What do the Green Bay Packers and the Ghan have in common?

What do the Green Bay Packers and the Ghan have in common?

Both are fast moving. Both have combined weights in the tonnes. And there’s something else, which I’ll get to shortly.

Following our adventures around Melbourne and Tasmania, we spent a wonderful three days on the Ghan, travelling from Adelaide to Darwin via Alice Springs. One of the great train journeys of the world, the Ghan (from the colloquial ‘Afghan Express’) follows the route of the Afghan camel drivers who traded and transported goods in the late 1800s, helping to open up Australia’s interior.

If you’ve ever had the joy of journeying on the Ghan, you’ll know what a special experience it is. It’s luxurious, eye-opening and unforgettable. I’ve seen a lot of beautiful sunsets in my time, especially at the Ridge, but there’s something about the gorgeous milky pinks, blues and yellows you see each night as the sun goes down over the desert.

Enter the Green Bay Packers.

One of the Packers’ biggest fans, my friend Donna is also a shareholder and a season ticket holder and goes to every game. She’s been to 17 different stadiums around the US to watch the Packers play, and has proudly taken the team flag with her every time.

Flying the Packers’ flag on the Ghan

Now, for the first time, Donna has brought the flag with her overseas and the place she chose to fly it for the first time was, you guessed it, on the Ghan!

What those camel drivers would make of the Packers, I’m not sure, but we had a laugh with our fellow passengers. It also gave Donna the opportunity to tell them about her beloved team, and, just like the camel drivers before us, brought a piece of somewhere over the seas to the vast Australian desert.