Platinum Class comes to the Ghan Train

True luxury comes to the Australian outback. Great Southern Railways launches “the Southern Spirit – luxury rail cruises”

The Great Southern Rail is launching its new Platinum level Service on The Ghan rail service. The Ghan has connected Adelaide with Darwin for a number of years but the new Platinum service really takes this train journey into a level of luxury of some of the great train journeys of the world. The twice weekly trip takes two nights to cover the 2979km in either direction with ½ day stop-overs in Alice Spring and Katharine on the way. The new Platinum cabins are twice the size of Gold class cabins and include full ensuite facilities, a plush lounge by day and a double or two twin beds by night. Platinum class includes 24 hour room service but you also have the choice of dining in the elegantly themed Queen Adelaide Restaurant Carriage or relaxing in the outback Explorer lounge.

This trip from south to north is the last word in luxury for a train line that took over 100 years to develop. The original Ghan replaced the Afghan camel drivers who helped open up the outback. The first 40 kilometres of track was laid in 1879 between Port Augusta and Quorn. It took another 50 years following the line of artesian springs through Maree, Oodnadatta until the line reached Alice Springs: roughly ½ way. The line was notoriously difficult to maintain and the old Ghan train, definitely not a 5 star luxury experience, was often days late into either Alice Springs or Adelaide. The old line had to follow the line of artesian water bores as the steam trains needed frequent water stops. Finally in 1980 the current line was opened re-aligning the train to Alice Springs via Tarcoola, several hundred kilometres to the east. Remnants of the old line remain are a popular trip for 4WD enthusiasts. The line was only extended to Darwin in 2003! Photo credit: vacation tips

November 2008 sees the launch of Luxury Australian Rail Cruises, with a 13 day cruise across the heart of Australia from the Darwin, through the tropical tropical Top End, the Red Centre, the scenic south, Adelaide, Melbourne and Canberra to Sydney. This marathon trip takes 13 days and is priced at A$13,290 per person twin share in Platinum class (the cheaper gold class is also available). Prices include “port excursions”in Katharine, Alice Springs, Adelaide, Melbourne and Canberra. What a way to experience without any of the inconvenience of the dust and flys: well except of course when you leave the “ship”!