Perusing Perth, Western Australia

Kitchen of Monica and Steve's temporary home: Jared, Monica, AD, Ret, Gem (me in front)

Our train ride on the Indian Pacific terminated in Perth at around 9am on a Saturday morning. We were excited to see Gemma & Bill waiting to whisk us to King's Park for a coffee and chat to catch up. The hotel we had booked was only 2 blocks from niece Monica's home where Gemma & Bill were staying, so it was very convenient. The fact that it was also walking distance to a lovely big shopping centre was an added bonus. On our first night in Perth, Monica & Steve invited us to dinner, and met us at the door with a bottle of Moet Champagne. Very special indeed! We had the chance to wander across the road to check out where they will be living for the next 12 months while their home is demolished and rebuilt. After a delicious family dinner, we walked back to our hotel and fancy that, we started a game of Rummy King. I think we finally played the last game at midnight. This was repeated on every night to follow.

Although we did play numerous games of Rummy King on the trip, we allocated some time to see a bit of the Perth environs! Bill drove us 40 mins down south to Rockingham to have a very enjoyable dinner with some long lost cousins - Margot Biddle and her husband Paul Harris. What wonderful hosts! Their back deck was ideally located to catch the sea breeze. On another day we visited Fremantle on the coast, and walked around the Maritime Museum and the Round House. The Round House was built in 1831 as a gaol and was Western Australia's first permanent building. Apparently you can't visit Freyo (as Fremantle is known) without having fish and chips at Kailis on the waterfront, so we didn't want to break with tradition. They lived up to their reputation, although we almost melted in the heat - I think it was in the high 30's C (100 + F) that day. Thankfully that night we were invited to a BBQ with friends of the family, and they had a very inviting pool which got a lot of use. Thanks Peta and Mike! Personally I preferred to chill off internally with some champagnes! An old nursing remedy that did the trick!

FIsh and Chips at Kailis

AD and Gemma wandering back from the lighthouse

After 3 days in Perth, AD, Gem, Ret and I headed south for 3 days at Margaret River - a region known for its famous wines, amongst other things. We took a drive to the western most point of southern Western Australia to the Cape Leeuwin Lighthouse, sited where the Indian and Southern Oceans meet. On the way back to our delightful Heritages Accommodation, we drove through the Karri Forest. The trees are among some of the world's tallest hardwoods and survive an average of 300 years. During our stay we visited a candle shop, a chocolate factory, a silk warehouse, a Berry Farm (without seeing the usual blue wrens that frequent the place - so Gem bought me a gel sticker for my window instead!) and the odd cafe or two.

Wine tasting the conventional way!

Wine tasting Ryall girl fashion - straight from the vine

Breakfast at White Elephant Cafe on our last morning in Margaret River

We kindly gave Gemma some quiet time by disappearing each evening after dinner to play Rummy King

The Busselton Jetty is less than an hour north of Margaret River and is the longest wooden structure in the southern hemisphere. It reaches almost 2 km (1.2 miles) out to sea and has a rail line along the length of it. There is also an underwater observatory at the end which descends 8 metres (26 feet) below sea level.

A delightful stop in at Busselton Jetty

Our sister Rosemary wasn't with us, but this sign was! She was with us in spirit. 

All good things must come to an end, but we knew more delights awaited us in Perth. We dropped Gem off then checked into our hotel - Miss Maud's Swedish Hotel right in the middle of the city. Ret was due to fly back to the Gold Coast that night, but before she needed to be at the airport we met up with the family at their favourite Chinese Restaurant. It was the nicest Chinese Restaurant I have ever eaten in - the staff, decor and food were second to none.

AD out the front of Miss Maud's

Chinese dining: Gemma, Bill, Monica, Ally, Me, Ret (AD took the photo)

On Saturday AD and I made the most of the close promimity to the malls, and shopped till we dropped. Then on Sunday we walked up to the beautiful St Mary's Cathedral where the Archbishop said Mass. Gemma and Bill were singled out to take up the Offertory.

Gemma and Bill with the Archbishop

Sunday was our last day in Perth, so after Mass Gem and Bill drove AD and I to King's Park so that we could walk in the Botanical Gardens and get a bird's eye view of Perth. It was quite a hot day, so we didn't linger too long. We were glad to get back to our airconditioned room and pack our suitcases prior to having a delicious smorgasbord dinner as part of the hotel accommodation. We sampled both the breakfast and dinner buffets in the Hotel, and have never seen anything like it in any other hotel. Amazing. 

