Counter

Showing posts with label Alice Springs. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Alice Springs. Show all posts

Monday, January 18, 2010

Uluru, the monolith

Bookmark and Share
It was 20090602-20090603

From 20090602_UluruTrackKataTjutaUluruSunset
Members in our tour during the sunset
旅行團團員、日落、烏魯魯


Before arriving Australia, I didn't know anything about the monolith, Uluru. I was aware of it from the mention of Taiwanese who know it because of the Japanese drama called "Crying Out Love, In the Center of the World". In order to see it, I have to spend almost AUD $600 to achieve. Take me as an example: flew from Cairns to Adelaide (AUD $181), took train from Adelaide to Alice Spring (AUD $149) and the three days tour ($275). Another company taking you to Uluru is called "The Rock", the price is $295. During the trip, I met them many times, the places we visited, the food and the accommodation were almost the same.
在去澳洲之前,壓根不知道有這一塊大石頭,烏魯魯。到了當地,聽到許多的台灣人提到它,而他們也是因為看了日本的連續劇「在世界的中心呼喊愛情」才認識它。為了見它一面,至少要再多花一萬多將近二萬台幣的旅費才能達成。以我的情況來說:從凱因斯坐飛機到阿德雷德澳幣$181,從阿德雷德坐火車北上至愛麗絲泉澳幣$149,三天兩夜的旅行團澳幣$275。(另一個很有名的團是叫做 The Rock,團費要澳幣$295,我們在出團的時候都有遇到他們,基本上路線差不多,吃的和住的也差不多)


From 20090602_UluruTrackKataTjutaUluruSunset
Tracks information
步道資訊


From 20090602_UluruTrackKataTjutaUluruSunset
Orange Uluru, sunset
日落的橘色烏魯魯


The Australian call it Ayers rock, the local aboriginals call it Uluru. It's the biggest rock in the world at 364 meters higher than the Eiffel Tower, at lease two-thirds of the rock is beneath the surface, lies 335 km south west of the nearest large town, Alice Spring. You have to drive around five or six hours up to see it. The Uluru Base Walk around the rock takes you three to four hours by walk, the distance of the Uluru Base Walk is 9.4 kilometers. You wouldn't realized how big it is only from the picture. (It took me only around two hours to finish the Uluru Base Walk, and I found the tour guide was sleeping on the trailer)
澳洲人稱它為艾爾斯岩,當地的原住民(Anangu)則稱它烏魯魯。是世界上最大的獨立岩石,高達三百六十四公尺比法國的艾菲爾鐵塔還要高,至少有三分之二的岩體在地表下面,位於愛麗絲泉西南方三百三十五公里,為了看它,必須開車五、六個小時以上。光是繞著石頭周圍的步道走,就需要約三至四個小時,長達九點四公里。只從照片上看,沒有親眼見到它是沒法體會它的巨大的。(我因為腳程較快,只用了兩個多小時,回來時還發現導遊在拖車上補眠)


From 20090602_UluruTrackKataTjutaUluruSunset
Where is our tour guide?
導遊在哪裡?


From 20090602_UluruTrackKataTjutaUluruSunset
Black Uluru, sunset
日落的黑色烏魯魯


As all you know, the law in Singapore is very strict, you might get a ticket for littering. This place is not only the sacred site of aboriginals but also list as the world heritage. Our tour guide warned us many times, he called this place a small Singapore. A AUD $5000 ticket for removing rocks, $5000 for walking on a sacred Aboriginal site and $2000 for taking pictures of the sacred areas. Sometimes you can see a sign on the Uluru Base Walk telling you that taking pictures in this place is forbidden. But it's ambiguous, not clear enough, I have no idea in what places I can take a photo. What I can do was to press the shuttle quickly and moved.
大家都知道,新加坡的法律很嚴,隨便丟個垃圾就會收到罰單。這裡不單是當地原住民的聖地、重要資產也被列為世界遺產之一,導遊再三的警告我們,它把這裡稱做是小新加坡,因為隨意的搬動這裡的石頭罰金澳幣$5000,隨意進入原住民的聖地罰金澳幣$5000,在禁拍區域拍照罰金澳幣$2000。烏魯魯周圍的步道有時會看到禁止拍照的告示,不過整個路程九點四公里,到底哪些地方能拍哪些地方不能拍其實定義的非常模糊,搞的我不管走到哪,都是迅速的按下快門就閃。


From 20090602_UluruTrackKataTjutaUluruSunset
Afternoon tea
下午茶


From 20090602_UluruTrackKataTjutaUluruSunset
Parking area beside Uluru
附近的停車場


From 20090602_UluruTrackKataTjutaUluruSunset
Climb closed
不開放攀爬的標示


From 20090602_UluruTrackKataTjutaUluruSunset
Climb closed (Multiple languages)
不開放攀爬的標示 (多國語言)


