What have we been doing recently?
We bought a house at the beginning of April and since then:
- We had new floors put down in the new house
- We painted two rooms in the new house.
- We’ve been slowly moving out of our previous place and into the new place for the last few months, especially on weekends, with more and more work in the June and July. When you’ve lived in a place for 10 years, chances are you’ve collected a lot of stuff!
- My job has been very busy as I am trying to complete a SQL program/package.
- COVID vaccination toward the end of July which tired us both out. I also had a painful gland reaction.
- Exhausting few months.
Then August arrived.
Back in February, before all the house stuff began, I booked a trip for us in early August with Rowan’s birthday in mind.
We love watching train shows, about train trips in various parts of the world. One train trip has had my attention for years: The Indian-Pacific. A multi-day train journey from Perth on the west coast of Australia all the way across to Sydney on the east coast of Australia.
That’s the trip I booked!!
August 2 – 6 am start. We dropped Rhody off at his resort and caught a flight to Perth. It’s a little over 7 hours to fly from Hobart to Perth because of the 2-hour layover in Melbourne. Dinner at a little Italian restaurant attached to the hotel, and then sleep.
August 3 – 12 hours of much-needed sleep!! Then we walked around Perth’s CBD, along the Swan River. It was quite nice there and we were impressed with the cycling path. Dinner at the little Italian restaurant again and early to bed. Nice relaxing day.
August 4 – 6 am start. Picked up breakfast boxes from the hotel and walked about 2 km from the hotel to the train station. Then the fun began!
We were amazed to discover that Journey Beyond – Indian Pacific had put on a breakfast spread on the platform, next to the 27-carriage train, for everyone! Complete with live music.
Once breakfast was complete, we found our carriages, were welcomed on board and directed to our cabins. We had a Gold Twin cabin for the 2 of us. During the day, our cabin was a long, comfortable bench seat that could seat 3 or 4 people, and during the night, it was made up into bunk beds. We had a small ensuite and some storage space for our backpacks.
The cabin was so cute! It was also quite comfortable although there were times when one of us had to step into the tiny bathroom or out into the corridor to give the other person some room to change or dig shoes out from under the bed. We weren’t the only ones doing that either! Many of us had a bit of a chuckle as we were all doing a little dance in and out of our cabins when we were getting ready for lunch or dinner or for an excursion.
The 27 carriages included carriages for gold and platinum cabins, at least 3 lounges, at least 3 dining cars, and at least 3 kitchens. There were likely 3 staff carriages as well, and at least 1 luggage carriage. The total length of the train was about 650 metres long and although we couldn’t walk the length of the train inside, we did walk the length of the train and back a couple times outside during stops.
Every day, we had delicious breakfasts, lunches and dinners in the dining cars. Plus, we were provided with snacks in between times if we wanted. We ate really well! As a semi-vegetarian, I was thoroughly impressed with the vegetarian choices, and if something didn’t quite appeal to me, there were excellent chicken choices with very well-prepared chicken.
In the dining car, we were always seated with another couple, so we got to meet several other couples which was quite enjoyable. Most of the passengers were older, which suited us.
Our first day was spent on-board the train until after dinner. We had the option of going to the lounge and socialising, which many passengers did, but we didn’t feel that way inclined, and instead dozed, watched the scenery, and read. It was so relaxing because there was nothing to do! Relaxing at home usually involves some relaxation and then me spotting something that needs doing and next thing you know, I’m busy on some project. On the train, it felt so good to just sit and watch the world go by.
It also helped that the internet access dropped out somewhere along the way, so I couldn’t check emails, or anything.
The tracks are shared by the Indian Pacific train and freight trains so at times, we had to pull out on a siding to wait for a freight train or two to go by. This, of course, brought to mind the train problem we were presented with in math class where the siding is too short for a whole train, but two trains need to pass each other. I was finally in a situation where knowing the solution to that math problem might be useful!
After dinner, a group of us were taken on a bus excursion to the Super Pit, one of Australia’s largest open pit gold mines, at Kalgoorlie. Although it was after dark, the mine was lit up quite brightly as work continues 24 hours a day, and our tour guide was a knowledgeable mine engineer. We also visited a museum to learn more about the history of mining in general in that part of Australia, and gold mining specifically. We got to see some of the huge vehicles used in the mine close up.
We got back to the train about 11:30 pm and fortunately, we were allowed to sleep in a little bit the next morning.
I have read that some people have great sleeps on trains, so I was looking forward to sleeping. When I climbed up to my upper bunk that first night, I was glad the train was still stationary in Kalgoorlie because the bed is narrow and feels very high! It was also somewhat awkward knowing what I might need up there so that I wouldn’t have to climb up and down too often in the night. Eventually, I got settled, read a little, and then turned off the light to sleep. Just as I was dozing off, the train started to roll, and I went through about an hour trying to adjust to the movement and get comfortable. And then I fell asleep and had an amazing night’s sleep!!
A few tricks: wear earplugs, wear your sleep mask, bring a small hand-held fan to cool yourself off. Upper bunks are hot. I was able to hook my fan up to the small knob for the pull-down table up there in such a way that it didn’t knock against the wall as the train moved.
August 5 – 9 am start. Delicious breakfast, relaxing, delicious lunch.
After lunch we stopped in Cook, WA which was established in 1917 on the Nullarbor Plain when the Trans-Australian Railway was built. About 100 years later, it was essentially declared abandoned, but train drivers do stop and stay there from time to time. We had a chance to explore the town, and I made a point of hiking the length of the train and back as well.
While I loved being on board the train, it felt really good to go outside and walk.
