This is going to look more like sunsets and sunrises from The Ghan and that’s because they really were that glorious traveling from Adelaide to Darwin and back. I certainly had an enjoyable time working with Journey Beyond Rail as a Hospitality Attendant. Hats off to literally every single person on the train that works to make the journeys exemplary for the guests. Literally each person on the drew is excellent.
It was certainly something else traveling from Adelaide at night to the first stop at Marla for daybreak and the sunrise. The landscape had transformed entirely. And the sunrise turned out to be, well, spectacular. There is no train station or platform at Marls, and the guests’ descent is aided with metal steps at every carriage door.
All photographs on this feature were shot on the Google Pixel 9 Pro in March 2025.
As you can see, the colours changed dramatically over the course of the time that the train was stopped at Marla. Next stop was going to be Alice Springs!
And then it was time for my first time setting foot in Darwin. The welcome skies were more spectacular than I could’ve imagined! The weather reminded me of India. Hot and muggy, which got progressively better as it cooled down in the evening, but still muggy. The crew stays overnight at a hotel and is ready to head back to the train early the next morning.
Good days and good memories!
Then the journey is essentially the same on the way back, with different off-train experiences for guests. My photographs provide a limited insight into all the stops because when you’re on the crew, you barely have time to look out the window, much less photograph! I did my best. It was, indeed, an experience of a lifetime.
The next morning, at the Darwin Train Station, guests are welcomes with wining and dining and live music, before they board The Ghan. The Journey Beyond trains are a cultural experience rather than simply “trains”.
A few more sunrises and sunsets, spectacular changes in landscape, a delightful non-alcoholic Maggie Sparkling Chardonnay, which I ended up pouring for a lot of guests, a beautiful Moon and my Guest Experience Manager, Matthew, who I miss dearly. Look at how he looks at The Ghan under a star lit sky!
I am grateful that I got an opportunity to work on the trains for as long as I did. I will definitely not be able to do that again because my bones will not allow me! It has taken a while to process and integrate this experience, which is why I’m writing and publishing this in January 2026.
If the Journey Beyond trains ever had an opening for a photographer to cover their journeys seasonally, I would jump at that. But the job of hospitality is best left to the professionals.
As on the date of writing and publishing this, the March tickets for The Ghan are already sold out. The Ghan starts its journey every year in March and runs till November.
Previous photo story features from The Great Southern, The Indian Pacific & The Nitmiluk Gorge Cruise.
I am an Adelaide-based multi-disciplinary photographer. For photography and blog commissions, contact me on [email protected] or text on +61429048917
Naina’s Photography Portfolio