From 20090602_UluruTrackKataTjutaUluruSunset
We don't climb
我們不攀爬


It was winter of Australia in June, the weather wasn't hot at all, and quiet comfortable to stroll on the track without the exhaust gas existing only in the city. These days the weather was bad with dark sky and drizzle. We saw the sign saying "no climbing today" in the entrance of the national park, some of the tourists in the bus felt disappointed. The local aboriginals don't like tourists to climb their sacred place, even though the aboriginals themselves, only one of them is chosen to climb it in their festival once a year. The Australia government don't encourage tourist to climb it but they don't forbid as well. 35 people have died because of climbing the Ayers rock. The authority has strict rules: If the forecast temperature is 36 degrees or above, more than a 20% chance of rain within 3 hours, more than a 5% chance of thunderstorms within 3 hours, wind speed at the summit reaches 25 knots or above, more than 20% of the rock surface is wet after rain, when cloud descends below the summit. In these conditions, the climbing is forbidden. After the middle part of the climbing track, the authority set up special metal poles on the surface to help tourists climb.
時值六月,剛好是澳洲的冬天,氣候並不嚴熱,走起來非常的清爽,也沒有都市才會有的廢氣。這幾天天氣並不是很好,雲層暗暗的還下著細雨。早上進到園區時,看到今日不開放攀登艾爾斯岩的告示,有些同行的遊客都覺得很失望。當地的原住民並不喜歡遊客去攀爬他們聖地,即使是他們原住民,每年也只有在祭典時,從族人裡挑出一位上去。澳洲政府雖然不鼓勵遊客攀爬但也不禁止。已經有三十五位遊客因為攀爬艾爾斯岩而喪生。因此對於攀爬它,當地的單位有著嚴格的規定:三小時入內超過百分之二十的機率會降雨、溫度超過或到達三十六度、三小時入內超過百分之五的機率有大雷雨、艾爾斯岩頂端的風速到達或超過二十五節、下雨後超過百分之二十的岩石表面還是呈現溼的狀態、有雲低於岩石頂端,在這些條件下都禁止攀爬。步道的前半段都還算輕鬆,到了中、後半段,當地的單位還特別設置金屬的裝置,幫助遊客攀爬。



View Basketball court, Alice Spring in a larger map
The people climbing the Uluru, you can see the white devices along the track
正在攀爬烏魯魯的人群


From 20090602_UluruTrackKataTjutaUluruSunset
Climbing track, and metal poles
攀爬步道以及金屬杆


From 20090602_UluruTrackKataTjutaUluruSunset
Parking area beside Uluru, climbing track
附近的停車場,以及攀爬步道


From 20090602_UluruTrackKataTjutaUluruSunset
Climbing track
攀爬步道


From 20090602_UluruTrackKataTjutaUluruSunset
Climbing track
攀爬步道


When I finished the Uluru Base Walk, the entry of climbing track was still closed, but the weather was getting much better than that in the morning. A period of time later, I saw some people were on way to the summit of Uluru, I was astonished to tell our tour guide, seemed that some of our partner in the trip ignore the law here, I really worried for their money. Then, I knew the authority allowed us to climb since the weather was good. I didn't climb for the respect.
我走完環繞步道,攀爬的起點還是關閉沒有開放,不過天氣和清晨比較來的確是好很多。過了一段時間,看到有人開始在攀爬艾爾斯岩,我還真的嚇一跳,跑去跟導遊說,似乎是有同行的遊客不顧法令跑上去玩,還真替他們的荷包擔心。後來才知道,因為天氣好轉,當地的管理單位開放了艾爾斯岩的攀爬。基於尊重,我不沒有爬。


From 20090602_UluruTrackKataTjutaUluruSunset
Uluru
烏魯魯


Yesterday, we enjoyed the Uluru sunset, the sunset we people usually imagine is that the rock and the sun should be in the same side, actually the sunset in Uluru is that we are between the sun and the rock. What we see is the change of the color on the rock. As to the sunrise, the same rule, so the locations for seeing sunrise and sunset are different.
昨天,我們看了艾爾斯岩的日落,我們一般人想像的日落是石頭和太陽是在同一側,但是這裡的日落指的是,我們人介於太陽和石頭中間,看的是石頭上光影的變化。今天早晨的日出也是相同原則,當然,日落和日出的觀賞點就會有所不同。


From 20090603_UluruSunriseMtConner
Sunrise
日出


From 20090603_UluruSunriseMtConner
Prepare our breakfast
準備我們的早餐


From 20090602_UluruTrackKataTjutaUluruSunset
The Uluru Base Walk
環繞步道


The Ayers rock is not very rigid, I guess, early days, some tourists would take part of the rock home, sand as their souvenir. It's illegal today according to the law. There's a book in the visitor information center collecting lots of mails from the tourists who stealing the sand from Uluru. The mails are about regret and apology. Some of them had bad luck, misfortune after that, such as family got cancer. They mailed for apology, some of them even attached the sand in the mail, and included a picture showing the location where the sand from.
我猜艾爾斯岩一點都不堅硬,早期有許多遊客會從岩體中挖一些沙粒帶回家做紀念,以現在的法令是絕對不允許的。我在遊客中心還看到一本厚厚的冊子,裡面有許多當初偷拿沙粒當紀念品的遊客的信件。他們有不少人來這拿了沙粒之後,家裡都發生了些不幸,有家人得癌症之類的。他們寫信來這道歉,有的人甚至把沙粒寄回來,還附上當初取得位置的照片。


Welcome to Aboriginal land, Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park, Visitor guide and maps
Listen! If you get hurt, or die, your mother, father and family will really cry and we will be really sad too. So think about that and stay on the ground.
Barbaa Tjikatu, Traditional Owner


That's a really important sacred thing that your are climbing... You shouldn't climb. It's not the real thing about this place. The real thing is listening to everything.
And maybe that makes you a bit sad. But anyway that's what we have to say. We are obliged by Tjukurpa to say. And all the tourists will brighten up and say, 'Oh I see. This is the right way. This is the thing that's right. This is the proper way; no climbing.'
Kunmanara, Traditional Owner


Please don't climb Uluru
What visitors call the 'climb' is the traditional route taken by ancestral Mala men upon their arrival at Uluru. The climb is not prohibited, but it has great spiritual significance for us and we prefer that, as a guess on Anangu land, you will choose to respect our law and culture by not climbing.

