South Australia, Ghan and the Top End June 2025 Hostess Roundup – Cindy Plant

South Australia, Ghan and the Top End June 2025 Hostess Roundup – Cindy Plant

The sensational Ghan sisters have recently returned from an incredible trip straight up through the centre of Australia, starting in Adelaide and ending in Darwin with some amazing stops along the way. There were 10 of us in total and we shared so many laughs and bonded as a group as we explored this special area of our very own country.

We had a few days together to explore Adelaide and the surrounds.  It is a beautiful city with stunning old buildings and as we discovered, a very interesting Art Gallery. We also had the chance to visit the beautiful German village of Hahndorf and taste the “fruits” of the Barossa Valley with a day trip which included Seppeltsfield Winery and Maggie Beer’s Farmhouse. Everywhere we went, the food was amazing and little did we know that it would get even better on The Ghan.

On our last morning in Adelaide, we had a surprisingly interesting visit to Adelaide Oval.  We were all taken aback by the manual scoreboard built back in 1911, which they still use today for all the cricket matches.  It has 4 floors and requires many people to operate it and we got the chance to try out a few of the scoring gadgets. We then went and checked into the Ghan and the excitement built as we sipped sparkling wine, listened to some live music and bought a few stuffed camels that would become our mascots for the rest of the trip.

The time aboard the Ghan was highly entertaining.  During the day, we wound our way through four carriages to hang out together in the lounge cart, where we admired the views, shared Aperol spritz, did crosswords and chatted about our experiences. At night our cosy cabins which were all close together, had their armchairs converted into comfy beds and we all got into our PJs amid plenty of giggles; think pyjama party on a train!

The Ghan made three key stops on its trip north. First stop was Marla pre-dawn, where we got off the train and watched the sun rise over the outback with bonfires, snacks and warm drinks provided. We also stopped in Alice Springs for an afternoon and Katherine for a morning. In each of these stops the sisters were able to choose their own adventure as there were many off-train experiences to choose from.  Definite highlights were the Simpson Gap and Stanley Chasm Walks in Alice and the Gorge Cruise in Katherine.  A couple of the ladies even opted for a helicopter flight out over the Gorges, which was also great.

After 2 nights (3 days) of travel on the Ghan and many spectacular meals in the dining cart, we arrived in Darwin, where we had a whole day to learn some of the history, including Cyclone Tracey and the Japanese Bombing.  We also got to see some stunning First Nations artwork and enjoy a Darwin sunset while cruising and dining on a boat in the harbour.

The last and I think most spectacular part of our journey was our last few days in Kakadu National Park with such interesting flora and fauna.  We saw so many incredible birds and crocodiles!!  The weather was beautiful, low 30s with low humidity, and many of the sisters took the chance to enjoy the swimming pools at the hotels.

Whilst the scenery and experience were all incredible,e so too was the bond formed between the sisters.  It was an absolute delight to see them all sharing their stories, supporting each other and most importantly, having fun together.