So this is the end of my big overland rail trip from London to Australia & its lived up to everything I expected.
Would I do it again: - absolutely.
Is there anything I would change: - in the grand scheme no, except maybe crossing into Laos while I was so close. I would probably do some more pre-planning for Australia & be prepared for it being much more expensive than on my previous visits.
The best bits: - meeting the Grannies film crew in Russia, drinking good 12p beer in Hoi An, I loved Mongolia & Cambodia, they both deserved more time. My favourate part of Australia on this trip has to be Broken Hill - a real insight into non-indigenous outback Australia & I could easily have spent another week there.
The worst bits: - the almost impossible last minute accommodation search in Perth where I seriously contemplated sleeping in the car.
Getting a one-way flight back to London wasnt easy as most airlines wanted to charge the same price as a return ticket, which is outrageous. Emirates had the best price for a quality airline & they had the best entertainment system I've ever seen - endless brilliant music to build into a persoanl playlist that lasted most of the journey. And loads of current & old movies that I actually wanted to watch as opposed to staring at out of boredom. And, unbelievably the food was actually good. This is a bit annoying really as I'll never be able to cast blanket aspersions about airline food again - but how come so many airlines still serve slop when its clearly possible to serve decent food?
London is wonderfully cold & misty - its great to be home.
Monday, 21 November 2011
Perth to London
Friday, 18 November 2011
Southern West Australia
Having previously travelled the northern part of West Australia from Broom to the Mitchell Plateau, this time I thought I'd explore the lush south-west. I hired a car in Perth & drove down to Mandurah which was a bit too many boardwalks & marinas for my liking so I carried on to Bussleton. I spent a couple of nights at the Paradise Motel - a bit of a mis-use of the English language, but it was still better than my Sydney hotel & half the price.
Its late spring here (November) & the weather is surprisingly blustery with occasional short showers but its pleasantly warm & much nicer than the scorching heat of high summer.
Bussleton has the look of a wonderfully old fashioned seaside town, all low-rise buildings, a high street without boring multinational chain stores & a beautifully uncluttered beach. The beach front has a cafe, bar, ice cream parlour & a children's playground but none of the tat & commercialism that sadly litter every seaside town in the UK.
Well back from the beach front there are several motels, taverns, supermarkets, caravan & camping areas & a row of the usual fast food joints.
Bussleton is in Geographe Bay which is a good whale watching location, especially from the end of the unbelievably mile long jetty. Its so long that a little train runs to the end where an underwater observatory is the year round attraction.
I made a daytrip down to Margaret River, passing many of the 120 vineyards of the region but the town was just a disappointing tourist shopping street, I'm not sure what I was expecting, but it wasnt that. A few other people I met also said how disappointed they were with the town. Maybe its because the wine has made Margaret River such a famous name that visitors expect something special.
I went out to Surfers Point at the end of the actual Margaret River where there were good breakers & some enthusiastic surfers. The tiny village of Prevelly sounded so Cornish that I had to take a look & it did have a Cornish air - a sweeping bay, lovely sand, backed with large dunes, rolling surf & rocky headlands.
I headed on further south to Walpole a coastal town on the Southern Ocean to see the giant Red Tingle forests, some of the trees are 450 years old! It was a glorious drive through seemingly endless forest & I only passed 1 vehicle all the way.
The southern landscape is rich & green, heavily wooded in places & well tended in others with wheat, cattle, vines & orchards. The landscape has a familar look to a European eye, until closer inspection shows that trees, bushes & grasses are all completely different species.
Walpole looks to be a significant town on the map but its incredibly tiny with just 2 motels & a dozen very practical shops - hardware, agricultural supplies, grocers etc but it manages to have a well staffed tourist office. There's no pub just bars & restaurants in the motels but at doesnt matter as all the charms of the area are along the coast or the inland forests.
A few miles east of Walpole is the famous tree top walk - The Valley of the Giants. The Red Tingle trees are said to be the largest & the most ancient of the Eucalyptus tree family. The walk through the grove of gnarled veteran trees is rather haunting when its deserted & the 40m high canopy walk is a novel experience - looking down onto a woodland. Unfortunately, noisy visitors ensure that any interesting wildlife are kept well away.
My final destination was Albany which is a charming small town (officially its a city) & West Australia's first European settlement. The towns tourist information office directed me to the Albany View B&B which was a spacious suite - the nicest & the best value accommodation I've had in Australia. Strangely all 3 sets of fellow guests were visitors from the UK.
