The Ghan train sent back to Adelaide from Alice Springs after borders close due to COVID outbreak
The Ghan – with 221 guests on board – has arrived back in Adelaide after being turned around at Alice Springs. Some were unhappy, but most were philosophical.
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The Ghan train has arrived back in Adelaide after being turned around at Alice Springs while en route to Darwin, throwing travel plans of 221 passengers into chaos.
While some interstate visitors were openly disappointed with the decision, most of those disembarking appeared to have accepted the decision as being in the best interests of public safety.
They praised staff from the train’s operator, Journey Beyond, which served premium food and top-shelf alcohol throughout the return journey.
The NT Government ordered the 1.5km-long train to be stopped and sent back to SA on Monday after it enforced border restrictions because of the latest COVID-19 outbreak.
Journey Beyond organised luxury hire cars and buses to transport interstate passengers from the Keswick railway terminal to hotels, while SA residents were collected by family and friends.
The company also offered 50 per cent discounts on further travel on its trains, which include the Indian Pacific.
Barossa Valley couple Anne and John Tunnicliff were among the mostly-satisfied passengers saying the situation was “beyond anyone’s control”.
“The staff were absolutely brilliant, Mrs Tunnicliff said.
“They were courteous and everything was conducted with utmost professionalism.
“There was no indication whatsoever of the obvious stress the staff were under.”
Mrs Tunnicliff and her husband were among gold class passengers who were travelling to Alice Springs, while others aboard were hoping to reach Darwin.
“We felt like we were getting five star treatment all the way up there and all the way back,” she said.
“Nothing seemed to be too much trouble for them.”
Mr Tunnicliff said while there was some “whining” from some passengers about the turn of events, the majority accepted it was a decision made in the interests of public safety.
“Some were worried about it but it was for everyone’s good,” he said.
“All the passengers I spoke accepted that there was nothing that could be done about it and just enjoyed the ride back.”
One NSW resident, who did not want to be named described the turnback as a “debacle” and “typical of the country town that is Adelaide”.
“The whole thing is a complete disgrace,” he said.
“We shouldn’t even have been allowed to get on the train in the first place if they thought it was going to be a problem.
“South Australia is a joke. Just because one family gets diagnosed, the whole place goes into meltdown. The government needs to get its act together”
Seacliff man Peter Needham was also disappointed, questioning why the Ghan had been allowed to depart Adelaide when the COVID-19 outbreak was developing.
“It was all a bit overzealous turning us back,” he said.
“Why didn’t they just let us keep going to Darwin, done some testing and let us start our holidays.”
NT Health officials said they had explored multiple options with Journey Beyond after the Parafield COVID cluster triggered new border restrictions.
They said it was Journey Beyond that decided to abort the journey while Journey Beyond said it was an NT government order.
“The service had already crossed the Northern Territory border when the restrictions were announced and there are no suspected or confirmed cases on-board” a spokesman said.
“Guests on-board were given the option to disembark in Alice Springs and quarantine for 14 days or stay on-board and continue through to Adelaide where they will be supported to return home safely.”
The spokesman said the Ghan return journey from Darwin to Adelaide scheduled to depart on Wednesday had been cancelled.
It was The Ghan’s final epic journey north for the year, after the route was reinstated at the end of August to great fanfare as the SA-NT border had reopened.
The beleaguered travel industry had heavily promoted the journey as a relaxing adventure and an alternative to cruising which remains in limbo.
The train had set off from Adelaide on Sunday before the COVID outbreak was revealed and was due to arrive in Darwin at 5.30pm on Tuesday. Instead, it arrived back in Adelaide at 8.30pm on Tuesday.
“Journey Beyond takes the health and wellbeing of guests and crew seriously and has been safely running services twice weekly since 30 August with a COVID safe operational plan in place,” the spokesman said.
“Relevant authorities were consulted on all aspects of this plan. The plan includes temperature checking, health screening questions at check-in, increased cleaning and hygiene measures, physical distancing and altered dining and off-train experiences.
“Journey Beyond will continue to work closely with South Australian and Northern Territory authorities and follow all recommendations.”
Indian-Pacific train services are suspended until December 31.
The aborted Ghan journey came as crowds fled South Australia on Tuesday morning, heading to Sydney where borders remain open and interstate arrivals do not have to quarantine.
Lorraine and Jack Robertson, from the south coast of New South Wales, were heading back to Sydney on Tuesday morning after meeting their six-month-old grandson for the first time.
Archer was born in May and the couple only managed to get to SA to meet him in recent weeks due to COVID.
Mr Robertson said they were worried when the outbreak was announced in Adelaide’s north as they were staying with their son in Norwood.
“We worried more about catching it and getting home,” Mr Robertson said.
They are hoping borders will remain open for Christmas so their son, partner and grandson can visit NSW.
“It’s so disappointing to find that after all you’ve done, you’ve got an outbreak,” Mrs Robertson said.
Duncan and Yvonne Christie, from the Sunshine Coast, were cutting their stay in the Barossa Valley short and heading to Sydney to avoid costly hotel quarantine fees on their arrival in Queensland.
Mr Christie surprised his wife with the trip to SA for their 50th wedding anniversary but said they may as well get the jump and leave Adelaide now.
“We are staying in Kingscliff for two weeks in a caravan,” Mr Christie said.
“We’re in the danger zone because we’re over 70.”
He said Australia should be at one with their border restrictions, and harsh border closures were harming the economy.
“What angers me most is my son and grandchildren are going to be paying for this for years.”
Mrs Christie said it was “very disappointing” to have to cut the trip short.
“For me, one state closes the border and the other doesn’t, what’s the sense in it?”
Victoria, who only wished to provide her first name, is from Queensland visiting SA with friends for a holiday but decided to head to Sydney on Tuesday morning to avoid hotel quarantine.
They will spend two weeks in New South Wales instead of Adelaide.
The group planned to go to the Flinders Ranges, Kangaroo Island and other places before their plans were changed due to the recent outbreak.
“It’s purely so we don’t have to hotel quarantine,” Victoria said.
“It would be different if we could quarantine at home but we all have jobs.”
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