2026 The Ghan Barossa & Kangaroo Island Escape - Darwin to Adelaide by Rail

After boarding the train, settle into the comforts of The
Ghan, relax in your cabin, or mingle with fellow travellers in
the Outback Explorer Lounge. Enjoy lunch ahead of your
Off Train Experience in Katherine.
In a region renowned for jaw-dropping natural assets,
Katherine boasts one of the Top End’s best – the incredible
Nitmiluk Gorge and a cruise is on offer to showcase the
beauty of this spot. Alternatively, the Katherine Outback
Experience lets you into the lives of those who call the
outback home, while the Cutta Cutta Cave system is home
to a variety of native wildlife and is rich in Indigenous
culture and modern European history. Alternatively, take it
all in from the air, with an optional upgrade helicopter
flight over Nitmiluk.
Back on the train, you’ll enjoy the cuisine and creature
comforts of The Ghan, including a delectable on-board
dinner, as you continue on towards Alice Springs

Your arrival into Alice Springs after breakfast provides you
with time to explore this iconic town in the red heart of
Australia on an Off Train Experience. There’s an experience
to suit everyone, including an off-road e-bike adventure,
the Alice Explorer tour that takes in the historic Telegraph
Station and Royal Flying Doctor Service, a cultural
experience at Standley Chasm, meeting the wildlife at the
Desert Park, or taking in the astounding beauty of
Simpson’s Gap. Alternatively, spot Uluru and Kata Tjuta
from the air, with an optional upgrade scenic flight.
In the evening, the hallmark experience of The Ghan
Expedition begins. Dine under a blanket of stars at the Alice
Springs Telegraph Station, with red earth at your feet and
white tablecloths at your fingertips. This will be a night to
remember.

From your morning stop at Manguri, you’ll venture into the
weird and wonderful opal mining township of Coober Pedy,
where more than half of the residents live underground.
Here, you’ll enjoy a day of discovery, and a gourmet lunch
in the most unique of locations: underground. Off Train
Experiences on offer include exploring the majestic
Breakaways, touring the town, learning more about mining
history on the Opal Experience, or an optional upgrade
with the Painted Hills and Lake Eyre scenic flight. Dinner is
served back on the train, where you can enjoy a nightcap
as your journey continues. 

This morning, you’ll see a dramatic change in landscape as
the rich ochre tones of the outback make way for the green
fields of South Australia. Enjoy a leisurely brunch as you
pass through the Flinders Ranges before arriving in
Adelaide. Transfer to your accommodation, home for the
next two nights.

As far as gourmet experiences go, today you are about to
indulge in one of Australia’s best. The legendary Penfolds
Magill Estate, where some of the world’s great wines are
produced, is your venue for an epicurean adventure you’ll
never forget.
Make your way from the hotel to Penfolds Magill Estate by
your own arrangements, ready to enjoy tastings, including
Grange, in the Estate’s private rooms, before heading to
the Magill Estate Cellar Door for a sumptuous lunch.

Depart from Adelaide Airport for your flight to magical
Kangaroo Island, where you will be met by your guide and
begin your ‘Island Life’ tour. Island Life provides a taste of
the way of life in this bucolic spot, where things take time,
drivers wave as they go by, and passers-by stop for a chat.
Have a cuppa with some home-made treats before taking a
walk down a country track through towering Eucalyptus
trees, where koalas snooze overhead or chew languidly on
leaves. Listen for the sounds of the bush – brightly
coloured honeyeaters and brilliant parrots, cicadas or
perhaps just the sound of silence. You’ll travel through the
island’s most productive countryside to the north coast and
walk through the bush with your guide, learning what
makes that noise and whose tracks those are. Watch for
small wallabies, a kangaroo found only on Kangaroo Island,
and a variety of other birds, plants and animals.
Lunch is at a private bush camp, where you’ll enjoy a
delicious meal featuring King George whiting – a local sea
fish, fresh salads and fine South Australian wines. At Seal
Bay Conservation Park, take a private tour with your guide
among Australian sea lions on a beautiful sandy beach.
Watch pups nursing or playing in the surf and old bulls
bearing the scars of territorial disputes and learn about
their unique breeding biology.
After a day of touring, you will return to your
accommodation, with dinner included at your hotel.

Begin the day travelling through some of the regenerating
landscapes of Kangaroo Island. Learn about fire ecology
and how nature deals with this natural hazard. Some of the
native flora species only flower following fire.
Travel into Flinders Chase National Park and explore the
massive shapes of Remarkable Rocks, a natural sculpture
perched impossibly on top a granite dome plunging into
the ocean. Then you’ll break for an elegant picnic lunch in
the bush, or if weather permits, on a spectacular clifftop.
Evidence of the power of the Southern Ocean swell
continues at Admirals Arch – a coastal grotto that provides
a haul out for a large colony of Long-nosed Fur Seals, which
swim effortlessly through the crashing waves.
After your last day of touring, you will return to your
accommodation, with dinner included at your hotel.

This morning, you’ll be transferred to the airport for your
return flight to Adelaide. Arriving in Adelaide, you will be
transferred to your city accommodation to leave your bags
and spend the remainder of the day at your leisure.
The evening is free to explore some of Adelaide’s many
dining and entertainment precincts.

Today, delight your senses with boutique wine and food
touring to the historic Barossa Valley, with its 80 cellar
doors. You’ll even visit one of the oldest vineyards in the
world, where Shiraz vines were planted in 1843. Enjoy
running commentary from your driver as you make your
way towards the world-renowned wine region and be
guided though some of the best wines South Australia has
to offer. Tours are small groups up to 8 people only to
ensure a relaxed and unhurried day. Whether you prefer
red or white, there will be something to tantalise and
delight with tastings at three wineries throughout the day,
and a delicious lunch with an accompanying glass of wine
included in your tour.

After breakfast, check out of your accommodation,
bringing your epicurean adventure to an end.