Traditionally we have a responsibility to teach and safeguard visitors to our land. The climb can be dangerous and over 35 people have died while attempting to climb Uluru; many others have been injured. We feel great sadness when a person dies or is hurt on our land.

When you visit the cultural centre you will learn more about the significance of Uluru in our culture. You should also read the safety information on the back of this guide. Please do this before you decide whether or not to climb.

There are other challenging and interesting things to do at the Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park. Read about them in this guide, or talk to our information officers at the cultural centre.


Uluru walks
Uluru Base Walk, Liru Walk, Mala Walk, Kuniya Walk.


Important to know sacred sites
Around the base of Uluru are important sacred areas. Some of these are sacred under traditional men's law, and others under traditional women's law. Viewing or entering these areas is forbidden unless properly authorised by senior men or women. Knowledge of there areas is also restricted. This has been our custom for tens of thousands of years. These sites are cared for by the right people according to Anangu law. They are fenced and registered as sacred areas. It is very important that you do not enter or take photographs of these sacred sites. Please respect our places and do not enter then. Trepassers can be prosecuted under NT and Commonwealth laws.


From 20090602_UluruTrackKataTjutaUluruSunset
The surface of the rock
岩體表面


From 20090602_UluruTrackKataTjutaUluruSunset
The black line is where the rain flows on
黑色的部份,是雨水流經的地方


From 20090602_UluruTrackKataTjutaUluruSunset
Uluru
烏魯魯


From 20090603_UluruSunriseMtConner
Sleep in the swag


From 20090603_UluruSunriseMtConner
Tour guide and the other members
導遊和其它團員



Uluru Base Walk



Sunset, Uluru was getting dark



Sunrise

Saturday, January 16, 2010

Basketball in Australia

Bookmark and Share

From 20090611_AliceSprings

Outside the basketball court
籃球場外



The sport I like most is basketball, I got a small chance to play basketball after arriving Australia. In order to reduce the weight of my luggage, I didn't bring things that are non-essentials such as sports pants and sports shoes. Furthermore, the popular sports in Australia are tennis, cricket and football, it's not easy to find partners, so is the place for playing.
平常最喜歡的運動就是籃球,到了澳洲之後很少有機會能打籃球。主要是為了減輕行李的重量,非必要的東西都盡量不帶,像是運動褲、運動鞋之類的,而且澳洲主要風行的運動是網球、板球、橄欖球,想要找到球友並不容易,場地也不好找。



From 20090611_AliceSprings
Inside the basketball court
籃球場內部


I've ever seen a basketball court in a park of Sydney, none of the players were western people, all of them were Asians. After visiting so many cities in Australia, I only saw a basketball court in Sydney and another one in the desert city which is located in the middle of Australia called Alice Spring, moreover, it's a free and indoor court which is just on the diagonally opposite side of my backpacker.
曾經在雪梨的公園裡看到有籃球場地,一看,幾乎沒有西方人,都是亞洲人。跑了澳洲那麼多的城市,只在雪梨這看過球場,另一個球場則是在澳洲中部的沙漠城市,愛麗絲泉,而且還是個免費的室內球館。它就在我住的背包客棧的斜對面。



View Basketball court, Alice Spring in a larger map
The location of the free and indoor basketball court in Alice Spring
籃球場的位置



From 20090611_AliceSprings

Inside the basketball court
籃球場內部



I haven't played basketball for almost one year, I felt really excited as a result of finding this place. There was one Aussie lady and a group of kids playing inside. Few more balls were just beside the basketball stands, I borrowed one from her with a polite ask. That was really great to play basketball. After returning her the ball, we had a talk, she told me her younger brother had ever worked in Taiwan and the reason she plays basketball is her father was a basketball coach and she ever was a member of her junior high school team.
將近一年多沒打球,無意中發現這裡,異常的興奮。看到球館內有一位澳洲女士在和一群小朋友打球。籃球架旁邊多了幾顆球,禮貌的向她借了一顆球來打。挺過癮的。還她球的時候,還跟她小聊了一下,她說她的弟弟也曾到台灣工作過。然後會接觸籃球是因為她老爸是教綀,高中時有打過校隊。



From 20090611_AliceSprings

Inside the basketball court
籃球場內部




From 20090611_AliceSprings


Inside the basketball court
籃球場內部



From 20090611_AliceSprings
Inside the basketball court
籃球場內部

Monday, September 14, 2009

Anzac day in Sydney, Australia

Bookmark and Share
It was 20090425.


From 20090318_Sydney_DarlingHarbour
Anzac war memorial in Sydney was maintaining for the Anzac day
(20090318) 雪梨 Anzaz 紀念園區為了澳紐盟軍紀念日做維護


From 20090425_HydePark
Anzac war memorial in Sydney
雪梨 Anzaz 紀念園區


From Wiki
Anzac Day marks the anniversary of the first major military action fought by Australian and New Zealand forces during the First World War. The acronym ANZAC stands for Australian and New Zealand Army Corps, whose soldiers were known as Anzacs. Anzac Day remains one of the most important national occasions of both Australia and New Zealand. This is a rare instance of two sovereign countries not only sharing the same remembrance day, but making reference to both countries in its name.

