Where's James

Australia: The Red Centre

From Adelaide I headed north on The Ghan, one of the two famous coast-to-coast railways in Australia. I’d been looking forward to the journey for a while and the views were as good as I hoped, particularly sunrise over the outback. It also helps to get a sense of how big the country is when it takes almost 26 hours to travel from the coast to the centre. A ticket for The Ghan costs £170 for a “day/night seat” with beds and cabins costing significantly more.

Australia: Melbourne and Adelaide

My first stop in Australia was Melbourne in the state of Victoria after taking a five-hour flight from Bali. Arriving in Winter the first thing I noticed was the cold and the first day was spent shopping in the Central Business District. Jetstar 787 to Melbourne The CBD is the oldest district with many colonial buildings and it reminded me more of home than anywhere else I’ve visited. There are some lovely buildings, particularly the state library and Flinders St Station, and even a shopping mall built around an existing old building, Shot Tower.