GHOSTS OF THE GHAN

A DRIVE ALONG THE OLD GHAN RAILWAY LINE REVEALS MANY REMNANTS FROM THE PAST THAT STAND TESTAMENT TO THE EFFORT INVOLVED IN BUILDING SUCH SERVICE

ROBERT NORMAN

CONSTRUCTION of The Ghan railway line commenced in 1878 at Port Augusta in South Australia, reaching Oodnadatta in 1891 and eventually Alice Springs in 1929. While the railway line was sited so as to best guarantee a supply of water needed by the steam locomotives of the day, it was water that ultimately led to the line’s demise. The service was notoriously unreliable with the track regularly closed by washouts. So much so that a flatcar immediately behind the locomotive carried spare sleepers and tools that enabled crew and passengers to make repairs on the run. The introduction of diesel locomotives that were not dependent on a water source saw the rail service moved into drier country further to the west in the 1970s, resulting in the closure of the…

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4x4 Magazine Australia (Digital) - 1 Issue, January 2025

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