維基百科
澳紐軍團日(ANZAC Day)是紀念1915年4月25日,在加里波利之戰犧牲的澳大利亞和紐西蘭聯合軍團(簡稱澳紐軍團)將士的日子。澳紐軍團日在澳大利亞和紐西蘭現均被定為國定假日,以緬懷他們為國犧牲的勇敢精神。澳紐軍團日是兩國最重要的節日之一。


From 20090425_Anzac_Day
Anzac day on George St, Sydney
雪梨澳紐盟軍紀念日


From 20090425_Anzac_Day
Anzac day on George St, Sydney
雪梨澳紐盟軍紀念日


From 20090425_Anzac_Day
Anzac day on George St, Sydney
雪梨澳紐盟軍紀念日


From 20090425_Anzac_Day
Anzac day on George St, Sydney
雪梨澳紐盟軍紀念日


From 20090425_Anzac_Day
Anzac day on Elizabeth St, Sydney
雪梨澳紐盟軍紀念日


Nowadays, Anzac Day is a national public holiday and held at war memorials around many cities in Australia and New Zealand on 25 April every year. Marches by veterans from all past wars, current serving members, ....
現在每年四月二十五日在澳洲各地都會有固定的紀念儀式,如:布里斯本、雪梨等…。這一天也是國定假日,許多家庭會在這一天在街道上看遊行、紀念園區看儀式。遊行的隊伍除了有一些退役的將領,還有一些高中的管樂團或是地方性樂團等。


From 20090425_Anzac_Day
Anzac day on Elizabeth St, Sydney
雪梨澳紐盟軍紀念日


From 20090425_Anzac_Day
Anzac day in Hyde park, Sydney
雪梨海德公園,澳紐盟軍紀念日


The memorial park I just mentioned, I've seen many similar parks in many cities around Australia, Ex: Sydney, Brisbane, Perth, I reckon most cities in Australia get one.
剛剛說的紀念園區,我在澳洲許多城市都看過,如:雪梨、布里斯本、珀斯…,我想大部份的城市都會有吧。


From 20090528_AliceSprings
Bird's eye view from Anzac hill in Alice Springs
從 Anzac 紀念園區鳥瞰愛麗絲泉


From 20090528_AliceSprings
Anzac hill in Alice Springs
愛麗絲泉 Anzac 紀念園區


Videos, Anzac hill sunset
愛麗絲泉 Anzac 紀念園區日落影片

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zVRy97qxaDE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fnmIsq-VCCA


From 20090514_Brisbane
Anzac square in Brisbane
布里斯本 Anzac 廣場


In the march, I found the proportion of Chinese student in the Sydney boys high school is higher than that in the others. I guess the Sydney boys high school is famous for it's university enrolment rate. Most Chinese people think that "To be a scholar is to be the top of society. Learning is the noblest of human pursuits.".
在整個遊行過程中,我發現高中樂隊裡面,雪梨男子高中裡面華人的比例超級高。我猜這應該是一所升大學名校吧,華人家庭的思維大都是,「萬般皆下品,唯有讀書高」。


From 20090425_Anzac_Day
Sydne boys high school
雪梨男子高中


From 20090425_Anzac_Day
Sydne boys high school
雪梨男子高中


From 20090425_Anzac_Day
Sydne boys high school
雪梨男子高中


Videos, Anzac day at Sydney
澳紐盟軍紀念日影片

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CL5qpVHPr4s
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zWtIyImhMhc

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qBEDbm5DBfA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oKKS6lLFBCc
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kjE0CWd6pcU

Wednesday, September 9, 2009

City distance sign in Australia

Bookmark and Share
From 20090326_KingsCross_OxfordSt
Sign in Kings Cross, Sydney, Australia

Distance from Sydney
Auckland: 2158 KM
Moscow: 14522 KM
Capetown: 11017 KM
London: 17035 KM
Frankfurt: 16843 KM
Seoul: 8332 KM
Bangkok: 7537 KM
Kuala Lumpar: 6621 KM
New York: 16026 KM
Berlin: 16117 KM


The signs that tell the distance of some notable sights or capitals, in my thoughts, I've seen three times in Australia. I can't find the third one when writing this article, my memory might not serve right. I'm not sure if the distances marked on the signs are correct or not.
這種標示著名景點或首都的距離的路標,印象中,在澳洲看過三次。一時找不到另一個地點的照片,當然也有可能是我記錯。上面所標示的距離是否為準確的數值,我就不清楚了。


I'm curious that the people living on the Taiwan island can hit on an idea like this? I've never seen this kind of stuff in Taiwan.
台灣的島國思維,不知道會不會想到這樣的東西?沒在台灣看過這樣的路標。


From 20090526_Cairns
From 20090526_Cairns
From 20090526_Cairns
From 20090526_Cairns
Sign in Cairns, Australia

Distance from Cairns
London: 15127 KM
Rome: 14781 KM
Tokyo: 5881 KM
New York: 15376 KM
Shanghai: 5945 KM
Auckland: 3604 KM
Wagga Wagga: 2028 KM
Sydney: 1962 KM

Wednesday, August 26, 2009

Ghan train in Australia

Bookmark and Share
It was 20090528.