Our flight left Perth at 11.30pm and 4.5 hours later, Murray was picking us up at Gold Coast airport. Tired but very happy little vegimites. We made it home in plenty of time to prepare to celebrate AD's 89th birthday coming up on 30th January!

AD taking a photo from Kings Park - click on the photo to see it better!

A Very Special Train Trip

Recently my Aunty Dympna (lovingly abbreviated to 'AD'), my younger sister Loretta and myself excitedly boarded a train, the Indian Pacific (named after the two oceans it travels between), for a 3 day train journey from Sydney (New South Wales) across the country to Perth (capital of Western Australia - a total of 4352 kms (2698 miles). We kicked off with complimentary champagne before settling into our twin Gold Class cabins which were next door to each other. The cabins had an ensuite, and were prime examples of an efficient use of space. Our meals were served in The Queen Adelaide Dining Car, and it was a wonderful experience to sit with loved ones, choosing meals from a great selection of gourmet dishes, while watching the Australian landscape go past the window as we dined. We watched a herd of wild camels scatter as the train rolled past, saw a few wild dingoes in Cook, some emus, several kangaroos, sheep, horses, cows and goats. While we were at breakfast each morning the cabin steward converted our bunk beds into a sitting room, and each evening did the reverse and made up our beds. At 6am the steward delivered tea/coffee if you arranged it the night before. One of the special parts of each morning was when my sister brought her pillow down from her top bunk to join me on the lower bunk and as as sat up and sipped our tea, we marvelled at the sunrise or the changing view, but more than anything, we just appreciated 'the now'. Very special. My aunt had taken along her game of Rummy King and enjoyed teaching me the game and the three of us played it in the dining car for several hours a day. The game entertained us in between looking out for wedge-tail eagles (often seen soaring near the train) and other animals as we sped across the Nullarbor. 

An official photo of the Indian Pacific and better than anything I could take from inside!

Our route from the Pacific Ocean in Sydney to the Indian Ocean in Perth

On the platform at Broken Hill

Official photo of the lounge car where we had our pre-dinner drinks

Complimentary champagne in the lounge car to kick start the trip

Breakfast in the dining car - a bit dark, but if I lighten the foreground, I lose the scene out the window

The train only had a few stops where we had the opportunity to get off. The first one was in Broken Hill where we only had about 30 mins (instead of 2 hours) to wander on the platform as the train had hit 22 kangaroos during the night, and one had damaged the air brakes resulting in a 2 hr delay overnight. We had a few hours stopover in the city of Adelaide, and took the opportunity to catch a taxi into the city. We also had a short stop in a siding called Cook where only 4 people live. The train drivers change here - with the driver having a 2 day stopover and rest before relieving the next driver. The only stop where we actually did a tour was in Kalgoorlie, a major gold mining city in West Australia. The sun was just setting as our train pulled in, and within a short time it was dark so it was difficult to see the historical buildings our bus tour guide was pointing out to us. Part of the tour included a visit to the Open Cut Gold Mine that is 3.6 kilometres (2.2 mi) long, 1.6 kilometres (1.0 mi) wide and 512 metres (1,680 ft) deep. A massive business that operates 24/7 and is the major employer in the town as employees have to live locally, unlike many of the fly in, fly out mines in the state. 

Stopover at Cook to change drivers

Some of the scenery along the track

AD took this photo of sunrise on the Nullarbor

Note pink setting sun at end of train platform on our arrival in Kalgoorlie

Our twin cabin - day view. Ensuite door on left. 

During the trip we got to chat with several couples as we enjoyed a pre-dinner champagne. It was interesting to hear where they were from and what brought them on the trip. One couple had done the trip five times - they just love it. For me it was a wonderful, one-off experience that I would recommend doing, but not necessarily one that I would need to repeat without a good reason. I was pleasantly surprised to find I had reception on my iPhone for 95% of the trip. There were only a few areas where I had no signal, but the lack of signal never seemed to last very long. I was able to take phone calls, text, FB and play WWF throughout the whole trip. Thanks Telstra.