Not long after the Outback was first explored in the 19th century people began imagining a railroad line through its center running across the continent from north to south. Begun in 1878, the line was only extended to its current terminus Alice Springs in 1928. Before that, those traveling to the Alice came by Afghan camel train. Rail service improved matters, but passengers still endured considerable hardship along the route, especially when the narrow-gauge line was washed out by frequent flash flooding. A washout could last weeks. One train crew found itself hunting kangaroos to feed the passengers. Nevertheless, the line to Central Australia prospered, especially during the War years. MacArthur took this train after his harrowing escape from the Philippines. He arrived in Alice by bomber from Darwin, and his wife refused to go further by plane.

Today a new standard gauge railroad provides reliable, semi-deluxe vacation service to Alice overnight from Adelaide. The line is even being extended north to Darwin. "The Ghan," as its name-train is now called after its camel-driving forebears, is an effortless, albeit rather jolting, way to see long stretches of the Outback's flat brushy expanses.

Alice also boasts a decent collection of old Australian railroad equipment, some of it associated with the old Ghan trains. My dad and I posed for the camera in an old Australian steam locomotive that sits out on a track in the museum yard. It's a somewhat neglected beast, littered with empty plastic bottles and paper.