The most striking thing about my journey through Australia’s Red Centre is that it’s not red at all – it’s green. The clumps of spinifex are so dense they’ve created a carpet of green on these hills just outside Alice Springs, where I’m joining fellow passengers from The Ghan for a short exploration of the West McDonnell Ranges and Simpsons Gap. Simpsons Gap.
To the north, the ranges jut from the ground, strikingly split in two where the gap lies, while to the east, we can see Alice, flat but surprisingly large given its remote location. In every direction, green is the dominant colour, with occasional patches of dirt showing. It’s the reverse of my previous visits to this part of the world, where plant life sparsely broke up the bare earth.
As I make my way up the relatively easy five-kilometre track leading to the top of Cassia Hill’s lookout across the surrounding landscape, I’m reminded of how extreme the temperatures can be in Central Australia. This morning, the train stopped at the tiny outback outpost of Marla, where we disembarked to watch the sun rise over the desert while enjoying breakfast. I was rugged up in a thermal shirt, jumper and puffer jacket.
Now, afternoon on the same day, I’m slopping on sunscreen and slapping on a hat as the hot sun bears down, about 500 kilometres further north on our journey. Marla, our first stop. I’m one of the first passengers to experience the Ghan’s 2979-kilometre run from Adelaide to Darwin in the train�.