We were in Carriage N which meant that we were very close to one end of the train. All the way to Adelaide, there was a staff carriage next to us, and then the engine. From Adelaide to Sydney, the engine was at the other end of the train, so ours was the second to last car. Our lounge and dining car serviced carriages L, M, and N which meant that each journey to the dining car involved walking through Carriage N, through Carriage M, through Carriage L, and through the Lounge as the train jounced along. We got better at it as time went by, but I welcomed opportunities to walk outside on a stable surface.
The Indian-Pacific train is an older train. Someone on board mentioned that it might be from the 1950s and I can believe that from many of the features on the train. It has been very well maintained and refurbished, and the age adds a sense of romance.
And to slightly misquote Jean in The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel where she says, “Obviously, one’s read one’s Kipling” as the group embarks on their journey to India and the unknown … “Obviously, one’s seen one’s Murder on the Orient Express”! The corridors reminded both Rowan and me of movies we’ve seen such as Murder on the Orient Express.
We needed to be in bed early on this day because we had an early start the next day. I had sorted out how to be comfortable in my bunk and slept like a log for about 8 hours.
August 6 – 6 am start.
Because we had early excursions around Adelaide, we were served pastries and fruit in the lounge rather than the usual breakfast. But there were mountains of pastries and fruit!
We chose an excursion up to the Adelaide Hills, which was nice, but it was very foggy so we couldn’t see much. However, when we got there, we were served breakfast! Two breakfasts this morning!
We weren’t able to see the view, but I got a number of moody foggy photos. And because it had been so foggy up in the hills, our bus driver took us around the city and gave us a short, guided tour. Rowan has been to Adelaide a number of times, and I’ve been there once before but after this trip, we were talking that we’d like to go again.
Back on the train again to snooze, watch the scenery, relax and eat. We did quite a lot of eating!
I also successfully tried out the shower (Rowan had success earlier). The ensuites are very small, but the space for showering was not too bad. I started my shower while we were still stopped at Adelaide, but soon after I got under the tap, we took off and the driver put his foot down. Thank goodness for the handle to hang on to in the shower area!
Late in the afternoon, we arrived at Broken Hill, a city in the far west region of outback New South Wales, Australia. Broken Hill is Australia’s longest running mining town and the orebody there is among the world’s largest silver–lead–zinc mineral deposits. In addition to mining, a number of television and movie productions have made use of the Broken Hill outback landscape.
We did not disembark there but remained stationary between the mines and the town for some time while the train refilled its water tanks. Meanwhile, we were able to have a bit of a look at the area from the train.
Again, we had to have an early night because we needed to be up early for an excursion to the Blue Mountains in the morning. The track in this section was pretty rough but the ear plugs blocked out the noise and I only woke up when there were particularly significant jolts or when the train was taking some tight corners, and I would slide up or down the bed.
August 7 – 6 am start.
Another delicious breakfast, and then we had to pack everything into our backpacks, which we left in our cabin, and make ourselves ready for our Blue Mountains excursion and the remainder of the trip into Sydney. Most of us went on the excursion, but some remained on the Indian Pacific train which dropped the excursion people off and continued on its way to Sydney.
A comment about the luggage on the train: we and a few others opted to put everything into backpacks which we carried on board the train. Most people brought roller suitcases of various sizes and quantities. Because the cabins are small, large suitcases are not allowed in the cabins and need to be checked. When they are checked, they go into a baggage area (possibly a baggage car) where they cannot be accessed unless the train is at a stopover of a decent length. So, it is recommended that passengers ensure that everything they need is in a backpack, duffel bag, small suitcase or similar.
I bought 2 new backpacks which were small enough to be carry-on luggage on our flights, but large enough to hold what we needed for the week. Perfect! We didn’t need to bother with checked luggage anywhere along the route.
For me, the main highlight of the trip was the train and travelling from one side of Australia to the other. The next highlight of the trip was seeing the Blue Mountains again. I saw them in 2004 and have wanted to see them again. Amazingly Rowan has never seen the Blue Mountains.
We were taken on a gondola with great views, on a fast, steep descent in a small train which was based on a historic coal mining track that existed there back in the late 1800s, before the Blue Mountains became a national park, and on a different type of gondola which took us back up to the top in a breath-taking ascent. While we were down in the valley, we were taken on a short, guided tour walk.
The bus drivers took us for a drive through several of the small towns and villages in the Blue Mountains. I remember them from 2004 and thought they were so quaint … fortunately, they still are!
Then we had a lunch at a large café near the best lookout over the Blue Mountains. I wasn’t overly impressed by that lunch (put on by the café, not Indian Pacific), but the views were spectacular.
I would have loved to stay in the area longer, and maybe we’ll go back there ourselves.
Because the Indian-Pacific train had continued into Sydney, a private commuter train had been arranged for those of us who did the excursion, and we zipped along into the city.
Once we got to Central Station, we were reacquainted with our luggage, we said some farewells, and we caught a train to the airport, then a taxi to our hotel near the airport. First thing both of us did when we got into our room was sleep for an hour!! We had a very nice dinner at the hotel and prepared ourselves for another early morning.
August 8 – 7 am start. Shuttle to airport, flight to Hobart, and home.
Then of course, we picked up our much-loved Rhody from his resort.
Highlights
- Travelling from one side of Australia to the other!!
- The spectacular Blue Mountains excursion.
- The interesting Kalgoorlie mine excursion.
- Our cabin – small but cute and private.
- Relaxing and doing nothing.
- The meals – compliments to the chefs. All the meals were excellent.
- The staff – they were a group of hard-working, friendly, helpful and wonderful people.
- The changing scenery.
- Wildlife – eagles, black cockatoos, kangaroos, goats, emus.
- Rowan’s Birthday!!
More photos to follow! I took 1020 of them, but don’t worry, I won’t post them all.
