We woke up to the pitter-patter of rain knocking on our window. Adelaide, one of the driest cities in Australia had decided to send us off with something rare.
We still wanted to head into town, to try and buy a few things for the next two days on a train and to have a final look around. With our bags safely in lockers, we did up our jumpers, put our hoods over our heads and ventured into the rain.
Our guide from the wine tour told us the story of a couple of German girls who had asked her the question ‘So Adelaide… It’s not really a city, is it?’. On this Sunday morning, I came to fully appreciate what they had meant. Despite it being past 10am, absolutely no where was open in the city, or the convenience stores that were, were ridiculously overpriced. Nevertheless, we enjoyed our final walk around the picturesque city in the rain.
It was now time to move on and board another train; Darwin awaited us. Eager to see our cabins with beds, rather than having to sleep in a chair, we got on in excitement. What was waiting for us, however, was not quite what we expected. A tiny cabin with two chairs left me again feeling like Harry Potter, though this time less Diagon Alley and more under the stairs. We sat down, unsure of what to do. Soon, the layers of the room began to show themselves, like peeling a banana. The two beds were found hidden above our heads and in the wall, we found numerous compartments, even a sink! The room turned out to actually be quite comfortable and we let ourselves relax.
As the hours and the countryside rolled by, we explored what the train had to offer. A flick through the brochure on the train revealed a number of tours we could do on our stop in Alice Springs, including a camel ride! Who could say no to that? A cafe supplied a wide range of foods and the lounge adjacent provided much more comfort than our squishy room. Out here after our dinner, we got talking to two girls, one from Russia and one from Germany. We talked and learnt of their travelling adventures and their lives, played Uno with crazy rules that I had never heard of (changing direction on 0, swapping cards on 7 and having to pick up a card if you asked whose turn it is). Soon the night passed and we went back to our cabins to try and sleep.
Surprisingly, this worked quite well. The beds were more comfortable than expected and I awoke to a beautiful sunrise over the Australian Outback. A glimpse of sunlight shone over the red dust, juxtaposing the dark cool blue of the sky and the warm earth below. It produced a sense of space and distance giving way to the realisation of how vast the land we live in really is. As far as the eye could see was land untainted by human interference; ecosystems of the scrub still working perfectly. The sight is enough to make any man feel insignificant and small.
Later I got up and tried to explain the wonderment of what I had experienced to our newly made friends, who had been on the Western side of the train and to Steven, who had slept in the top bunk without a window. Somehow, the photographs I had taken didn’t quite capture the true essence of the moment.
The day rolled on as the train steadily led us through the heart of Australia. The landscape was a lot greener than I expected with hardy grass and shrubs growing despite the harrowing conditions of the red centre. We listened to The Ghan’s onboard commentary about the places we were travelling through or near – the underground dwellings of Coober Pedy, the Alice Springs School of the Air and the sheer enormity of some stations. A bit before two in the afternoon we arrived in Alice Springs; our skin instantly began to perspire as we stepped off the train and into the harsh sunlight. Here, we said goodbye to our friends with an invitation to stay with us in Brisbane if ever they should pass through and headed on to our tour.
The tour began with a bus ride to the location of the camels. I studied the man leading the tour, a quiet man who had one of those faces that told a story that only a few, if any, would know the details of. The journey ended at a property slightly out of Alice Springs with a few tin sheds and a small paddock for the camels. We entered into one of the sheds, which boasted many camel souvenirs and, more importantly for us, a water cooler. After a brief look around we were quickly ushered to the camels. Our tour guide quickly got us on the camels (ours was called Greyhound) and directed them to stand up and into a line formation. Any questions were answered abruptly and matter-of-factly (“What happens if my camel sits down?” “It won’t.” “What if I fall off?” “Then I’d be in a lot of trouble”) and we were on our way.
The hour long camel ride took us up and around a plain of red dirt and scrub, offering a true view of the outback. The sky was slightly purple and hazy due to the red dust, which added to a feeling of mystery, like we were on an important journey in a movie. About three quarters of the way through the trip, the elderly woman behind me started to not feel so well. There was nothing much we could do, as being towards the back of the group, it was near impossible to get the attention of the gruff man leading. We encouraged her to hold on for just a little longer as we were nearly there. Once we arrived and the tour guide was finally told, her granddaughter and her were rushed to get water and to sit down. Although this helped immensely, the woman still seemed rather dazed and confused. Seeing it first-hand makes you realise that the heat of the outback can affect people in terrible ways if not careful.
We all made it safely back to the train and were grateful for the air-conditioning and shower inside. Soon, the train chugged on and we settled back into the rhythm for the second half of our 54 hour long train ride.
Teen on a Train