Adelaide · Port Augusta · Alice Springs · Katherine · Darwin
The Ghan takes its name from the Afghan cameleers — Muslim men from the Indian subcontinent (then loosely grouped by Australians under the name "Afghan") who brought their camels to Australia from the 1860s onwards and opened up the continent's interior. For fifty years, camel trains were the primary means of crossing the desert that lay between Adelaide and the north. When the railway finally arrived, it took their name.
The idea of a railway connecting Adelaide to Darwin had existed since the 1870s — an audacious project to join Australia's southern coast to its northern one with a continuous line through the heart of the continent. It took 130 years to complete. The first section from Adelaide reached Alice Springs in 1929, though that line was so prone to flooding that it was closed for months at a time and earned the nickname "the line that goes nowhere." A new line was built further west, and the full Adelaide–Darwin connection was finally opened on 3 February 2004.
Today's Ghan is operated by Journey Beyond Rail and represents the complete, modern version of what that century-long dream always envisaged: a train crossing an entire continent, from temperate south to tropical north, through landscapes of such scale and strangeness that they defy easy description. The ochre of the Karoo. The ghost gums of the Red Centre. The monsoon-green floodplains of the Top End approaching Darwin.
At full length, The Ghan can carry up to 840 passengers across more than 30 carriages — though premium services ensure a quieter, more curated experience. Off-train excursions are offered at Alice Springs and Katherine, including the extraordinary Nitmiluk Gorge, carved by the Katherine River through 1.8-billion-year-old sandstone.
Interactive Route
Click any marker for highlights — the journey crosses virtually every Australian landscape.
The Journey
Adelaide → Darwin, northbound departure
Day 1 · Afternoon
Boarding begins at the purpose-built Parklands Terminal. The first dinner is served as the train passes through the Adelaide Hills and out into the flat of the Murray-Darling Basin — the agricultural heart of Australia.
Day 1 · Night
The train pauses briefly at Port Augusta — the gateway to the Outback — before continuing north. The last mobile phone signal for many hours vanishes somewhere around here. The stars become extraordinary.
Day 2 · Morning
Breakfast reveals the full scale of the landscape: red sand, spinifex grass, and ghost gum trees with white trunks that seem to glow against the ochre. The horizon is unbroken in every direction. This is central Australia.
Day 2 · Afternoon
A full afternoon in Alice Springs. Platinum passengers take guided excursions into the surrounding landscape — the West MacDonnell Ranges, Standley Chasm, and the Alice Springs Desert Park. Gold class has time to explore independently.
Day 3 · Morning
The most spectacular off-train excursion. Nitmiluk (Katherine Gorge) is a series of 13 sandstone gorges carved by the Katherine River over 1.8 billion years. A boat trip through the first two gorges is included for Platinum guests.
Day 3 · Evening
Arrival in Australia's most tropical city. The landscape around Darwin is green, wet (in season), and unlike anything seen on the 54 hours of train travel that preceded it. The continent has been crossed. The journey is complete.
Accommodation
Both classes include all meals. Platinum adds all drinks, off-train excursions, and lounge access.
The complete Ghan experience
Adelaide–Darwin, 54 hours. Prices vary by departure date.
The full journey, fully inclusive
Adelaide–Darwin, 54 hours, fully all-inclusive.
The full Adelaide–Darwin journey runs weekly. The shorter Adelaide–Alice Springs run is also available.
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