“We saved all our lives to be on this train, our dream comes to reality today,” tells senior citizens John and Wendy from Melbourne as The Ghan – the legendary Australian train – rattles over the famous Elizabeth Bridge after dieseling off from Darwin station in the Northern Territory at 10am on a sunny Wednesday.

I am settling at the train’s social hub, the Outback Explorer Lounge, introducing myself to other fellow passengers with whom I will journey 2,979km for the next four days from the top end of Australia to down south, reaching Adelaide mid-morning on Saturday.