A closer look
Paying to be locked in an aluminum tube for three days just to cross an uninhabitable, sun-scorched desert is the crown jewel of Australian tourism. The Ghan isn't just a train ride; it is an epic, 1,800-mile transcontinental siege from Adelaide in the south to Darwin in the north. Named after the pioneering Afghan cameleers who first mapped the route, this luxury sleeper train slices directly through the treacherous, red dirt of the Outback. Passengers drink fine Shiraz in plush dining cars while watching emus sprint past the windows, safely isolated from the sweltering, venomous reality of the Australian interior just inches away.
