The Ghan is the single worse thing I have ever spent my money on.
It was so bad, I have been speechless about the 24hrs I spent on there last year.

I went with my mum, my wife and her parents (5 people)
It cost me ~ $5700.
The misery started with, sorry I can't help you with your bags, it's a company policy.
And continued until I got off in Darwin.

The "Gold" cabins were plain farking tiny, rickety sh!t.
My father in law didn't fit in the toilet, he's a big bastard though.
I could sit on the crapper cos my Femer bone was too long, so I had to stand sideways, then it blocked and overflowed.
I couldn't lie straight on the bed.
I couldn't sleep because the cheap panels vibrated like there was a wood pecker on the other side.
Service was crap.
I really pitied the fools who got on in Adelaide.

You have been warned.

I only agreed to it, cos the Mrs' parents were praising www.rovos.com/trains/on-board and she wanted to show them Australia on a supposedly luxury train... $12000 fark off, we're going for 1 night.

Same here, was also horrified at cost and what was being fobbed off as the trip of a lifetime.
Lucky for me, I was purchasing for parents, when I called an Aunt who lived in the Alice. She warned me off. Reckon my Dad at 80+ would have kicked my coit still , for me being a drongo, and getting tickets, after Aunty told me not to.
Then again, if you have been to Alice and taken a look at the mode of rail carriages our Diggers rode from SA to Darwin during WW2, the Ghan now would be pure luxury.