From the Red Centre to the Top End: A Medical Study Tour Via The Ghan

Itinerary at a glance

• Day 1: Alice Springs (Tues, 28 June) Arrive and check into the hotel. Meet with Dr Sam Heard, who will provide background to health care in Alice Springs and how to train GP’s to provide health care to regional and remote communities. Welcome dinner and star gazing at the Earth Sanctuary in the evening.
• Day 2: Alice Springs (Wed, 29 June) 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 part in 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, 30 June) Visit Purple House, an innovative Indigenous-owned and run health service providing mobile dialysis units and remote clinics. Learn about their operation and 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. 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, 1 July) Visit the pristine wilderness of Katherine and explore it from the water with a cruise along the dramatic Nitmiluk Gorge. Learn about ancient Indigenous rock paintings and gain insight into the culture of the traditional owners of Nitmiluk, the Jawoyn people. 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 in Darwin and transfer to the hotel.
• Day 5: Darwin (Sat, 2 July) Take a tour with a specialist guide visiting Darwin Botanical Gardens. Follow in the footsteps of pioneers, hear about history including the World War II bombings and Cyclone Tracy through to the current day. 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, architecture, historic buildings and the memorials to squadrons, corps and units that were stationed in Darwin during WWII, including Z-Force. Visit the National Critical Care and Trauma Response Centre at the Royal Darwin Hospital or at leisure. Take part in a sunset dinner cruise across Darwin Harbour.
• Day 6: Darwin (Sun, 3 July) Drive out to Litchfield National Park and explore some of the dramatic sites and falls. Drive to Adelaide River and board a cruise. Hear of the floodplain ecosystem, the history, wildlife and some 40,000 years of human interaction with this stunning environment. Witness the power of the mighty Australian Estuarine (Saltwater) Crocodile as they jump out of the water to feed. Return to Darwin and freshen up at the hotel. Visit the Mindil Markets and enjoy dinner and drinks.
• Day 7: Darwin (Mon, 4 July) Depart Darwin after breakfast.

Extension to the Tiwi Islands

• Day 7: Darwin / Tiwi Islands / Darwin (Mon, 4 July) Transfer to the port to take the ferry to Wurrumiyanga in the Tiwi Islands - 'the islands of smiles'. The Tiwi people are internationally renowned for their individual style of art, including carvings and bright textile designs and many Tiwi artists have exhibited around the world. On a tour with a Tiwi guide learn of their community and culture and visit the Patakijiyali Museum and the Mission Precinct. Following a box lunch visit the community clinic and meet with the health worker continue to Tiwi Design to see their wonderful gallery and shop. Take the ferry back to Darwin and arrive early evening. At leisure to enjoy the restaurants and bars of the city.
• Day 8: Darwin (Tues, 6 July) Depart Darwin after breakfast.

NB: Medical visits are subject to current Covid guidelines.