The Ghan
Adelaide - Alice Springs - Darwin
The Ghan is a classic Australian railway track. Originally, the train connected Adelaide with Alice Springs. But in 2004, the track was extended to Darwin. The length of the journey is 2979 kilometers. The journey takes roughly 53 hours, but that includes longer stops in both Alice Springs and Katherine.
The Ghan has a long history, for being an Australian railway line. The work on a line towards Alice Springs began in 1878. But the track to Alice Springs was completed first in 1929. Prior to that, passengers had to use camels for the last stretch up to Alice Springs.
Note that most of the year, there is only one train each week in either direction. In high season, a second departure is added. So make sure that you book your journey well in advance.
First thing to remember about the Ghan, and the Indian Pacific, it is all about the experience. If you just want to get to Alice Springs or Darwin, fly! It is both cheaper and quicker. Also, avoid the cheapest option, Red Daynighter Seat, the journey is too long for those seats. Unfortunately, it looks like all trains need to a fair bit of refurbishment. Do not expect the clean and luxury trains that you can find in some other parts of the world.
If you start from Melbourne, renting a car and driving along the Great Ocean Road is the nicest way to get to Adelaide. The inland route is shorter (about 800 kilometers) but the drive along the coast is much more beautiful. If visiting the crater lakes at Mt Gambier the length of the drive is about 1000 kilometers. From Sydney, it is easiest to get to Adelaide by air. But it is possible to drive, take a bus or train.
Adelaide is relaxed city, without any really big attractions. Most tourists prefer to take the tram to Glenelg. Some of Australia's best wine regions are close to Adelaide. In Adelaide, you can also join the Indian Pacific towards either Sydney or Perth.
The track to Alice Springs is a good introduction to the Red Centre. It is not just desert, it is an interesting journey if you have not seen Outback Australia before. But it is a good idea to bring a good book with you as well.
Australian Outback
The train makes a four hour stop in Alice Springs, you can join an optional sight-seeing tour of the town. It is well worth doing but even better would be to do one of the 4WD drive tours, lasting three to five days. This means that you would have to take a later train. Still, the Red Centre is an interesting place, Ayers Rock, the Olgas, Kings Canyon and Palm Valley are all worth visiting. The only drawback is the bush flies which will not leave you alone.
The new track is better than the old but on the other hand the scenery is still the same. The next longer stop is in Katherine, where you can do another optional tour. The best is the helicopter tour of Katherine Gorge, unfortunately it is quite expensive.
It takes five hours to get up to Darwin. Now you are in the tropical part of Australia. Here you have a dry and a wet session. It is hot most of the time in Darwin. And towards the end of the dry session, the humidity starts to go up. Making it almost unbearable. Apart from that, Darwin is a nice place with a lot of visitors from all over the world. Litchfield National Park is better than Kakadu. It is much smaller, one day in Litchfield is as good as three days in Kakadu.
Don't play with the locals
Note that Alice Springs is in the desert so it can get extremely hot in the summer, that is November to March. The rain season in Darwin starts in November and ends in April. If you plan to visit the Kakadu National Park, note that a lot of roads will be closed during the wet season.
So is it worth taking the Ghan? Yes, if you want to experience a classic railway journey. No, if you just want to get to Alice Springs, Darwin or Adelaide, flying will get you there cheaper and faster.