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.