Teil I Leseverstehen
Leseverstehen
The Ghan: Railway adventure through Australia
| It’s a great train journey right across Australia, from Adelaide in the south to the northern port of Darwin, a trip through the vast, empty Outback in Australia’s heart. The Ghan is the name of the train that travels this adventurous route. It comes from the Afghan camel drivers who, together with their animals, helped to explore the Outback in the 19th century before other means of transportation existed. The first Ghan train line was opened in 1929, and ran from Adelaide to Stuart, a town called Alice Springs today. The steam train carried goods and passengers and took two days to arrive. |
| This old Ghan ran through difficult country: flooding because of pouring rain sometimes washed away the tracks. Termites ate away the wooden sleepers* . The service was far from comfortable. There is a story that the old Ghan got once stuck for two weeks, and the engine driver shot wild goats to feed his passengers. |
| There had always been plans to build the railway as far as Darwin, but the final stretch through the Northern Territory could not be completed until 2004. It was sometimes so hot that work had to be carried out at nights under lights, with workers sleeping during the day. Altogether, the new section from Alice Springs to Darwin cost 1.3 billion Australian dollars to build. The impressing train with 40 carriages is pulled by two locomotives. |
| Today’s passengers don’t need to worry about getting stuck or eating goat’s meat: The new Ghan is reliable and very comfortable. Chefs on board the train cook excellent meals served by friendly waiters. Passengers can choose between the luxury Gold Service providing a proper bed for each passenger and the cheaper Red Service. Nowadays the trip is offered twice a week, and the track is further west than the original Ghan, with less danger of flooding. |
| You couldn’t sit on a train for two days? There are several stops where you can get out and go on a tour. In Alice Springs, e.g., the train has a longer stop, and passengers can use the time to visit the wildlife park or do a helicopter tour. |
| Travelling by the Ghan is definitely not for people in a hurry: a flight from Adelaide to Darwin takes less than four hours and is much cheaper. But it’s not the getting there that’s important – it’s the trip, and the opportunity to experience the Outback, one of the world’s last great wildernesses. |
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Annotations: *sleepers – Eisenbahnschwellen |