When I was in Cairns, Queensland state, I tried my best to find all kinds of manners to leave Cairns in order to visit the monolith in Alice Springs which is listed as the World Heritage. The first way: By Grey Hound bus, it cost around 275 bucks, total distance is 2430 kilometers. This travel distance by bus made me feel the pain of my bum, even though I had many experiences in staying overnight on Grey Hound buses and I didn't have to pay for the accommodation. I just couldn't bear to sit on the bus for two or three days. The second way: By the domestic airplane directly from Cairns to Alice Springs, I didn't adopt this manner because the ticket price is usually at least five to six hundred bucks. I heard from my friend that there is a railway passing through the center of Australia (outback) which is called Ghan. Therefore the third way came out, it cost 230 bucks to flight directly from Cairns to Adelaide, plus the Ghan ticket from Adelaide to Alice Springs costing 149 bucks, just a little bit more money but got different experiences.
那時我人在東岸昆士蘭省的凱因斯,為了前往愛麗絲泉參觀被列為世界遺產的大石頭,想盡辦法收集資料找出各種可能的移動方式。第一:搭乘灰狗巴士,價錢約二百七十五澳幣(約六千八百台幣),距離約二千四百三十公里。光是看到這數字,我屁屁就痛了起來,雖然有多次在灰狗巴士上過夜的經驗,還可以省下一筆住宿費。這種一坐就是二、三天的行程,我實在無法忍受。第二:國內班機由凱因斯直飛愛麗絲泉,不採用這一點是因為,機票少說也要五、六百澳幣(約一萬二千台幣)。從我朋友那得知,才知道原來有一條貫穿澳洲中部沙漠的鐵路,叫做Ghan。因此有了第三個方案,從凱因斯直飛阿德雷德約二百三十澳幣(五千七百台幣)加上Ghan車票從阿德雷德至愛麗絲泉為一百四十九澳幣(約三千七百台幣),多了一點錢,但多了不同的體驗。


From 20090527-0528_Ghan
Ghan terminal in Adelaide
Ghan阿德雷德火車站


From 20090527-0528_Ghan
Ghan terminal in Adelaide
Ghan阿德雷德火車站


From 20090527-0528_Ghan
Ghan terminal in Adelaide
Ghan阿德雷德火車站


There are two major long-distance railways in Australia. One of them is Indian Pacific, east-west direction, from Perth in Western Australia to Sydney in Eastern Australia via Adelaide (It departs twice per week in both directions), total distance is 4352 kilometers, and the trip takes three days. Another one is Ghan, south-north direction, from Adelaide in South Australia to Darwin in North Territory via Alice Springs (It departs twice per week in both directions), total distance is 2779 kilometers, and the trip takes two days.
澳洲的主要的長程火車有兩條。一條叫印地安太平洋號,是東西向,從西澳柏斯經阿德雷德到東澳的雪梨(雙向,每週各二班次),全程四千三百五十二公里,需時三天。另一條叫Ghan,為南北向,從南澳阿德雷德經愛麗絲泉到北領地的達爾文(雙向,每週各二班次),全程二千七百七十九公里,需時二天。


From 20090527-0528_Ghan
Ghan train model
Ghan火車車箱模型


From 20090527-0528_Ghan
Ghan train model (Gold or Platinum service with bed, toilet)
Ghan火車車箱模型(金色、白金服務?)


The place in which Alice Springs locates is called Outback, most of the land are desert with extremely few rainfall, the desert here is totally different from the desert we've ever seen in the TV program, it's red color on which lots of yellow and green plants grow instead of the yellow one. In 1862, a Scottish whose name was Stuart leaded him team to pass through the Outback from Adelaide in South Australia to Darwin in North Territory by camel, before his success he had tried five times already. The Ghan might not be built without his success in passing. Prior to completion of the train in 1929, the final leg of the train journey to Alice Springs was still by camel (The connection was completed only from Adelaide to Alice Springs in 1929). The train journey was finished in 2004. This year is the 80th anniversary of the Ghan.
愛麗絲泉所在的地方被澳洲人稱為內地,大部份的土地都是沙漠地區,雨量極少。這裡的沙漠和我們在電視上所看到的沙漠完全不同,並不是黃沙滾滾,而是紅紅的一片,上面還長了不少耐熱的黃、綠色的植物。在一八六二年時,有一個叫做Stuart的蘇格蘭人,成功的帶領他的團隊乘坐駱駝從澳洲南邊的阿德雷德穿過廣大的沙漠抵達澳洲北邊的達爾文,再這之前他共嘗試了五次。因為他才有後來的Ghan火車的開通。在一九二九年開始以火車載客之前(僅阿德雷德至愛麗絲泉開通),都是利用駱駝來載客。由愛麗絲泉至達爾文的路段還是在二○○四年才正式開通。今年正好是Ghan的八十周年。


