From the Red Centre to the Top End - Culture and History of Medicine via the Ghan

Itinerary at a glance

• Day 1: Alice Springs (Tues, 26 September) Arrive and check into the hotel (transfers not included). Enjoy a welcome dinner and star gazing at the Earth Sanctuary, which is run by Danny Falzon and his brothers, who are also paramedics. Danny will give a talk on their paramedic work in Alice Springs. After dinner, learn about local ecology, astronomy and culture and enjoy the spectacular night skies with a fully guided astronomy experience with telescope viewing at Earth Sanctuary's space observatory.
• Day 2: Alice Springs (Wed, 27 September) Drive out to the MacDonnell Ranges. Stop off at Simpsons Gap and take part in a guided walk learning of the geology of the region. Continue to Standley Chasm and take a relaxed walk to the Chasm. Enjoy morning tea on the café veranda. Continue to the ochre pits and hear about the local Indigenous groups and the ochre trade. Enjoy a buffet lunch before walking to Ormiston Gorge with the option of a quick dip. Drive to Ellery Creek Waterhole. Arrive back in Alice Springs in time to enjoy a spectacular outback sunset from Anzac Hill.
• Day 3: The Ghan / Alice Springs (Thurs, 28 September) Visit Purple House, an innovative Indigenous-owned and run health service providing mobile dialysis units and remote clinics. Learn about their operation and about bush medicine. Visit the Royal Flying Doctor Service and learn of their history and the provision of medical care to outback Australia. Visit the Alice Telegraph Station and the School of the Air. Transfer to the train for evening departure. Board the Ghan and transfer to your compartment. Enjoy modern Australian cuisine with regional fine wines onboard. Socialise with your fellow traveller before retiring to your comfortable private cabin for the night.
• Day 4:The Ghan / Darwin (Fri, 29 September) Enjoy the pristine wilderness of Katherine from the water with a cruise along dramatic Nitmiluk Gorge. Learn of the ancient Indigenous rock paintings and gain insight into the culture of the traditional owners of Nitmiluk, the Jawoyn people. Reboard the Ghan. Have lunch onboard. Take part in a private meeting as the train makes its way through lush, green tropics to arrive at the terminal in Darwin in the early evening. Arrive Darwin and transfer to the hotel.
• Day 5: Darwin 2 (Sat, 30 September) Take a tour with a specialist guide visiting Darwin Botanical Gardens. Explore the history of Darwin with an emphasis on medical themes including the World War II bombings, Cyclone Tracy and the Bali bombings and evacuation. See many of the surviving buildings such as the old Court House and the police station and the old Palmerston Town Hall ruins. See hidden treasures including public artwork and the memorials to squadrons, corps and units that were stationed in Darwin during WWII, including Z-Force. Afternoon at leisure before a sunset dinner cruise on Darwin Harbour.
• Day 6: Darwin (Sun, 1 October) Onto Litchfield National Park and explore some of its dramatic sites, including the magnetic termite mounds, Wangi Falls and Florence Falls, where you can take a dip. Return to Darwin and the hotel to freshen up before dinner. Visit Mindil Markets for sunset dinner and drinks.
• Day 7: Darwin (Mon, 2 October) Depart Darwin after breakfast.