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Airdate: The Ghan

Three hours of hypnotic footage from Adelaide to Darwin, uninterrupted on SBS in January.

SBS’s first foray into ‘Slow TV,’ The Ghan: Australia’s Greatest Train Journey, will screen for 3 hours uninterrupted in January.

Produced by Mint Pictures, it captures hypnotic footage of the legendary train trip from Adelaide to Darwin.

Marshall Heald, Director of TV and Online Content, said: “It’s exciting to introduce this innovative new type of programming to Australian audiences on TV, SBS On Demand and via Facebook.

“Slow TV offers an alternative to the noise, drama and disruption of other shows, and gives viewers a unique opportunity to pause, uninterrupted for three hours commercial-free in prime time, as they experience first-hand a little-known story important to our multicultural national story.”

However plans for a 17 hour version at SBS On Demand are now shelved.

Three hours, no breaks; just the viewer, the tracks beneath and stunning landscapes of the central Australian outback rushing past, this special event takes viewers on a journey aboard Australia’s most iconic passenger train voyage from Adelaide to Darwin.

An innovative style of television which invites the viewer on an immersive journey, Slow TV originated in Europe, where hours of footage of events and voyages such as a ferry ride up the spectacular coastline of Norway, live salmon fishing, and a 168 hour reindeer migration have been hugely popular, with viewers welcoming an escape from the frenetic pace of modern life.

Produced by Mint Pictures for SBS, The Ghan explores the contributions of the transcontinental line to the foundation of modern Australia. Using contemporary graphics alongside archival imagery, audiences learn the story of the construction of the 2979 kilometre ‘Ghan line’.

The train line and subsequent development of central Australia and the growth of Darwin, Alice Springs and Port Augusta can be attributed to local Indigenous communities’ knowledge of surviving the harsh desert, as well as early immigrants, including Europeans, Chinese, and the Afghan cameleers ‘The Ghan’ is named after.

Sunday 7 January at 7.30pm on SBS,
Streamed Live on SBS On Demand and SBS Australia Facebook.

8 Responses

  1. Thank you for the heads up David. I will definitely be watching this and have set a reminder to record it.
    I did the Ghan trip from Adelaide to Alice Springs 30 years ago. It only went as far as Alice Springs back then. My memory of the experience was that it was a very magical, relaxing trip. The view of the countryside out of the windows was not boring at all, and at times quite breath taking. It changes dramatically every couple of hours. Having a leisurely dinner as you watch the sunset dip into the vast horizon is something I will always remember. The stops at the remote towns along the way are very interesting too.
    The journey from Adelaide to Alice Springs back then took around 24 hours, so with the added distance from Alice Springs to Darwin, I think this 3 hour documentary should do justice to just how beautiful this trip is! If you’ve ever thought about doing this trip…

  2. You are seeing another patch of red desert, your eyelids are getting heavy, you see another dead gum tree, you are feeling relaxed, listen to the rhythm of the wheels on the track, you are feeling sleepy, you are quite safe, you may close your eyes, the cool air is brushing your cheeks, you will watch more SBS next year, when I touch your shoulder you will slowly wake up and feel refreshed.

  3. “an alternative to the noise, drama and disruption of other shows, and gives viewers a unique opportunity to pause, uninterrupted for three hours commercial-free in prime time”. I seem to remember that SBS was once like that. Thankfully ABC still is, so far.

  4. I think that urban rail would be a more interesting option for slow television. The outback scenery can be quite boring at times. Slow television was popularised by Norwegian television station NRK. NRK is notorious for being one of the most boring television networks in the world.

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