Somewhere in NSW to Sydney

 

Wednesday, 22 June 

Last day on the train today. It was another early breakfast and we had our things packed and ready to go before 8. We left the train at Victoria Station in the Blue Mountains. It went on to Sydney and looked after our luggage while we boarded buses for a Blue Mountains tour. We drove past some scenic spots before arriving at Scenic World in Katoomba. Here we first went on the Scenic Skyway, a cable car suspended 250 metres above a ravine. It had great views of the Three Sisters, a waterfall and the surrounding mountains. After that it was the Scenic cableway, which took us 545 metres down into the Jamison Valley. Once again there were great views of the rock walls and the valley. When we got off we were taken for a walk through the valley, past airily recent rockfall and the remains of a coal mine which once operated there. The last ride was back up to the top of the cliff on the Scenic Railway, the steepest passenger railway in the world. It is on a 52 degree incline and it takes your breath away as you shoot backwards up what feels like a vertical cliff.

Looking at these rugged mountains you can’t help thinking about Blaxland, Wentworth and Lawson trying to find a way to cross them. They are awe inspiring and forbidding but very beautiful.

Once we were finished with all the “Scenics” we were taken to lunch at restaurant near another great lookout. It was a nice lunch cleverly presented on wooden boards with a variety of savoury and sweet items - main course and dessert all in one and a sensible way to feed so many people in a short time.

Took some photos at the lookout and these came out better than the earlier ones taken through the window of the gondola and with the mountain largely in shade.

The bus then took us to the Katoomba Station where we boarded a special train which took us the 2 hour journey into SydneyCentral Station. Our luggage was all laid out on the platform waiting for us and we walked from there to our hotel a short distance away.

As we fly home tomorrow this will be the last entry for our “Planes, trains and automobiles” holiday. What a great time we’ve had, well worth the long wait through the Covid years. A big thank you to my travel buddies, Judy and Lorraine.

Adelaide to Somewhere in NSW

 Tuesday, 21 June

This morning Lorraine met her Adelaide friends for a coffee close by the station, while Judy and I did the city sights tour. The bus picked us up around 7.30 for a 2 hour tour. It was a chilly and rather gloomy morning and the bus windows were fogging up, so the driver had to run the air conditioner, which meant it was almost impossible to hear his commentary. 

We circled the city on the East, West, North and South Terraces and saw the beautiful parklands and some lovely old buildings. We were then taken to The Oval where we hopped off the bus and went inside and up to a dining room for breakfast. We arrived about 9.15 and were supposed to be leaving by 9.30 so it was a bit of a rushed repast. A staff member said: “Are you finished with that?” as she whipped my plate away. I craftily wrapped a Danish pastry in a serviette and stashed it in my handbag for later.

When we returned to the train we discovered that the engine had moved so that the back of the train had now become the front. We are now in the first carriage! This is because we were leaving Adelaide the way we came in and you can’t turn the train around. For the first part of the day we were on the same track as when we were on the Ghan. We saw that very long line of wind turbines on top of the hills near Snowtown. There were more of them later on and also a sizeable solar farm.

Just on dusk we arrived in Broken Hill, stopping long enough to change drivers. We were supposed to have an excursion here but it was cancelled before the trip. They said it was to do with the timetabling of freight trains. We were sorry to miss it as we have never been there.

Tonight we have said goodbye to some of the great people we’ve met, as not everyone is going to do the Blue Mountains excursion. The Sydneysiders reckon they can do it any time. The people in our section of the train have been a great bunch - lots of jokes and no one being left out. Those travelling alone have never been without company if they wanted it. Carol, who is in the compartment next to mine, and is in her eighties, has sat with and chatted to practically everyone.

The driver from Broken Hill seems to be in a hurry or else the tracks here aren’t as good as on the Nullarbor because we’re having a very rough ride this evening. That doesn’t augur well for sleeping but I’m going to give it a go because we’ve got another early start. Definitely no internet here so might not post till tomorrow night .