Albany is an excellent base for exploring the region as its got plenty of bars, restaurants, coffee shops, general stores & what a treat to be able to freely park in the attractive High street. The rugged coastline has lots of scenic drives, some leading to fabulous deserted beaches & others to the well known Mount Barker vineyards.
In 1914 Albany's vast King George Sound was filled with a fleet of 40 transport ships & five naval escort vessels waiting to transport 30,000 men to Gallipoli; most were never to return. Because Albany was their last sight of Australia the city has become Australia's ANZAC memorial capital.
Albany is a great whale watching location from June to October & it used to be a busy whaling port but now the old whaling station has been turned into a museum that graphically shows exactly what whaling was all about.
I returned to Perth on the 16th & had my worst day of the whole trip. A friendly cop from Williams gave me a speeding ticket for exceeding the limit by a few mph on a deserted, arrow straight stretch of road in the middle of nowhere. Then, when I arrived in Perth I couldnt find any accommodation - everywhere was full. I tried every hotel in Fremantle & Cottesloe & then circled Perth looking for non-existant motels.
Eventually I drove into a motel on the Great Eastern Highway that declared it had No Vacancies. In desperation at 9.30pm I was going to ask for suggestions but the receptionist was in the mist of a telephone argument with a pending guest & luckily for me he swore at her - so she gave me his room - thank heavens for gormless halfwits!
I couldnt stir up much enthusiasm for exploring Perth, I was put off by the street parking fee requirements & being stopped & breathalysed for no apparent reason. But its probably that I'm just about travelled out & want to go home.
Its late spring here (November) & the weather is surprisingly blustery with occasional short showers but its pleasantly warm & much nicer than the scorching heat of high summer.
Bussleton has the look of a wonderfully old fashioned seaside town, all low-rise buildings, a high street without boring multinational chain stores & a beautifully uncluttered beach. The beach front has a cafe, bar, ice cream parlour & a children's playground but none of the tat & commercialism that sadly litter every seaside town in the UK.
Well back from the beach front there are several motels, taverns, supermarkets, caravan & camping areas & a row of the usual fast food joints.
Bussleton is in Geographe Bay which is a good whale watching location, especially from the end of the unbelievably mile long jetty. Its so long that a little train runs to the end where an underwater observatory is the year round attraction.
I made a daytrip down to Margaret River, passing many of the 120 vineyards of the region but the town was just a disappointing tourist shopping street, I'm not sure what I was expecting, but it wasnt that. A few other people I met also said how disappointed they were with the town. Maybe its because the wine has made Margaret River such a famous name that visitors expect something special.
I went out to Surfers Point at the end of the actual Margaret River where there were good breakers & some enthusiastic surfers. The tiny village of Prevelly sounded so Cornish that I had to take a look & it did have a Cornish air - a sweeping bay, lovely sand, backed with large dunes, rolling surf & rocky headlands.
I headed on further south to Walpole a coastal town on the Southern Ocean to see the giant Red Tingle forests, some of the trees are 450 years old! It was a glorious drive through seemingly endless forest & I only passed 1 vehicle all the way.
The southern landscape is rich & green, heavily wooded in places & well tended in others with wheat, cattle, vines & orchards. The landscape has a familar look to a European eye, until closer inspection shows that trees, bushes & grasses are all completely different species.
Walpole looks to be a significant town on the map but its incredibly tiny with just 2 motels & a dozen very practical shops - hardware, agricultural supplies, grocers etc but it manages to have a well staffed tourist office. There's no pub just bars & restaurants in the motels but at doesnt matter as all the charms of the area are along the coast or the inland forests.
A few miles east of Walpole is the famous tree top walk - The Valley of the Giants. The Red Tingle trees are said to be the largest & the most ancient of the Eucalyptus tree family. The walk through the grove of gnarled veteran trees is rather haunting when its deserted & the 40m high canopy walk is a novel experience - looking down onto a woodland. Unfortunately, noisy visitors ensure that any interesting wildlife are kept well away.
My final destination was Albany which is a charming small town (officially its a city) & West Australia's first European settlement. The towns tourist information office directed me to the Albany View B&B which was a spacious suite - the nicest & the best value accommodation I've had in Australia. Strangely all 3 sets of fellow guests were visitors from the UK.
