On board the historic Ghan

By Phil Mercer BBC correspondent on the Ghan, Australia

Australia's dream of a passenger train crossing its unforgiving outback is finally being realised.

"I'm so excited I'm almost in tears," enthused Janet from Perth, one of the VIP guests.

The Ghan is an engineering feat - as well as a dream come true

The Ghan received an enthusiastic send-off.

In Adelaide thousands of people lined the track, waving flags and snapping away furiously with their cameras.

They braved a summer shower to get their brief glimpse of history.

Amongst them was Virginia Jones from Adelaide. "I've travelled on the bullet train in Japan, which is much faster, but this is far more exciting. People will be able to see the real outback of Australia", she told BBC News Online.

This is a journey like no other.

It begins a few kilometres from the Southern Ocean and ends in the tropics. In between the track carves through sandy coastal scrubland, the desert salt lakes and into the green suburbs of Alice Springs before arriving in the lush tropics.

Passengers awoke on Monday to find themselves deep in the heart of the country's "Red Centre".

Recent rain has given this harsh terrain an unexpected splash of green, but the vivid red dust remains the dominant feature.

Even in the depths of the outback, the Ghan has continued to attract well-wishers.

One man was seen relaxing in a camping chair casually waving as the train passed by. He was sat literally in the middle of nowhere, far from the nearest town with only his truck and a dog for company.

Differing degrees

Northern Territory's Chief Minister Clare Martin said this promises to be a pioneering adventure for all those on board.

Railways change history, it's about nation-building but it's also about giving the world one of its great railway journeys Mike Rann South Australia Premier

"This will be a fantastic new journey. It takes us from waters that touch the Antarctic to waters that touch the Equator."

There was a slight delay at the start of the trip but it really did not seem to matter.

After all, Australia has been waiting for this moment for more than a century. A north-south railroad was first suggested by a businessman in Melbourne in the 1850s.

A number of factors conspired to derail such trans-continental plans, including the cost and the sheer hostility of the terrain.

In the summer, temperatures in central Australia can reach 50 C in the shade.

On top of that there is a three-month monsoon season further north.

CROSSING A CONTINENT New track cost A$1.3bn ($1bn) Construction took 30 months Railway now runs for 3,000 kilometres (1,740 miles) First freight train 1.8 km long

The Premier of South Australia, Mike Rann, told me this was a momentous day. "Railways change history," he said. "It's about nation-building but it's also about giving the world one of its great railway journeys," Mr Rann explained.

The railroad linking the central desert town of Alice Springs to Adelaide was completed in 1929. The stretch north to Darwin was finished last September.

Workers laid two million sleepers building 1,420 kilometres of new track. It was a civil engineering triumph that has opened up Australia's last great frontier.

The Ghan is named after Afghan camel drivers who helped open up the parched interior after European colonisation.

Modern travellers can look out from their air-conditioned comfort as they pass through some of the world's most challenging terrain.

"We'll go through some of the most beautiful country on the globe and probably the biggest variety of scenery that it's possible to imagine in a few days," said one passenger.

The route's main purpose will be transporting freight.

Darwin, Australia's most forgotten city, is likely to benefit. It is hoping to become the country's new gateway to Asia, although the shipping companies and many truck drivers will not be wishing it luck.