Kalgoorlie to the Nullarbor

Monday, 20 June 

Last night, after a very early dinner, we had a bus tour of Kalgoorlie. We were taken to the giant pit where we could see a little bit of light right down deep but basically nothing else. Driving down the main street it was clear that things are pretty quiet in Kalgoorlie on a Sunday night. We were also taken to a place where we saw a quite amusing theatre piece about Paddy Hannan and we could also get up close to some of the enormous mining vehicles. A bit of a strange tour but enjoyable. 

After our late night we were up at 6 this morning for a sunrise breakfast at Rawlinna. Andy the entertainment bloke sang and we ate bacon and egg sliders. It was good to be off the train having a bit of a wander around.

During the day we crossed the Nullarbor Plain on the longest straight stretch of railway line in the world. I saw a couple of kangaroos, and a few crows but no camels. Our second stop for the day was at Cook, which is now a ghost town. We were able to walk approximately 650 metres from our carriage at the back, all the way to the engine, the first time we have seen the front of the train.

It may have been hours of seemingly endless nothing but I liked sitting in my compartment, watching the Nullarbor go by … and being grateful that I live in beautiful, green Upwey.

Another early start tomorrow as we arrive in Adelaide about 7.00 and head off on a city tour. There is no hope of internet out here so I’ll post this when I can.  

Perth to Kalgoorlie - Indian Pacific

Sunday, 19 June 

The big day has finally arrived. We were up early for breakfast before an 8.20 bus pickup, taking us to the station. The checkin was quick and easy. Some people were having coffee and cake on the platform but we started the long walk to our carriage, carriage N, the last passenger carriage on the train. It’s in the same position as when I went on The Ghan.

We pulled out of the station around 10.20 and were soon out of Perth and travelling beside the Avon River. So were a couple of emus on the other side of the river. The Avon, which is very rocky, hosts an annual white water event which sounds like a pretty big deal. I think there are kayaks and some powered boats. We couldn’t imagine how a powered boat could negotiate the river. There would need to be a lot more water.

Later on we were in farming country - a few sheep and lots of wheat and canola. We have passed through some forest but certainly not the tall timber we saw in the south. There has also been a lot of scrub. We get occasional glimpses of the highway and also the pipeline taking water to Kalgoorlie, which seems to run beside the railway line. Every now and then we stop on a side section so that a goods train can pass.

So far all the passengers have been friendly and sociable. There was a trivia quiz, run by Andy the entertainment guy, in the lounge car this afternoon. We did pretty well but didn’t win. We are on the first sitting for meals so it was an early lunch and dinner at 5.30!!! However I think that’s because we’ll be getting into Kalgoorlie a bit later on for an off train excursion to the gold mine, so they have to get everyone fed in time. We should be back around 11.30 and tomorrow it’s a very early start to see sunrise over the Nullarbor. 

While we were at dinner they came and made our beds so I’m writing sitting on the bed with a cushion on my knees. Lorraine was looking very sleepy in her compartment and Judy is tucked up in hers. It could be a struggle to stay awake till we get to Kalgoorlie.

I’m hoping to have some internet while we’re in Kalgoorlie so that I can post this. If not, I have no idea when it will happen. 

Perth

 Saturday, 18 June

Judy and I caught the “CAT” bus to King’s Park while Lorraine stayed behind to have a visit from her son, Tim. King’s Park was amazing, with the fabulous views over Perth and the Swan River that I remember. I was even able to zoom in and find The Old Mill on the other side of the river, near the Narrows Bridge.

There is so much more to the park now, with Botanical Gardens, sculptures, lakes and fountains and a treetop boardwalk. I was keen to see the huge boab tree that was moved from up north somewhere it was featured on Gardening Australia some time ago. The tree didn’t look too good but the sign said that damage from the move was gradually healing so maybe it’s going to survive.

From King’s Park we returned to the city and the Hay St Mall. This was a bit of a disappointment. Quite a lot of shops were closed and the whole place seemed down at heel. We did find London Court and the clock with the jousting knights but it wasn’t an area where we wanted to hang around so we headed back to the hotel via the Stirling Gardens.

