it's a long walk from check-in at alice springs station
red section is behind the gold and platinum carriages
but they paid multiple thousands - we - multiple hundreds
the sensation of travelling a huge distance surely the same
for that is what this journey is about - the size of this land
flying is cheaper and faster but a slow train is olde world stuff
a sense that our fellow passengers are here for similar reasons
and admittedly mostly older generation and not in any hurry
our seats are generously spaced and very comfortable - happy
an hour or so of daylight spent watching a passing landscape
and a sense of relaxation of doing that while another drives
derek our very english attendant advises us of train routines
dining car hours, lights-out time, driver-change time and more
including a 4 hour stop in katherine and an optional gorge trip
yes please - 9:00am offload and be back on the train by 1:00pm
tickets secured and then lights out after our imported picnic
a surprisingly good sleep - the train's rhythm very compatible
proof - the most sleepless time when it is stopped for an hour
awake before sunrise so to see that over the distant horizon
a few other passengers also aroused and cameras are clicking
7am opening of the dining car and already a queue for coffee
soy on offer so a railways regulation latte taken - not too bad
we pull into katherine station bang on time and the train empties
a fleet of modern buses lined up to take on the gorge travellers
thinking - the town must have done a deal to allow the train line
this completed in 2004 - a compulsory stopover would be boomtime
confirmed passing through the town - in better nick than remembered
a prior visit for a few days 20 years ago and then a backwater town
the economy based pretty well on welfare payouts - now tourism rules
a 30 minute trip to the gorge and another surprise - tourist city
the helicopters are at work as we walk to the large visitor centre
check our options - only 1 really in the couple of hours we have
a one hour round trip to a lookout point high above the gorge
totally enjoyable - metal steps at the top complete the ascent
camera swapping with other visitors to get full family photos
and then back down to take some lunch at the outdoor cafe
birds enjoying the tourism boom too - all very relaxing
we pile back on the bus, back to our train and head off
it's another 4 hours through the vast australian outback
it doesn't change much and that is part of the appeal here
red dirt, scrub, a few cows grazing, sun blazing, desolate
we roll into the darwin terminal some 25km south of the city
seems the cost of an inner-city station prohibitively expensive
so we gather up our 11 bags and wait for our pre-arranged shuttle
friendly driver but too much indiscernible commentary at this stage
thankfully we get to the city drop-off quickly and lugging begins
our hotel a couple of blocks away - a couple of trips - it is hot
the largest hotel room in living memory - showers and hit the town
an almost instant affinity with this city and the ambience it offers
it is hot and feels relaxed and not too crazily busy - just enough
a $15 offer for dinner and drinks at a streetside hotel taken up
we wait for a table and are ushered to front-of-house (street)
large handles of asahi lager and chilli prawn salad follow
10 out of 10 for taste and value - and desert found nearby
the local dupermarket - weiss espresso ice-cream bars
consumed as we wander back to the hotel - happy....
