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Australia Adelaide to Darwin

2004 Proof Five Dollar

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The Adelaide to Darwin Five Dollar Sterling Silver coin was issued to commemorate the arrival of the first train to Darwin from Adelaide. The reverse was designed by Wojciech Pietranik and shows his impression of the rail link by showing rail-tracks stretching across Australia. There is also 'The Ghan' shown along with the legend "DARWIN ADELAIDE ALICE SPRINGS 2004". The obverse shows the Ian Rank-Broadley portrait of HM Queen Elizabeth II, right-facing with tiara and earrings. It has the legend "ELIZABETH II AUSTRALIA 2004 5 DOLLARS". The coin comes in a presentation box along with a section of track and is housed inside a box with photos from the route. There is a certificate of authenticity and a booklet giving details about the railway.

The Adelaide to Darwin railway is a milestone that has taken so long to achieve. Linking the South to the North, it reaches over 3,000 kilometres and took so many people dedicated to the reach this point. The track had been in place as far as Alice Springs but this final piece connecting Darwin was celebrated in the region with live radio broadcast and thousands of people cheering the first locomotive along the route to Darwin (ABC, 2013) . The journey from Adelaide to Darwin takes three days and two nights. A stopover in Alice Springs is about halfway across the country. The Ghan is the train that has been traversing the route from Adelaide to Alice Springs for many years, made its inaugural journey leaving Adelaide on the 1st February 2004. The Ghan is operated by Great Southern Railway whilst the goods trains are operated by Genesee & Wyoming Australia.