Slow television comes to Australia's outback

It makes sense that Australia, with its expanses of desert and ever-changing landscapes, would make a great place for slow television.

The Ghan: Australia's Greatest Train Journey is the country's first foray into the genre, which is set to air on SBS and online on Jan. 7.

For those unfamiliar, slow television aims to capture events that run over a long period of time, minus any editing. Norway's Bergensbanen – minutt for minutt which captured a seven-hour journey in the country's south, popularised the genre.

The Ghan is a train that operates between Darwin on Australia's north coast, all the way down to Adelaide on the southern coast.

The trip is 2,979 kilometres (1,851 mi) long, and takes 54 hours to complete. However, the television version will be pared down to three hours.

Graphics and archival footage will be used in the broadcast to illustrate the construction of the line, named after the Afghan cameleers who helped to transport people and goods in the tough Australian desert.

Or you can do what we plan to do, and fall asleep in front of it.