From 20090527-0528_Ghan
Adelaide platform
阿德雷德月台


From 20090527-0528_Ghan
Ghan train
Ghan火車


The train should provide some facilities in order to stay overnight, took our carriage as example, it's the cheapest price, Red-service, it provides only a seat that can be leaned, two toilets in one side of our carriage, two bathrooms in the other side of our carriage. The carriage next to ours in the toilet side was a restaurant carriage, it not only sells the delicatessens, souvenirs but also has seven to eight tables for you to dine, chat. It's the only two places with plug besides bathrooms. The train crew declared that don't use your laptop in the restaurant carriage during the dining time. If you buy a Gold-service or Platinum-service ticket, you can have your own bed, cabin, the price includes the meals as well, even a bathroom, I think to have a plug is basic but the ticket price is pricey to us, backpackers.
需要在火車上過夜,一些該有的設施當然不能少,以我們那個車箱為例,它是最平價的紅色服務,只提供可斜躺的坐椅,車箱前面有兩間廁所,車箱後面有兩間浴室。我們車箱的前一個車箱是餐廳,除了販賣熱食、紀念品之外還有七、八張餐桌讓你在那用餐、聊天。那邊也是除了浴室之外,唯二有插座的地方。服務人員還特別聲明,盡量不要在用餐時間在那邊使用筆電。如果是更高等的,像是金色、白金服務,有自己的床、包箱,費用也已包含了餐點,甚至有自己的衛浴設備,插座應該是基本的,不過票價對我們這些背包客來說一點都不親近。


From 20090527-0528_Ghan
The cover of Ghan ticket
Ghan車票外皮


The length of the train chain is very long, each carriage is around 30 to 50 meters, besides twenty to thirty carriages for passengers, there are carriages for carrying cars, baggages. I guess the length of the train chain is close to one kilometer.
火車長度非常的長,每節車箱大約三十到五十公尺,除了二、三十節載客用的車箱,還有運轎車、運行李,我猜測全長一公里可能跑不掉。


From 20090527-0528_Ghan
The car for carrying customer's luggages
搬運旅客行李的小車


I reckon the number of travelers is much more than that of commuters on the Ghan. Therefore, the train driver would slow down the train when it was closing some scenic spots for the passengers to have some pictures. The first spot was: the border of SA and NT. The second was: Iron man sculpture. The third was: Finkie river. Two of the stations, Alice Springs and Katherine, you can pay extra money to do some tours when the train stops. Such as canoeing in Katherine gorge.
我覺得這台火車上,旅客應該遠多於利用它來通勤的人,也因此,在經過幾個地方時,司機會將火車速度降到非常慢,讓車上的旅客能夠拍照。第一個景點是:南澳洲和北領地的交接處。第二個景點是:鐵人雕像。第三個景點是:芬克河。在火車路線上的兩個站,愛麗絲泉和凱薩林,因為火車在這裡會停靠一段時間,業者有和當地的旅行團合作,在停靠期間,能夠付費參加一些活動。像是在凱薩林峽谷划獨木舟或是雙人木舟。


From 20090527-0528_Ghan
Outside Red-service carriage
紅色服務車箱


From 20090527-0528_Ghan
Outside Gold-service carriage
金色服務車箱


From 20090527-0528_Ghan
Souvenirs and delicatessen shop on the restaurant carriage
餐廳車箱上的熱食、紀念品販賣部


The day was on Wednesday, 27/5/2009, before arriving Port Augusta, the train crew broadcast that that train will stop for forty minutes, all the passengers can get off the train to have some exercises and stretch your body. The two western girls coming from unknown country confirmed from me if we can get off or not. When getting out the train, the train crew standing outside the door told the passengers specially, please don't leave too far away from the platform. How about the forty minutes just broadcasting? It might make someone misunderstand. Whatever I just looked around and took some pictures near the platform.
那一天是二○○九年五月二十七號星期三,在抵達奧古斯塔港之前,火車上就廣播我們預計在奧古斯塔港停留約四十分鐘的時間,乘客們可以下去走走,伸展筋骨。旁邊兩位不知哪個國家來的西方小姐還向我確認,是不是能下去晃晃。下火車時,門口的服務人員特別說,麻煩不要離開車站太遠。那剛剛廣播的時間是假的嗎?不過我也只是在附近商店看看、拍拍照。


From 20090527-0528_Ghan
Inside the Red-service carriage
紅色服務車箱內部


From 20090527-0528_Ghan
Port Augusta platform
奧古斯塔港的月台


From 20090527-0528_Ghan
Port Augusta platform (Photo of Ghan from the cross-over bridge)
奧古斯塔港的月台(天橋上拍攝Ghan)


The train departed after stopping around 20 minutes, it was about six o'clock, the sky was getting dark and cold. The temperature difference in Australia is always huge, in this season, the temperature was below 10 at night I guess. Around two hours passing, we couldn't see anything outside which was a desert without any building. All of a sudden, I heard the sound of gas leaking from the place near the bathroom, not too many people went there because only few people had a shower. Then, the alarm bell started, a guy asked us to inform the train manager in the front part of the train chain, few minutes later the train stopped. At first time I was thinking that was there something abnormal? A train crew told us someone wanna jump of the train. The speed of this train was about 100 kilometers. You had to face the bad environment outside, desert, dark sky, cold weather, even being attacked by the wildlife if you survived the jump from the 100 kilometers train.
大約二十分鐘,火車就開走了,那時已經六點多,天色也漸暗,當時的天氣已經有點涼。澳洲日夜溫差大,這個季節到了晚上溫度應該是在十度以下。火車開了約兩個小時,車窗外什麼鬼影都看不到,沙漠地區,一遍荒涼。突然我聽到後方接近浴室的地方有大量的氣體外洩的聲音,那個地方出入的人不多,因為很少人去洗澡。接著警鈴響了起來,有人要我們這個車箱的人到前面通知火車上的管理者,過了不久火車停了下來。我的第一個想法是,是不是火車有什麼異常、故障。一位火車服務員說,有人想跳火車。這一台火車的速度大約是一百公里。就算跳下去沒死,外面是沙漠,什麼東西都沒有,天黑黑,冷颼颼的,還可能會被野生動物攻擊。