Back at the hotel we found a good spot to sit and play cards with Lorraine and Tim. It was nice to catch up with him and he coped well with us, considering he has recently recovered from Covid. His partner, Celine, is still sick. We were playing frustration and I’m sorry (a little bit) to say that Judy won.

This is our last night in Perth as tomorrow we finally board the Indian Pacific. We can hardly believe it’s actually going to happen at last. I don’t know when we might have internet in the next three or four days so this could be the last entry for a while but I’ll catch it up when I can.

Perth

 Friday, 17 June

On Wednesday evening we had a call from the Rottnest Explorer people to say that the weather forecast was bad for Friday and there would be no ferries running on Friday or Saturday. So today we went to Fremantle instead.

Perth has a number of free bus routes on “CAT” buses. The one that stops right near our hotel took us to the station where we caught a train to Fremantle. When we arrived in Fremantle we discovered that they have a “CAT” bus too so we did a circuit on it and were able to see quite a bit of the town while staying warm and dry. Actually, although it was a showery day it was not that cold.

After the bus we wandered along various streets admiring the beautiful old buildings. I remembered the Roundhouse from childhood visits to Fremantle. We found a shop selling ice cream and I had to have a lemon gelato, again in memory Dad driving the family to Freo just to buy a gelato.

The market was a bit crowded and reeked of incense so I was happy to get out and walk a few blocks to find the church where Judy’s parents were married. Then it was time for coffee at a little French cafe.

We caught the “CAT” bus again and hopped off at an amazing building we had seen earlier on. It was a huge warehouse selling furniture and all sorts of things from India and Asia. Enjoyed wandering through this vast emporium but best of all were the murals painted on the outside walls.

As we headed home on the train there were some very threatening clouds chasing us. There had been showers on and off all day but we were pretty good at dodging them. Luckily we could catch the “CAT” again. However when we were enjoying pre-dinner drinks in the hotel the heavens opened and we had to wait quite a while before we could out for dinner at another nearby restaurant. 

Then it was back to yesterday’s ice cream shop for dessert before parting in the lobby and heading up to our rooms.

Bunbury to Perth

Thursday, 16 June

On the road to Perth this morning we took a tiny detour to see the thrombolites at Lake Clifton. Thrombolites look like rocks but are ancient forms of microbial communities that photosynthesise. They are about 2000 years old. Their ancestors produced the oxygen that allowed life on land to exist.

Stopped for coffee on Mandurah’s lovely waterfront. On the way in we saw big houses and boats on a canal estate.

We said goodbye to our car at Perth airport and caught a bus to the city, then walked a short distance to our hotel by he Swan River. As we walked through the door, there was Lorraine checking in, so the three of us are back together again. The hotel is very luxurious and in a great location.

We went for a walk through the Stirling Gardens and past Government House before having a drink at the rooftop bar. After dinner at a little restaurant next door we found the ice cream shop recommended by Leon at reception. Great ice cream.

Now we are each tucked up in our own very swish room.

S

Cowaramup to Bunbury

 Wednesday, 15 June

This morning we were greeted at the door by a couple of our feathered friends … and a little bit of duck mess. I’ve included a photo of the view from our cabin - hardly anyone else there midweek.

Our destination today was Bunbury about an hour and a half away. Coffee was at a nice little cafe by the water. It was a bit draughty but they had rugs for our knees, which helped while the rain was pouring down.

After a call at the Visitor Information Centre we drove up to the lookout but the cloud was so low that we couldn’t have seen anything so we headed back into town to visit the museum. Loved the big cooking pot. It looked like it was a cannibal’s pot but was, in fact, for rendering whale blubber. 

Next, in a very pink building that was once a convent, we toured the art gallery. There was some interesting indigenous work. I liked “Tears of the ancestors “. Another witty exhibition was based on footy cards. The last room, in the old chapel, had beautiful paintings of “Wonders of the ancient world”.

By now the sky had cleared and we were able to return to the lookout, go for a drive along the coast and a walk down the main street. We returned later for dinner at The Rose Hotel.