The Alice

Like many, we started our travels to Uluru and surrounds in Alice Springs. "The Alice" is one of the biggest towns in the Northern Territory, and truly qualifies as a metropolis compared to the sparsely-populated, dusty red cattle country surrounding it. And yet, it still has the feel of a place that serves mostly to stock up the surrounding cattle stations, fuel passing road trains and tourists, and provide  major medical services to folks living in the remote areas all around it.

Medical Cabinet circa 1958

The Royal Flying Doctor Service museum in Alice Springs gave us a great overview of the provision of medical services to remote areas of Australia. The service was started by Rev. John Flynn, a Presbyterian pastor who served in the outback during a time when only two doctors were available for nearly 2 million square kilometers of bush. Recognizing a need for better medical coverage, Flynn advocated for providing a "mantle of safety" to outback residents. By 1929, the invention of the pedal radio finally gave outback stations a fast means to reach out for help and call in the RFDS for emergencies. The radios also allowed the few women on the stations to keep in touch with one another – and were known locally as “Galah session” (the galah is a chatty Australian parrot).

Now, communications are more likely via computer or cell phone, but the RFDS remains hugely relevant for folks working or traveling to remote areas. Current services include flying patients in to major medical centers for treatment, stocking of medical kits at Outback stations for use with live guidance from a medical professional, and flying nurses and doctors to remote stations to hold clinics. We’ve frequently seen small community fundraisers for RFDS, and it is clearly near and dear to the hearts of many Australians.

We left Alice Springs on one of the several cross-Australia trains. The Ghan, named for the Afghan cameleers who helped access the center of Australia to lay down railroad tracks, allows for north-south passage of Australia between Darwin and Adelaide. Construction over this distance must have been quite the task, as the original lines that started it all were put down in 1878 and finally connected to Alice Springs in 1929. Travel must have been quite challenging, and it is said that a trip on could take three days or three months with guests sometimes required to pick up a shovel and help unbury the tracks from shifting sand dunes.

Further extension stalled there for nearly 80 years, during which time rail gauges modernized away from the narrow gauge. The existing line then required replacement – so the narrow gauge was pulled up, modern gauge laid down, and some sections rerouted to avoid areas prone to river flooding.  In 1999, when planning for the final extension of the line from Alice to Darwin began, and finally, the first Darwin to Adelaide run by The Ghan was made in February 2004.

Although we had sleeper cabins (with two bunk twin beds packed into an astonishingly cozy space), we spent most of our time in the lounge car. It was a great break from bus travel, especially for the girls who could finally move around a bit more. The lounge car gave us a great view over miles and miles of dry outback country. And it was here that we discovered that Erin is a bit of a card shark when it comes to UNO.