The Ghan sets off in its first trip to Darwin since March to help get tourism back on the rails
Edward Dowsett used to catch The Ghan as a young stockman at Oodnadatta. On Sunday, he boarded the train again for its first trip since tourism was practically shut down overnight by coronavirus.
SA News
Don't miss out on the headlines from SA News. Followed categories will be added to My News.
- The Ghan marks its 90th birthday in style
- Want to enjoy a better reading experience? Try our app today
It was some of the best tourism news in months as The Ghan returned to service after the longest break in its 91-year history.
One of the world’s great train journeys was halted on March 22 due to COVID-19 but on Sunday the locomotive set off from the Adelaide Parklands Terminal bound for Darwin.
Guests included Woodville Gardens resident Edward Dowsett, who turns 91 in October — he was born the same year The Ghan began operations.
“I used to travel on the old Ghan when I worked as a stockman in Oodnadatta,” Mr Dowsett said.
“Back then, the train terminated at Alice Springs, so I’m excited to now be able to finish the run to Darwin for the first time.”
Travel agents such as King William Travel, Holidays of Australia and Phil Hoffmann Travel, whose international tours were stopped by the pandemic, are delighted to offer the experience.
King William Travel spokeswoman Carolyn Edwards said it was a great holiday option.
“The pandemic has changed a lot of things about such a trip, even the opportunity for casual mixing with other tour groups, but this is a fabulous trip and people still want to travel – we will have more of these tours in the future,” she said.
Journey Beyond chief executive Chris Tallent said the trip marked an important chapter in the train’s colourful history.
“The Ghan has survived the Great Depression, a global recession and even operated during World War II as a hospital on wheels, so it’s heartening to see her bounce back again,” he said.
