Sometimes our luck runs out and in this instance it definitely wasn’t fine.  

The Tasman Sea was having a tantrum which could affect our arrival date in Sydney.  We needed to arrive on time as old friends Chris and Viv had arranged to meet us at the port terminal to take us on a ‘magical mystery tour’. 

Whilst in Hobart The Captain advised that the weather ahead was looking a tad challenging and this may affect our scheduled itinerary.  We contacted C&V and Chris explained that the plan was to drive us to The Hunter Valley to go to a music festival on the Saturday, stay over in a an AB&B and next day to go on a wine tour. The music festival was a one off event so it couldn’t be rearranged.

We kept in touch with them via the ships email with daily updates on whether we would make it but when the final decision was made by the Captain to definitely delay entry to Sydney Harbour to avoid the storm it was clear we weren’t going to make it. Tickets and accommodation had been paid for so C&V went to the festival alone and we decided to try and recover whatever we could.

We worked out that the only way we could join C&V for day 2 and what was left of the wine tour was by booking a very expensive taxi.  We rushed off the ship as soon as we were allowed and the taxi was waiting just at the terminal exit – hurrah! We should get there by lunchtime.  It was fine that the taxi was there, but it wasn’t fine that the driver had the most terrible BO and we were stuck in a confined space with him for 2 hours. Pah!

We arrived at the lunch venue at exactly the same time as the wine tour – all was not lost!  It was great to see C&V and we spent a pleasant afternoon tasting wine, chocolate and cheese.  The accommodation was lovely and set in expansive grounds and we were joined by a herd of kangaroos in the evening.  We also spotted a joey’s head peeking out of his mum’s pouch, apologies for the quality of the pic.

After leaving the Hunter Valley on Monday we had a couple of days with them at their place in Avalon Beach, north of Sydney.  We always have fun with them, and we are looking forward to catching up again when they come over this year to see Viv’s family.  Thanks C&V for booking everything, it’s just a pity we couldn’t enjoy the full experience together.

Long train running

As you know we’re getting on with ticking items off the bucket list and decided to take one of the world’s top train journeys.  We were going to ride The Indian Pacific Railway all the way from Sydney to Perth in Western Australia.  Almost 4 days, 3 nights, on a luxury train with several excursions, gastronomic dining and quality drinks all included.  Very expansive, mighty expensive, but we are on a mission and so what the hell, it had to be done. It was also a journey taken by Michael Portillo on his trip to Australia, and looked wonderful.

However, the night before the trip started we received an email advising us to get to the station extra early, as there had been a last minute change of plan.  Due to strikes, the train was not going to start at Sydney so we needed to get there early to be bussed out to catch the train elsewhere.  Pah! This wasn’t fine –  we weren’t going to have the advertised champagne and canapes in the station followed by a gourmet lunch with free flowing drinks on board.  Regular readers will recall that UK train strikes have affected many of our journeys so we couldn’t believe it was happening to us in Oz.

Chris kindly agreed to drive us to the station and we set off early through the morning rush hour before we said our goodbyes.  After a short wait to check in we headed into the café for simple sandwiches and coffee while we waited for the bus.  Inside we met Russell and Annmaree.  What a lovely couple, we liked them, we just hit it off immediately.  As we were summoned to catch our allotted bus, we realised that the train was segmented and that we were to be on a different bus and a different section to them……..bugger!

The bus took us up through the Blue Mountains which we had been to before, but they are stunningly beautiful, so all was not lost.  We stopped for a comfort and sightseeing break and, as you do, made our way to get a beer and a glass of warm bubbly (the place wasn’t great).  Who should walk by? Russell and Annmaree…..spooky. 

We finally arrived at the station of departure, Littleton, which was totally devoid of facilities and, annoyingly, personnel from the tour company.  Anyway, trying to make the most of the boredom, and in the knowledge that we were to have best part of 3 days just eating and drinking, we set about doing laps of the platform to get some exercise.  After several false alarms and more delays we eventually boarded the train to realise just how the train was to be segmented.  It was a kilometer long and was split into sections of 3 private cabins which were each serviced by a lounge bar cabin and a dining cabin.  R&A were in a different area which was a pity but because you met the same few people each morning, lunch and evening it was extremely sociable, and both the food and drink were mighty good.  We soon made friends with the lovely barman and after a few drinks and a lovely dinner we settled in.