The Ghan
KBFa
Darwin
HST
Katherine
HST
Tennant Creek
BHF
Alice Springs
HST
Kulgera
eGRENZE
Northern Territory / South Australia border
HST
Chandler
HST
Marla
HST
Coober Pedy (Manguri)
HST
Tarcoola
HST
Kingoonya
HST
Pimba
HST
Port Augusta
HST
Port Pirie
KBFe
Adelaide Parklands Terminal

Few minutes later, the train crew came back again, and said the guy found the train was pulling away when he got back to the platform at Port Augusta, his baggages and passport was on the train, so he grabbed the handrail and stood on the stairwell outside the door until he heard someone moved around the bathroom, he tried his best to shout, and was found luckily. The train would keep driving for at least twelve hours, the temperature outside the trains was low, if he wasn't seen no one knew how long he could sustain. So far, he had surfed on the train for around two hours. The train crew reckoned his behavior was ridiculous, once you missed it, you should wait for the next train instead of taking the risk. But the next train would come on Sunday, his baggage and passport was on the train, and had to buy another ticket, probably these were the reasons to ignore the safety. Anyway, the result was good. The train crew told us he was freezing, afterwards many crews brought different of kinds of hot food to the carriage behind ours, it cost much to have these free hot food (The food on the Ghan are pricey with a little amount). Actually, the guy sat in the same carriage as me before the accident. He felt embarrassed to sit back because all the passengers knew what he had done. The crew help him bring his baggage.
過沒多久,那位火車服務員又回來了,他說那個人在奧古斯塔港,因為離開太遠,回來時發現火車的門已關閉且開始啟動,行李、護照也放著火車上,於是就站在車門外的台階、抓著把手,直到聽到有人在浴室附近活動,他拼命的叫喊,才幸運的被發現。不然火車至少還要再開十二小時以上,外面的氣溫又低,如果沒被發現,不知他能撐到何時。到了這時,他已經在火車上待了兩個小時以上。火車服務員認為他的舉動很可笑,既然錯過了班次就不應該如此冒險,而是等下一班車。不過一等就是要等到星期天,行李、護照也在車上,還要再花錢買另一張車票,或許這就是他想不開的原因吧?還好最後的結局是好的。火車服務員說他被凍壞了,之後,我看到好幾個火車服務員拿著不同的熱食到後面的車箱,這一些免費的熱食得來真不易(火車上的食物真的是又貴量又少)。那位人兄就坐在我們這一節車箱,因為全部的人都知道他的事蹟,他也不好意思再回來坐,服務員也幫他把行李拿去給他。


From 20090527-0528_Ghan
Souvenirs selling on the Ghan
火車上的紀念品


From 20090527-0528_Ghan
Souvenirs selling on the Ghan
火車上的紀念品


From 20090527-0528_Ghan
Souvenirs selling on the Ghan
火車上的紀念品


It was a coincidence, after arriving Alice Springs, when I was on the shuttle bus to the backpacker, I heard some people were discussing the accident on the train, one of them was the guy hanging on the train. I even lived in the same room with him. I sent him a decoration with a Mandarin "宅" on it, I told him it means "Home" in English. He was lucky to survive in this terrible accident and have the chance to go back home. He seemed happy and attached it on his necklace. This guy is a university student majoring in Psychology from Alaska. The temperature in his hometown might be low to minus ten or twenty centigrade, maybe this was why he could keep hanging on outside the train for two hours. He also said he usually stays at home during the cold weather.
巧合的是,抵達愛麗絲泉,坐在背包客棧提供的接駁車上,我聽到有人在聊剛剛火車上發生的意外,其中一個人就是當事人。而且他後來和我住同一間。我送給他一個手機吊飾,上面寫個了「宅」字,我告訴他,那個字的意思是「家」,很幸運地,經過這次意外,他還能夠安全的回到家。他很高興地把它在他的項鍊上。這位人兄是美國阿拉斯加人。還在唸大學,主修心理學。他的家鄉冬天溫度可能低到零下十幾、二十度,或許這就是為何他能在火車外撐上二個小時。他也說通常這種氣候都是躲在家裡。

Today I was reading some information about the Ghan in the Wiki, I found this accident was recorded in the Wiki and the date is incorrect with the sixth of June, Saturday. It should be the twenty-seventh of May, Wednesday。The Ghan only departs on Wednesday and Sunday。This accident was reported on UK BBC as well. He even gave the clip to the media that he recorded when he was hanging outside the train by his digital camera.
今天在看Ghan的Wiki時,發現這件事被人寫在Wiki裡,而且日期還寫錯,上面寫六月六號,星期六。應該是五月二十七日,星期三。Ghan火車只有在星期三、日發車。英國BBC也有這篇報導,他將自己掛在火車外面的錄影給了BBC。


Another links:
其它連結:
1. http://www.trulyaustralia.com/rail/ghan.htm
2. http://www.gsr.com.au/index.phphttp://www.gsr.com.au/index.php
3. http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,25599450-5014090,00.html?from=public_rss?ref=BPNT


