'I spent three nights on Australia's most iconic train trip. Here's what surprised me.'

Thanks to our brand partner, The Ghan

I have feedback about The Ghan. I wonder if you could help me direct it to the proper people?

You know, the iconic train trip that travels right through the guts of Australia from Darwin to Adelaide. The one that is very often described as a must-do, one of the most desirable travel experiences in the world, the peak of adventurous luxury.

My feedback is this: I thought there'd be more sitting around, just staring out the window.

Because isn't that what happens on a train? You get on, you take your seat and that's that. For… hours? Or… days?

Apparently not, friends.

When you choose, as I did, the Ghan Expedition — a four-day, three-night trip from the top to the bottom of the country — you get very few chances to stare mindlessly out of the window at the scenery as beautiful as it is.

Image: Supplied.

And yes, when you do sit back and relax in your cabin, it's true that you'll see kangaroos bounding through the outback and emus roaming across the countryside as you journey through. You see the land change slowly from the lush green of the Top End to the red dirt of the Centre and the moon-like dusty plains of Outback South Australia.

But The Ghan Expedition is a lot more than a sitting-down train trip.

For starters, the start is strong. When was the last time you arrived at a train station to the sound of live music, sipping a fresh coffee or mimosa before stepping aboard?

And the train itself, as iconic as it is, is a surprise. My Gold Premium cabin had everything I needed — its own little bathroom with a toilet, shower and toiletries, plus a closet for hanging clothes, power points for charging devices and a table for teas and books.

It's part of The Ghan's newly refurbished Gold Premium service, which sits nicely between Gold and Platinum. You get a little extra luxe without going full platinum — and yes, it feels very fancy.

Image: Supplied.

The couch folded down into a comfy bed — the train crew miraculously do this for you when you pop off for dinner in the Gold Premium Restaurant, welcoming you back to a snug, clean doona-topped bed with a choccie on your pillow and a nightcap of your choice. Plus, as a Gold Premium guest, you get access to your own exclusive lounge and dining car, which just adds to that sense of 'how-is-this-all-on-a-train?' charm.

But it felt that no sooner was I settled into my cabin than we arrived in Katherine for our first off-train experience — a boat cruise through Nitmiluk (Katherine Gorge). Soaring red cliffs rose from the water, birds swooped and yes, crocodiles basked on rocks. It was a picture-perfect reminder of exactly how glorious the country we were passing through is and how far from home most of the passengers on this train were.

We'd all come for adventure, an experience unlike any other — and we got it. Back on the train that first evening, we experienced our first sunset from the Gold Premium Lounge, sipping a pre-dinner something before the main event in the dining carriage, which is set, for all the world, exactly how you imagine it — with white tablecloths and classy crockery, a menu choice for every meal, three courses if you please.

Image: Supplied.

I was travelling alone and if you're tempted, don't second-guess it. I got as much company as I wanted and plenty of quiet time too. For meals, the excellent host for our section of the train would seat me with a new table each time which meant I got to meet all kinds of travellers while we whizzed through the Top End sharing stories.

Day Two and we were up and off the train in Alice Springs, gone for the whole day on a choice of Red Centre adventures. I chose to tour the Western MacDonnell Ranges with a local Arrernte guide and we started at Simpsons Gap, where we ate a picnic lunch under the spreading arms of the white river gums and heard the creation stories embedded in the powerful stones and icy water.

Image: Supplied.

Then it was off to Standley Chasm (Angkerle Atwatye), where we were expertly guided on a walk through our guide's country to the place where the rock walls almost meet, letting the light in through a dramatic slice in the red cliffs.

Image: Supplied.

After a quick change on the train, we were back off it again for another highlight — dinner under the stars at Alice Springs' Telegraph Station, where we rode camels, ate a glorious meal of local delicacies as the light faded, got a tour of the night skies from a local stargazer and then danced in the dust to a band who knew exactly what to play to this particular crowd in this particular place.

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A short coach ride back to The Ghan, full and happy, and I was rocked to sleep in my luxey bunk knowing there are few travel days as special as that one.

The next morning, still no window-watching — apart from at breakfast, when I watched the racing roos as I ate my poached eggs (runny yolks! On a train!) and drank my proper barista-made coffee.

That was the Coober Pedy day and I have been to few stranger places. As you drive from the train stop into town, you begin to see them — little hillocks of dirt, multiplying in number and size as you get closer to the town limits. They're opal mines — each one someone's dream of striking it rich.

It's hot and dusty and completely fascinating, this strange little dot of a place where people live underground and a stunning Orthodox church is carved into an outcrop. There are opals for sale and lunch inside a whitewashed old mine and by the time we got back to the train it was sun-sinking time and canapés and drinks around our iconic ride, until it was time to board and cruise on into our final dinner.

The next morning and we were heading into Adelaide, our expedition over. And as I sat in the peace of my pristine little cabin, drinking my tea and finishing my book, I thought — hey, where did all that doing-nothing time go?

Image: Supplied.

I have feedback about The Ghan, you see. It's much too interesting. Too delicious, too fun. Too sociable. Too accessible and too comfortable.

Not really that much like a really long train ride at all.

Discover an all-inclusive train holiday on The Ghan, travelling between Darwin and Adelaide in comfort and style.

Feature Image: Supplied.

Travel between Adelaide and Darwin through Australia's spectacular Red Centre discovering the people, places and stories that shaped the country on this all-inclusive train journey.
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