Celebrating 80 years of Outback train travel - 2009 is the year to travel on The Ghan

The legendary Ghan celebrates 80 years of service this August, and now is the perfect time of year to ride on these rails. The north-south transcontinental journey covers 2,979 kilometres and encounters spectacular and diverse landscapes; from the rusty reds of the MacDonnell Ranges surrounding a town called Alice, gateway to Ayers Rock and the Red Centre, then north to Tennant Creek, Katherine and the tropical splendour of Darwin. www.gsr.com.au