From 20090527-0528_Ghan
View on the way
沿途上的風景


From 20090527-0528_Ghan
View on the way
沿途上的風景


From 20090527-0528_Ghan
View on the way
沿途上的風景


From 20090527-0528_Ghan
View on the way
沿途上的風景


From 20090527-0528_Ghan
View on the way
沿途上的風景


From 20090527-0528_Ghan
View on the way
沿途上的風景


From 20090527-0528_Ghan
View on the way
沿途上的風景


From 20090527-0528_Ghan
The lounge in the Gold or Platinum service
金色或白金服務上的用餐區


From 20090527-0528_Ghan
The restaurant in the Red-service carriage
紅色服務上的用餐區


From 20090527-0528_Ghan
The expensive meal with a extremely small amount
量少又貴的主餐


From 20090527-0528_Ghan
The view on the way (Sunrise)
沿途上的風景(日出)


From 20090527-0528_Ghan
The view on the way
沿途上的風景


From 20090527-0528_Ghan
The view on the way
沿途上的風景


From 20090527-0528_Ghan
The border of SA and NT
南澳和北領地交界處


From 20090527-0528_Ghan
The dry Finkie river
乾沽的芬克河


From 20090528_AliceSprings
The Alice Springs platform
愛麗絲泉月台


From 20090528_AliceSprings
The Alice Springs platform
愛麗絲泉月台


From 20090528_AliceSprings
Chad is from Alaska
阿拉斯加來的Chad


From 20090528_AliceSprings
Chad is from Alaska
阿拉斯加來的Chad


The view on the way





Tourist Chad Vance clung to Ghan train for two hours

A YOUNG American tourist has survived a terrifying train ride in which he clung to the outside of the legendary Ghan in the freezing dark as it hit speeds up to 110km/h in the South Australian Outback.

Chad Vance, 19, frantically pursued The Ghan after missing it in Port Augusta, managing to climb on and squeeze himself into a tiny stairwell as the train raced for almost 200km through the night.

It was two hours and 20 minutes before a Ghan crew member heard the Alaskan student's desperate cries for help about 20km south of Pimba and brought the train to an emergency halt, the Sunday Mail reports.

"I was worried I wasn't going to survive," Mr Vance said of his ride on Thursday, May 28.

"If I'd fallen off at that speed and hit the nasty-looking rocks below, I don't think I would have made it."

The Ghan crew member Marty Wells turned lifesaver when he heard Mr Vance's frantic calls for help and pulled the train's emergency brake handle, rescuing the tourist from a potentially fatal predicament.

"Chad is a very lucky guy - when we rescued him his skin was white and his lips were blue," said Mr Wells, a technician with The Ghan's operator, Great Southern Railway.

"We were still about three hours away from our next scheduled stop and in that time, he could have easily died of hypothermia or lost his grip and fallen to his death if he hadn't been rescued."

Mr Vance's extraordinary tale of survival began when he boarded The Ghan in Adelaide on Thursday for the journey to Alice Springs.

Like most passengers in the seated carriages, he took an opportunity to stretch his legs during a short stop in the Mid-North town of Port Augusta around 5.30pm.

The university student, from the small hamlet of North Pole, in central Alaska, went for a stroll in town, but after losing track of time arrived back at the platform just as The Ghan was pulling out.

On board was all his luggage and valuables, including his passport and train ticket. Having already travelled by train from Sydney to Adelaide, after arriving in Australia on May 17, Mr Vance said he knew The Ghan would pull up just outside of town to change drivers before continuing its journey.

He decided to chase the train before it came to a rest.

Mr Vance said when he caught up to the stopped train, he started frantically banging on the windows of the first class dining carriage. He said the passengers ignored him because they "probably thought I was some crazy kid" outside.

After five minutes, the train started to slowly pull away again, leaving Mr Vance thinking he would be stuck in Port Augusta with just $10, a digital camera and the shirt on his back.

The young tourist then made an "instinctive" decision - which he admitted in retrospect was a "pretty crazy idea" - and managed to grab hold of the stairwell near the rear of the train and swing himself into a cramped sitting position.

As the night progressed and the train picked up speed, the temperature outside The Ghan plummeted.

According to the Bureau of Meteorology the thermometer dipped to 8.4C at Woomera on the night in question. Clad only in a pair of boots, jeans and a T-shirt, Mr Vance also had to deal with the severe windchill factor, which according to a weather calculator puts the temperature around -7C.

Two hours and 20 minutes after jumping into the stairwell, Mr Vance's desperate calls for help were answered. Mr Wells said that after being brought on board, the exhausted and freezing backpacker collapsed to the floor.

"He was also shaking uncontrollably for several hours and complained of numbness to the left side of his body and arms and said his face was also stinging," Mr Wells said. "I've never seen anything like this before and I sure hope I don't ever see it happen again."

Mr Vance received first aid from the crew - including a cup of soup - and was upgraded to a sleeper cabin for a hot shower and warm night's sleep. His youth and a childhood of cold climate conditioning meant Mr Vance made a speedy recovery.

"I got off the train the next day in Alice Springs and headed out on a tour of Uluru and Kings Canyon," Mr Vance said.

The psychology major student at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, left Darwin today for Cairns, for some scuba diving on the Great Barrier Reef, before heading back to Sydney and then home on June 17.