Albany is an excellent base for exploring the region as its got plenty of bars, restaurants, coffee shops, general stores & what a treat to be able to freely park in the attractive High street. The rugged coastline has lots of scenic drives, some leading to fabulous deserted beaches & others to the well known Mount Barker vineyards.
In 1914 Albany's vast King George Sound was filled with a fleet of 40 transport ships & five naval escort vessels waiting to transport 30,000 men to Gallipoli; most were never to return. Because Albany was their last sight of Australia the city has become Australia's ANZAC memorial capital.
Albany is a great whale watching location from June to October & it used to be a busy whaling port but now the old whaling station has been turned into a museum that graphically shows exactly what whaling was all about.
I returned to Perth on the 16th & had my worst day of the whole trip. A friendly cop from Williams gave me a speeding ticket for exceeding the limit by a few mph on a deserted, arrow straight stretch of road in the middle of nowhere. Then, when I arrived in Perth I couldnt find any accommodation - everywhere was full. I tried every hotel in Fremantle & Cottesloe & then circled Perth looking for non-existant motels.
Eventually I drove into a motel on the Great Eastern Highway that declared it had No Vacancies. In desperation at 9.30pm I was going to ask for suggestions but the receptionist was in the mist of a telephone argument with a pending guest & luckily for me he swore at her - so she gave me his room - thank heavens for gormless halfwits!
I couldnt stir up much enthusiasm for exploring Perth, I was put off by the street parking fee requirements & being stopped & breathalysed for no apparent reason. But its probably that I'm just about travelled out & want to go home.
Sydney to Perth
I finally made it from London to Sydney & with no significant hitches; but its not the absolute end of my trip as I decided to travel the entire length the Indian-Pacific from Sydney to Perth.
The train is full to capacity although shorter than usual & many of the passengers are groups that have been on a ocean cruise around Australia & are now on route back to Perth by train.
The Indian-Pacific is one of the world's great train journeys, crossing the Australian continent from east to west, from the Pacific Ocean to the Indian Ocean. I'm backtracking my route to Adelaide but this time in the greater comfort of Gold class.
The difference between Gold & Red sleeper/seat is enormous a bit like staying in a nice hotel verses camping. Red service has not frills - communal showers & toilets are at the end of the carriage & a canteen style carriage sells drinks, snacks or ready meals although some people bring a picnic.
Gold passengers on the other hand have private cabins which convert from daytime seats into nightime beds, twin shares have ensuite shower & toilet although single cabins have to share shower & toilets with other passengers in their carriage. There is a comfortable lounge & bar as well as a separate restaurant quality dining carriage for breakfast, lunch & dinner which is inclusive with a Gold ticket.
An interesting half way house is a Red Sleeper cabin which has all the benefits of a small private cabin with proper bunk beds but none of the ensuite or dining frills.
I opted for the early dining sitting which were 7am, noon & 7pm. The food was consistently good with a excellent choice including fish, kangaroo & vegetarian options, all of which are freshly prepared onboard & served at tables for 4.
Breakfast was comprehensive & lunch excellent but they pull out the stops in the evening. A typical dinner menu starts with regional wines - Hunter Valley & Adelaide Hills from Sydney to Adelaide & then Margaret River & Swan Valley selections on the run into Perth. Starters included smoked salmon or Lentil soup, mains included pepper steak on sliced potatoes, various vegetables followed by a sticky or chocolaty desert or a regional cheese plate.
I took the Whistlestop tour at Adelaide but I'm afraid it was a dull & uninspiring script delivered by a bored driver. Nothing like the the interesting characters running the tours at Broken Hill who were chatty, enthusiastic & full of stories about people & sprinkled with fascinating little snippets of history.
We entered the formidable Nullarbor Plain around 8.30 next morning. This ancient seafloor is pancake flat in every direction, limestone rocks lay scattered like discarded builders rubble & only the grey/green tufts of saltbush & spinifex seem able to withstand the searing heat. I was thinking what a bleak & barren landscape it was until the train made an emergency stop as we hit a herd of camels. I saw at least a dozen camels making off at speed on either side of the train but at least one never made it. Camels released after the railroad was built unexpectedly thrived in Australia's harsh interior, they have multiplied & are now numbered in the 10's of thousand. Wedge tailed eagles soar & swoop in the sky, which suggests there must be plenty of small creatures for them to eat - so its just bleak & barren to us humans.
