marked as LAST CALL. Now I’m no athlete, but I RAN to the gate. I got there just before the gate was closed. omg. If I missed that flight, I would have probably missed the train.

Lesson learned. From now on, I’m flying over the night before.

It’s almost 5 PM in Juneau Alaska, where Megan and I were only a couple of months ago, so it’s perfectly fine to have a glass of bubbles at 10 AM here in Adelaide.

So far, I’ve only seen one young person here. She looks like she’s travelling with her grandmother. Everyone else who has black or brown hair is using hair dye. This is NOT a cheap trip.

Naturally, when I got to the terminus for the Ghan, I was 3 hours early and the first one here. They welcome everyone with music, bubbly and good cheer. They make it a celebration.

The Ghan is 648 m long and the trip from Adelaide to Darwin is 2900 and something kilometres. It’s an iconic trip to take in Australia, being on many people’s bucket lists. No wonder they welcome people with open arms – it’s very special.

The single cabins are located on the last two carriages on the train. I laughed when I opened the door to my “cupboard.” It looks like Harry Potter’s room under the stairs. I took one step when I had my back pressed up against the table and I was in the hall. It’s tiny.

Behind the door is a little basin, with individual toiletries. I was so happy! I love bringing home those little soaps and shampoos and they’re hardly to be found in Australia anymore.

I have to share toilets and showers with the rest of the carriage. Not ideal, but it’s only for a couple of nights. Most of the time I’m staying in hotels with 5 star luxury.

This is the lounge car, where people go to socialise. I met a lovely girl from Brazil in the cabin opposite mine. She’s 31 and is a doctor. She’s using her holidays from a hospital in Sydney to travel to Alice Springs in the Ghan, before splitting off and heading to Uluru. We headed off here to have a drink and a chat.

While we were there, we met Beverley and Janine, who live very near me, as it turns out. Small world and all that.

Here’s one for the foodies. We’re not going to starve.

Isabella and I shared a table at lunch with Marissa and Suresh, all four of us solo travellers. Suresh and I stayed back after lunch for a long chat, which was nice as the salt bush plains swept past us outside.

We talked about Financial Independence and our plans for inheritances for our kids. He’s got a far bigger pot than I do, but we both had similar ideas on what we plan to do.

He originally comes from Kenya and when I said I was going there next year, he mentioned that there are flamingos there.

Imagine!

Flamingos!

The pressed tin in the dining room was a nice little nod to the past.

So far, I’m having a good time. The people here are very warm and friendly and are perfectly ready to have a chat, unlike the people on the Irish tour. I met two couples from Tassie while we were waiting to board, and they’ve taken the same long trip that I have, so I’ll be bumping into them again. They’re in the Platinum part of the train, so we probably won’t mingle until tomorrow night when our tour splits from the train and we head off to the resort in Alice Springs.

I’m using my phone to hotspot this and I’ll post while we still have internet.

Tonight during dinner, the staff will turn this sitting room into a bedroom. The bed is pulled down from the wall. I’m looking forward to being rocked to sleep by the train’s motion tonight. It’ll remind me of the ship to Antarctica.

Dad joke of the day:

I should have saved this one for next September when I’ll be there!