A 6:30 knock on our compartment door signaled our first off train experience, sunrise in the Outback. At 6:45, we departed the train to a bonfire, hot coffee, tea, juice, bacon and egg buns, and sausage rolls.
The sunrise came and we reboarded the train took a nap and arose for a late morning brunch.
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| sunrise bonfire |
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| waiting for the sunrise |
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| sunrise in the Outback |
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| sunrise in the Outback |
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| re-boarding |
We pulled into Alice Springs and got ready for our second off train experience. We were signed up for a 4k walk to Simpson’s Gap. The weather changed our activity. The temp was 39 degrees Celsius, and the walk was in full sun. For safety concerns (most of us on the train are in the advanced age category), we saw some lesser attractions around town (2 water holes, John Flynn’s grave, and the war memorial). The driver of our tour bus driver did talk about the cyclone (hurricane in our hemisphere) that was headed toward Darwin, our destination the following day. Train staff on the bus quickly quieted him. Our second off train experience fell short of expectations, but we had a cyclone to think about.
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| Alice Springs |
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| Alice Springs station |
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| water hole |
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| Aboriginal stone art |
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| water hole |
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| standing in the water |
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| John Flynn's grave |
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| 200 year old eucalyptus or gum tree |
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| there is a water hole in the gap |
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| water hole |
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| water hole reflection |
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| rock outcropping near Alice Springs |
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| grove of gum trees |
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| war memorial |
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| back at the Alice Springs station |
We returned to the train, showered, and headed for the lounge car to drown our sorrows. Dinner with Sandy and Martin from Bournemouth, England. When we returned to our compartment, we found a letter on the bed indicating that the train management was monitoring the weather along our route including Darwin.
Tomorrow, more Ghan.
Optimistic?
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