THE INDIAN PACIFIC RAIL JOURNEY
This is considered one of the premier rail journeys in the world. 3 full days, travelling 2,720 miles across all of Australia by train. A train full of people that see the journey itself as the key reason not the place one is going to. And, no surprise, but to my delight, I am one of the youngest on board!
| My little roomette is above the “Pacific.” |
 |
| The photo is larger than the room. 3 days, but it really was very efficient. You just had to be organized, |
Within 3 hours out of Sydney, we have crossed the Blue Mountains and entered the outback. After travelling all night, we are still in Sydney’s state, New South Wales. They are giant states over here!
| Leaving the Blue Mountains and entering the outback |
 |
||||
Sunset on the first night. It was a full moon so you could actually see quite a bit all night. Which is good as you do not sleep terribly soundly on a train.
|
After about 24 hours, the train arrives in Adelaide, South Australia for a few hours of sightseeing. Adelaide is laid out in a very organized fashion with parks fully surrounding the city. In the brief time there it seemed very impressive and worth going back some time.
 |
| Univ of South Australia in Adelaide. Beautiful old buildings. |
| A cricket match in the city park. So, they actually play this game! |
After dinner, we start out for the true outback, the Nullabor Plain. (It literally means “no tree”) There is no way to describe in words the vastness and emptiness of it. It is 77,000 square miles in size, (essentially Minnesota) with just nothing there. The rail line has a stretch of the longest straight track in the world, 300 miles. It can be seen from space due to the straightness of it.
Maybe the best way to describe this area is that I awoke to it and when it got dark at the end of the day, we were still in it!
| Entering the Nullabor plain |
 |
| A very typical view of the plain. |
 |
| A dry salt lake. |
| A whistle stop on the route, Cook, SA. Unfortunately, not enough people complied and the hospital is gone. There are 4 residents left, and I saw 2 of them. totally weird place. |
| I am not sure if these are historically legit or just for the tourists. |
| This poor tree did not get the memo that there are no trees here. |
| Late afternoon sky over the Nullabor.
But, all things come to an end and we did arrive in Perth midafternoon of day three. Quite an experience with some great people, nearly all Australian. I spent much time with a wonderful woman from the Brisbane area, a few dinners with a cattle ranching family from Melbourne and a recently retired sheep sheerer from Perth.
|
All science fiction films should be shot in that amazing Nullabor plains area. So alien like especially for the those of us that live amongst the trees and mountains. All that open space-amazing.
Wow, glad you got that off your bucket list! That Nullabor Plain looks enough to drive a man to drink! And get hemorrhoids!