Go platinum on The Ghan

If you thought the Ghan's Gold Class accomodation looked comfortable, then take a look at the newly commissioned platinum class cabins.


The only catch is they cost about 1.5 times that of the Gold; Adelaide to Darwin for $2987. We can dream can't we or we could splash out for a real treat.

Wining and dining on the Ghan

This is the Queen Adelaide Restaurant, the dining carriage for the Gold Class passengers.

And if you just want to relax with a drink or two you can come here to the lounge.

As part of the Ghan's 80th Birthday celebrations, all of this is available as a free upgrade to the Red Kangaroo Service. So what are we waiting for - Adelaide to Darwin for $1312; even less for concession holders.

The Ghan's 80th birthday

The Ghan has been servicing Adelaide to Alice Springs for 80 years. In 2004 we saw its extension to Darwin.


This morning, courtesy of local radio station Five AA, we partook in a tasty breakfast and then had a guided tour of the train.

This is one of the cabins in a Gold Service carriage. Each cabin has its own ensuite bathroom.

By night the cabin offers comfortable sleeping accomodation.

I will be posting more photos of the Ghan over the next few days. Also for more of The Ghan, see one of my previous posts here.

My retirement home!

I hope it doesn't really come to this with the recession!

Not quite 5 star accomodation, but comfortable enough for a couple of days. This was our accomodation at McLaren Vale a few weekends ago. The tent is erected on an ensuite powered site, meaning we had our own shower and toilet and the convenience of electricity for lighting, heating and charging the netbook computer!

Mobile blogging

My new toy; a Dell Mini 9 Inspiron Netbook computer which weighs about a kilogram.

Now I will be able to keep on blogging even when I am cycle touring or cruising in my yacht. The computer has an SD card slot so I can load and edit photos for uploading. The device plugged in is a 3G wireless modem, so I can access the Net anywhere there is a phone network.

Modern technology! I continue to be amazed.