AUSTRALIAN GREAT SOUTHERN RAIL: THE GHAN EXPEDITION: DARWIN-ADELAIDE (4 DAYS/3 NIGHTS)
Travel Australia from north to south in four days to discover an incredible variety of landscapes. You can also dinner under the stars and visit an underground mining town.
If one of your dreams is to discover Australia and travel from one end to the other, these trains can make it come true.
In such a large country and with so many contrasts it is difficult to choose and decide what to visit. Although two-thirds of this island is occupied by deserts, we can find modern cities on the coast, tropical areas, protected natural areas, ancient forests, precambrian escarpments and virgin beaches.
The train will allow you to enjoy the changing landscapes, and to know remote areas and isolated or crowded cities, with a degree of comfort and tranquility that can only be achieved with this mean of transport.
You will only have to worry about enjoying it, since everything is included. From gourmet meals prepared on board with local products from the areas where we are traveling, to an excellent selection of wines and beverages. The travel also include Off Train Excursions and Outback Experiences at key destinations.
We offer you two options when making the tours, two different classes: the Platinum Service and the Gold Service.
In the Platinum Service, which would equal a luxury five star hotel, you can enjoy spacious cabins (almost twice the size of a Gold Twin Cabin) and a full equipped bathroom with shower, vanity with cupboard space and toilet. The cabin has a lock on the door, power outlets and in-cabin safe. It also has music channels and journey audio commentary. Panoramic windows offer views across both sides of the train. If desired, breakfast or refreshments can be served in the cabin. It is allowed to carry 75kg of luggage per guest (3 x 25kg each). Transfers with chauffeur from your hotel to the station and vice versa (up to 50 kilometers). You will have access to the Platinum Club. This spacious and luxurious lounge is much more than a dining car. It is a place where to relax and to select a cocktail or some of the drinks of the extensive list all inclusive, where to enjoy an intimate dinner or to participate in a celebration in group. At lunchtime, at the Platinum Club, you can enjoy a spectacular seasonal menu, all inclusive.
In the Gold Service, the cabins have compact seats that become beds when by night. You can choose between twin cabins or single cabins. All cabins have 3 pin/240 volt power point, music channels and journey audio commentary. Meals are served in the Queen Adelaide restaurant car where you can enjoy a delicious seasonal menu, all inclusive. You can also choose from a wide selection of soft drinks and alcoholic drinks, included in the rate. Also included are Off Train Excursions and Outback Experiences. You can carry up to 50kg of luggage per guest (2 x 25kg each).
Both classes have access to the Queen Adelaide restaurant and the Outback Explorer Lounge, an area where passengers can enjoy the trip and have a snack while meeting other travelers.
What does not vary in both classes are the panoramic windows, that allow us to enjoy that unique experience that is to admire the changing landscape of the Australian continent.
At the Platinum Service your spacious and comfortable cabin includes a full size en suite equipped with shower, vanity with cupboard space, toilet and Australian organic bathroom amenities. By day it is a private lounge with comfortable armchairs, a movable table, two ottomans and a foldaway desk by the window. At night it becomes a comfortable bedroom with a double bed or twin beds.
In the Gold Service you can choose between twin cabins or single cabins.
In the Gold Twin Cabins, by the day you can enjoy a comfortable three seater lounge, which converts to an upper and lower sleeping berths at night. The bathroom, for private use, with door from the cabin, consists of washbasin, toilet and shower.
In the Gold Single Cabins, by the day the cabin is a cozy private lounge with a comfortable lounge chair and footrest that, at night, becomes a single level sleeping berth. The cabin has a sink, and the toilets and showers are shared at the end of the carriage.
Both Platinum Service and Golden Service include quality linen, pillows, continental quilts and complimentary organic Australian amenities.
Both Platinum Service and Gold Service include hearty breakfasts, two-course lunchs and three-course dinners. You can also choose to complete your meal with our selection of wines and drinks, both alcoholic and non-alcoholic, included in your rate.
The all-inclusive menus are prepared every day on board by our chefs, with fresh products from the area where we are traveling by. This seasonal menu offers a selection of delicious dishes that reflect regional flavors: barramundi, locally produced beef and lamb, Barossa Valley products, Margaret River cheeses and Australian native food such as grilled kangaroo, saltbush and wild rosella flower.
We can offer you vegetarian, gluten-free, children's menus and adapted to other restrictionsfor (must be advised at time of booking).
There are two restaurant wagons, the Queen Adelaide Restaurant Car, and the Platinum Club (this one reserved only for passengers with Platinum Service fee).
All regional cuisine available at the Queen Adelaide restaurant is also served at the Platinum Club.
Money and credit cards
These are all-inclusive journeys, so you will not need to buy anything unless you choose to purchase an Off Train Excursion upgrade or souvenirs. On board no cash is used, only credit cards are accepted.
Luggage
Despite the comfort of the train, space is limited, so it is recommended to check the luggage and carry only what is necessary for the days that the journey lasts. There is no possibility to access to checked baggage.
Your car can also travel with you in a wagon specially designed for its transport.
Clothes
The climate of Australia, being such a large country, changes a lot if you travel from one end to the other. It also depends on the season of the year you are traveling. On the trip in The Ghan you can experience temperatures of 30 degrees in Darwin or Katherine and 4 degree nights/early mornings in the desert during the experiences in Marla or Manguri. In the Indian Pacific, in the summer months in Adelaide and Perth there is an average of 30 degrees while night temperatures in places like Rawlinna and Cook can be 5 degrees during the winter months. Therefore, it is best to pack comfortable clothes, and add a warm jacket or sweater. As for shoes, we recommend enclosed and comfortable shoes for excursions, and lighter shoes to be on board. You should not forget a hat and sunscreen when leaving the train.
Pets
Unfortunately, only specially trained dogs to help people with problems are allowed on board.
Documentation required for travel
Citizens who belong to the European Union and wish to undertake a trip of less than three months to Australia, must apply for an Electronic Travel Authorization or eVisitor (ETA), which is similar to an electronic visa and is issued by Australians embassies and consulates. You can also apply it online. It is recommended that paperwork begin 2 months before the date of the flight.
Rates
Prices are based on australian $ / € change on 24 January. If this change is significantly modified, it will have repercussions, both upwards and downwards.
The prices indicated refer to the accommodation in Gold Service Single Cabin. For prices in other Gold Service cabins or Platinum Service ask us.
- Hearty breakfasts, two course lunches and three course dinners.
- All beers, Australian wines,soft drinks, base spirits, water, tea and coffee.
- Bed linen, towels and Australian bathroom amenities.
- Excursions and detailed experiences in each itinerary.
- Checked luggage exceeding allowed weight
- Alowed aditional items of luggage such as child restraint car seats, collapsible baby carriages, tents, sleeping bags and small camping items, bicycles, canoes, fishing rod and other sporting equipment items, and parcels
- Transfers from origin to departure point or from end of the trip to origin.
- It is possible to make excursions and extensions along the route, and at the beginning or end of the trip.