Read, Write, Ramble

  Day 8 July 31, 2023 I have proven the age-old adage that ‘familiarity breeds contempt.’ It was Rottnest Island day at last. All I had wanted to do was to see Quokkas, since someone, in the early planning stages of our trip, had suggested we might travel to Rottnest while in Perth. I was excited. Quokkas had always seemed so impossibly cute, and I was going to meet some in the wild at long last. We had carefully planned our route and plotted the transport options, pre-booking ferry tickets and synchronising our watches for an early start. We were all up and ready at the appointed time and everything went smoothly. We caught the local bus (just!) and made it to the ferry terminal at Elizabeth Quay with plenty of time to spare for coffee before boarding.   It was a bright sunny day, and we enjoyed the leisurely cruise down the river with informative commentary, as far as Freemantle. Then began the must faster open ocean leg to Rottnest Island. Some of us enjoyed the oce...

Day 7 July 30, 2023   It is amazing how quickly your body can adapt to something – I almost missed the motion of the bed last night; I had become so accustomed to the movement of the train alternately rocking me to sleep and jolting me awake! I was awake early, so dressed and quietly let myself out of the house for an early morning walk by the Swan River. I managed to navigate myself to the river and found a pleasant bushland path to follow in the light drizzle, before looping back along the highway, to the underpass and making it home in time for breakfast. We found a bus to catch into town, where we were meeting up at the ‘Cactus’ for a private walking tour with a guide from a company called, Oh Hey! WA. The website promised us the ultimate Perth walking tour featuring history, architecture, art, local insights and more. The ‘more’ included quirky stories, fun facts and many recommendations for places to eat and bars to visit. Our tour guide Alex certainly delivered on al...

  Day 6 July 29, 2023   Today marked the end of our journey on the Indian Pacific. We began, as we had for the previous two days, with coffee in the lounge before moving to the dining car for breakfast. Following breakfast, we moved back to the lounge for another coffee and time spent reading and chatting. The countryside had changed considerably since last night. We were now in the wheat belt of Western Australia. The land was undulating and dotted by large areas of salt lakes, a consequence of clearing the land for cropping. The crops seemed to be mainly canola, which was surprisingly already in flower. Following lunch, it was time to pack our bags, ensuring nothing was left behind in our cabins, and say our goodbyes to our fellow travellers and the staff who had worked tirelessly to make our trip both enjoyable and memorable. As we grew gradually closer to Perth, the terrain changed, becoming hilly as we followed the river Avon, known for its white water rafti...

  Day 5 July 28, 2023   We had a leisurely start to the day today and the general consensus was that we had all experienced a better night’s sleep, our bodies having become accustomed to the rhythm of the train and the track being a great deal smoother. However, I did find I would wake up whenever anything changed, such as the train stopping for any reason, or another train passing us in the night. Following breakfast we spent the morning sitting in the lounge, alternately enjoying the view, reading, chatting, or sipping coffee as we grew ever increasingly closer to that great treeless plain known as the Nullarbor. By the middle of the day we were at Cook – a once thriving railway community, now a ghost town, with only a few occupied residences provided for ARTC employees. The old school had been left, with bike racks still in place and scattered toys in the playground. The old swimming pool had been filled in but the shell was evident; nothing remained of the old ho...

  Day 4 July 27, 2023   It was an early start this morning, after a rough and sleepless night, as the tap on the door heralded our imminent arrival in Broken Hill at 6am. This caused a hustle to get dressed and down to the lounge for the first coffee of the day, prior to disembarking for a walking tour of the city. Our ‘Main Drag Walking Tour’ (aptly named when you saw our tour guide, Shelita Buffet) was an interesting and informative look at the historical buildings and those who had been instrumental in developing the city. As the home of Pro Hart, there were also many of his sculptures dotted around, themed on the mining history of the area. Back on board, it was time for breakfast, followed by coffee in the lounge and a relaxing session of reading, chatting and watching the world go by. There were kangaroo sightings, emus and plenty of sheep, many of which were freshly shorn and looking nice and white. The unshorn sheep were decidedly red in colour, a reflection ...

  Day 3 July 26, 2023   It seemed to be a more peaceful night in our corner of the city, which was more conducive to sleep than our first night. Of course, all the walking we did yesterday may have helped with that too. We woke to more Sydney sunshine and organised ourselves and our bags for the next leg of our adventure, which, as it involves travel on the Indian Pacific, means we have to check our bigger bags onto the luggage car and can only take small carry-on bags on board. This involves some careful planning and judicious packing. Once organised we checked out and deposited our bags in the lobby for collection later in the morning. We then set off to find Hyde Park for coffee and morning tea. On the way we wandered through the very old Museum Station, which is reminiscent of the London Underground stations. The Foys Department Store takes up the whole block above the station and although now, it houses some government offices, looks largely unoccupied. Foys was...

  Day 2 July 25, 2023   In the absence of overalled men battering down our doors, or walls, this morning, we had a leisurely breakfast and made plans for the day. We set off around 9am to walk to Circular Quay, a half hour journey, in bright Sydney sunshine.   Arriving at the harbour hub, where ferries and a variety of other vessels ply the water back and forth in a constant pattern of journey and return journey, we waited for the next Manly Ferry. We were very soon ensconced on the outdoor aft deck enjoying the views of a sparkling harbour, with all its iconic attractions, as the ferry carried us away from the Opera House and Harbour Bridge to another Sydney icon, cosmopolitan Manly and its breathtaking beach and ocean views. We arrived a little windblown and set off on a mission to find a bakery that had been recommended to us for morning tea. With the help of Google Maps I navigated us to the cute bakery called Rollers (thanks Phi!) tucked away in a hidden la...

  Day 1 July 24, 2023   Today was officially the first day of our epic WA holiday and it was mainly spent getting from home to Sydney, in readiness for the beginning of the train trip on Wednesday. Our uber (aka Tyrone and Raewyn) arrived at the appointed time and we left Campbells Creek on the dot of 8am, arriving at Melbourne airport in plenty of time for car parking, bag drop, Raewyn to lose and recover her phone, and second breakfast in the Qantas lounge. With a one-hour delay on our flight, there was almost time for third breakfast! Arriving in Sydney mid-afternoon, we opted for a taxi ride to the Oaks in Castlereagh st, where we settled in before taking a walk down to Central Station to purchase Opal cards, admire the grandeur of the building and then go for a wander to familiarise ourselves with the area. We soon found ourselves outside what we figured was an Irish pub, with a name like Maloneys, it had to be, right? We settled in with drinks and then decided ...