Our luxury accommodation was a tad on the small side but came with its own very small ensuite.  It might have been compact but it was comfortable and was converted from a day sofa to two bunks in the evening by the train staff. 

Our first stop the next morning was intended to be at the mining town of Broken Hill, somewhere we intended to visit in the motor home a few years ago but decided against it as it was ‘just too darned hot’!  However, as the train was running late, we only had time to stop while the train took on fuel and water.  This meant that the excursion we had booked, a walking tour of the town with drag queen Shelita Buffet, was cancelled.  However, all was not lost as the train company arranged for her to join the train to provide some entertainment on the way to Adelaide.

We spotted her on the platform and took the opportunity for a quick photo and a chat.  We’re not sure if it’s the banter that we had with her on the platform, but she took an instant liking to Neil and used him as a foil for her act.  Neil being Neil had a lot of banter with her whilst we’re pretty sure that some people didn’t really know what to make of the lovely Shelita.  We played a silly game of bingo, had a quiz, both winning prizes, a fridge magnet for Neil and a baseball cap for Cheryl.  She sang and she just strutted her stuff, and she made us laugh.  After her performance, she sat down and had a drink with us all and we ended up with an intimate Q&A session where she candidly answered all our questions just chatted about her life, her story – it was excellent. 

Adelaide was to be our next stop and we opted for the tour including wine tasting at a vineyard in the McClaren Vale followed by dinner at a restaurant overlooking the sea.  Guess who we sat with?

The next day we stopped at Cook, a ghost town.  Yup, it was a real ghost town, and one that once had a school and a hospital which was set up in 1917 in the Nullabour Plain to service the railway.  It’s around 800km from anywhere and it relied on two trains a week to bring supplies.  Sadly, in 1997 with privatisation of the railway and general technological changes it was to die, quickly.  It made an eerie visit, old schoolhouse, hospital and sports facilities all just falling foul of the elements which, in the Nullabour Plain, are quite hostile.  An interesting fact about the train and the plain, it’s home to the longest piece of straight railway track in the world at 478km or 297 miles.

That evening we stopped at Rawlinna, a remote outpost on the edge of Australia’s largest sheep station, where we enjoyed a fabulous long-table dinner under the stars.  It was just an awesome event with some excellent BBQ food, drinks and live music.  There was a bonus, somehow amongst the hundreds of people on the train, we managed to meet up with Russell and Annmaree and spend the evening with them.  This was beginning to make us think that this was a meeting that was meant to be.

Finally, we arrived in Perth and our train sojourn came to an end.  Apart from the rocky start the rest had been just so good.  The food and drinks were top notch, the people we met had interesting tales to tell and we had a lot of fun experiences along the way.    We had travelled 4352km from the East Coast of Australia to the West.  We went through 3 time zones.  We spent hours just watching the scenery go through subtle and not so subtle changes, and spotted the occasional Emu or Kangaroo.  The most intriguing sight was the endless nothingness of the Nullaboor Plain, Nullaboor means no trees and it was a very good description. We thank our lucky stars that we are fortunate enough to be able to afford it. 

Once we had left the train, we set about trying to find Russell and Annmaree to say our goodbyes.  Let’s not forget that the train was 1 km long and home to hundreds of people all trying to find a bus, a taxi or loved ones that had come to pick them up.  R&A were from Perth, they were home, so it was highly likely that somebody would come and collect them. 

We had almost given up when Neil saw Russell who was trying to do the same, say goodbye.  We all had hugs and said goodbye until next time, perhaps.  Suddenly, Russell announced that tomorrow was Australia Day and that a few of the people from their train segment were getting together at a hotel in South Perth to celebrate and generally say ‘it was a pleasure to meet you’.  Would we like to go too?  Is the pope a Catholic?

Until next time……