What a trip! I'm exhausted after 65 hours in a train (we arrived about 1 minute early into Sydney) and then going straight to work. I have no clue how to describe the journey in words, but will just put up a few photographs today and write some text around them in the next few days. It was wonderful!
Photo 1: my carriage on the Indian Pacific at the town of Cook (population 4) - this is where the stowaway was thrown off the train!
Photo 2: travelling through the beautiful hills outside of Perth ... seeing some beautiful waterfalls.
Photo 3: the incredibly green farming areas after the hills of Perth (also the phenomenal green colour returned - for a while - after leaving Adelaide.
Photo 4: starting to get into the outback!
Photo 5: a camel walking through the Nullarbor plain
Photo 6: a dingo in the Nullarbor. I also spotted kangaroos, wedge-tailed eagles and smaller birds of prey.
Photo 7: a rainbow over the Nullarbor!
Photo 8: looking down at the train from a mine in Broken Hill.
Here are the facts! The journey is 4352km and takes 65 hours. The main stations are Perth, Kalgoorlie, Adelaide, Broken Hill and Sydney. The highlight by far must be crossing the Nullarbor plain. We stopped at Cook which is 1100 kilometers from Adelaide and 1500km from Perth - it's a long way from anywhere! On the train, I had an entire sleeping cabin to myself. Throughout the day, I was in my little cabin with a table or ambled around to get a drink in the restaurant car or in the lounge. During the evening, I pulled a lever and the entire room changed - a bed popped out of the wall, a sink suddenly appeared .... It was fun!
I guess the only disappointment on the entire journey was Kalgoorlie. We arrived late at night and I was wondering whether to go out into the mining city. I had pictured old men with huge long beards walking into tough looking bars with a pick-axe and shovel over each shoulder. I also assumed that the whole place would be covered in dust and I'd be immediately mugged as I got off the train. In fact, it was the complete opposite. I got off the train and found myself in an immaculate town where all the shops were shut. The "Goldfields Repertory Club" were doing adaption of Terry Pratchet's "Mort" and the local shop was selling "Fresh Sushi" and pumpkin soup! Anyway, I did find a rough looking pub open with terrible music blaring out of it. I went in for a beer and felt terribly out of place with lots of teenagers cavorting around and playing pool. I must be getting old!
Anyway, the town of Cook was much more fun. A stow-away was discovered on board the train somewhere after Kalgoorlie and was unceremoniously kicked off the train at Cook! That's not a good place to be left! There were three signs in Cook. One said "No Food or Fuel for the next 862km". Another said "The gift shop is now behind the gaols" and the third (in the gift shop) noted "Any arsehole that steals from this camp will be gut shot + left for the eagles to feed on" (next to a cute little "Nellie Koala $15").
Oh whoops ... I wasn't go to write much tonight ... I'd better get to bed.
2 comments:
Clearly, then, you didn't find the bar in Kalgoorlie with the topless barmaids ...
They've just introduced laws about the barmaids it seems!
George, next time you're in Perth I'll introduce you to my bro-in-law. He's from woop woop somewhere, is large, red, bearded, and these days drives trucks (has given up the prospecting bit!). Actually maybe not, because he's also called George, as is their elder son... might all hurt a bit much :) But those blokes totally exist in significant numbers in WA!
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