Ghan Holiday Day 7-8 - The Ghan

After we checked out of our hotel we went to the Olive Pink Botanic Garden and some more cool birdlife and even some kangaroos.

A Western Bowerbird with the distinctive purple tuft on the back of his head was on the road and his bower was not far away.

Australian Ringneck

Kangaroo and joey

Black Kite

Then it was time to make our way to the legendary Ghan!

The Ghan we were riding was 758m long with 32 carriages.  The kids and I walked from one end to the other taking pictures of the train, but none could capture the sheer length of the beast.

We stayed in Platinum rooms which were the largest rooms and had a double bed.  It was like a tiny little hotel room and the service we had was excellent.

At night they even folded down the sheets for us and the kids each got a Ghan teddy as a free gift!

The meals were good on the train - not excellent, but the portions seemed right for breakfast and lunch.  The dinner portions were way too big, I thought.  We ordered one of each thing and the kids ate the adults meals where they could.  There are no children specific meals if your kids are fussy eaters in the platinum dining car.

Dinner

Lunch

Breakfast

At night we hopped off the train for a bonfire and some stargazing. We had to wake the kids for that one but they took it all in stride.  Not a bad stopoff really - but in the future it would be better if we could have some light alcohol outside to enjoy by the fire.  Licensing issues, I heard.

We got into Adelaide after almost 24 hours on the train.  The trip was an experience, a rather expensive one but I'm glad we had done it.  The sleep on the train wasn't a great one if you're a light sleeper because of the rocking the train cha-chunk noises, but if that doesn't bother you then it's a rather pleasant trip.  Bring a book to read though or some board/card games.  No phone or internet reception on the train!