Arrived in Darwin - April 21st

(Alice Springs)

I arrived in Darwin yesterday at around 6pm. The ghan train was long, taking a full 24 hours. The train was quite a bit more basic than I was expecting, with broken chairs and generally pretty poor facilities. The views were great though and I was lucky enough to have a spare seat next to me so I managed to get some decent sleep.

The overhead speakers played the cheesiest promotion song on quiet a regular basis, and there was a recorded narrator telling us about the journey. Then the on board staff would repeat the same thing word for word. Quite funny really. Someone got annoyed in the carriage and unplugged the speakers, which made me laugh even more.

Along the way we stopped off at a place called Katherine, around 1pm yesterday. I was a bit concious of smelling bad cos I'd spent the day taking photos in Alice Springs before we left, and then slept in the carriage. I payed $29 to take a bus out to a place called Katherine Gorge and took some photos and stuff. Again it was very hot. Got back onto the train for the last 6 hours to Darwin. Not alot I could do about the smell, and I wasn't the only one that's for sure.

Katherine Gorge (Nitmiluk National Park)

I lasted the whole trip on a family pack of Safeway biscuits (keeping cost's down!), but after the Gorge walk I was pretty hungry so got a meal with my last $15 I had in cash. When we arrived in Darwin they told us the station was in the middle of the stix, and we had to pay $15 to get the bus transfer. I was surprised they didn't tell us that before, and I'd just spent my last money on a burger. Haha. Luckily the driver was cool and let me on without paying. I had to leave him my passport for a couple of minutes whilst I nipped to the ATM the other side. All fun and games.

My hostel at the moment is reasonable. I'm sharing with 2 Irish guys and one from Germany. The german dude isn't very talkative, but the irish lads seem nice. They are both looking for work in Darwin as they want to stick around so it must be a decent place! All the other beds in the room are free at the moment so I'm hoping it doesn't get too much busier.

So far just had breakfast, sorting/planning my budget this morning. It's my last payday today and I got a little more than expected which is always good, so just planning out the rest of the 2 weeks in Oz. Gonna take a look around Darwin CBD this afternoon and plan some trips out the the croc park and the Charles Darwin national park over the next couple of days.

Not sure about how im getting to Cairns yet. I could get a flight which is only $169 with Jetstar, and sleep at the airport as its a 5am flight (and that saves on a nights accommodation!), or there are quite a few notices up in the hostels offering spaces in cars where people are taking roadtrips around different places. I think I will probably do that, if I can find someone who is leaving at the right kind of time heading towards Cairns. Its good to have options though! Funnily there was a guy looking for travel mates on a boating trip to Madagascar. He say's he has a boat and is looking for willing crew mates to learn to sail with him as he want's to go across the Indian ocean over to Madagascar. Sounds like one hell of a trip. It's funny what you can find in hostels.

Just been trying to add some pictures altho its a bit tempremental, I will see how it goes.

Katherine Gorge (cliff view)