The ghost town of Cook is in the middle of the Nullarbor, now with just 2 residents to help refuel & re-water the train & provide accommodation for change-over drivers. It used to be a thriving railway town & still has the remnants of small town life - rows of houses, rusted vehicles, a school, hospital, a sand filled swimming pool & a 9 hole golf course without a blade of grass. Now its home to migrating sparrows & swallows although the real owners are flys.
Looking south just after Cook its possible to see little specks of traffic moving east & west, crossing Australia on the Eyre Highway - a formidable road trip.
We arrive in Kalgoolie around 7pm, some people take a trip to the Big Pit, one of the most productive gold mines in the world, some of us visit one of the many pubs in town but no one admits visiting the famous Kalgoolie whore house. Back on the train the bar closed just after 9pm, bringing an abrupt end to the simmering party mood of the cruise crowd who had been travelling together for the past 2 weeks.
Next morning we wake to the rolling farmland of southern West Australia, an amazing contrast to the Nullarbor & the train arrives at East Perth station spot on time.
The train is full to capacity although shorter than usual & many of the passengers are groups that have been on a ocean cruise around Australia & are now on route back to Perth by train.
The Indian-Pacific is one of the world's great train journeys, crossing the Australian continent from east to west, from the Pacific Ocean to the Indian Ocean. I'm backtracking my route to Adelaide but this time in the greater comfort of Gold class.
The difference between Gold & Red sleeper/seat is enormous a bit like staying in a nice hotel verses camping. Red service has not frills - communal showers & toilets are at the end of the carriage & a canteen style carriage sells drinks, snacks or ready meals although some people bring a picnic.
Gold passengers on the other hand have private cabins which convert from daytime seats into nightime beds, twin shares have ensuite shower & toilet although single cabins have to share shower & toilets with other passengers in their carriage. There is a comfortable lounge & bar as well as a separate restaurant quality dining carriage for breakfast, lunch & dinner which is inclusive with a Gold ticket.
An interesting half way house is a Red Sleeper cabin which has all the benefits of a small private cabin with proper bunk beds but none of the ensuite or dining frills.
I opted for the early dining sitting which were 7am, noon & 7pm. The food was consistently good with a excellent choice including fish, kangaroo & vegetarian options, all of which are freshly prepared onboard & served at tables for 4.
Breakfast was comprehensive & lunch excellent but they pull out the stops in the evening. A typical dinner menu starts with regional wines - Hunter Valley & Adelaide Hills from Sydney to Adelaide & then Margaret River & Swan Valley selections on the run into Perth. Starters included smoked salmon or Lentil soup, mains included pepper steak on sliced potatoes, various vegetables followed by a sticky or chocolaty desert or a regional cheese plate.
I took the Whistlestop tour at Adelaide but I'm afraid it was a dull & uninspiring script delivered by a bored driver. Nothing like the the interesting characters running the tours at Broken Hill who were chatty, enthusiastic & full of stories about people & sprinkled with fascinating little snippets of history.
We entered the formidable Nullarbor Plain around 8.30 next morning. This ancient seafloor is pancake flat in every direction, limestone rocks lay scattered like discarded builders rubble & only the grey/green tufts of saltbush & spinifex seem able to withstand the searing heat. I was thinking what a bleak & barren landscape it was until the train made an emergency stop as we hit a herd of camels. I saw at least a dozen camels making off at speed on either side of the train but at least one never made it. Camels released after the railroad was built unexpectedly thrived in Australia's harsh interior, they have multiplied & are now numbered in the 10's of thousand. Wedge tailed eagles soar & swoop in the sky, which suggests there must be plenty of small creatures for them to eat - so its just bleak & barren to us humans.
The ghost town of Cook is in the middle of the Nullarbor, now with just 2 residents to help refuel & re-water the train & provide accommodation for change-over drivers. It used to be a thriving railway town & still has the remnants of small town life - rows of houses, rusted vehicles, a school, hospital, a sand filled swimming pool & a 9 hole golf course without a blade of grass. Now its home to migrating sparrows & swallows although the real owners are flys.
Looking south just after Cook its possible to see little specks of traffic moving east & west, crossing Australia on the Eyre Highway - a formidable road trip.
We arrive in Kalgoolie around 7pm, some people take a trip to the Big Pit, one of the most productive gold mines in the world, some of us visit one of the many pubs in town but no one admits visiting the famous Kalgoolie whore house. Back on the train the bar closed just after 9pm, bringing an abrupt end to the simmering party mood of the cruise crowd who had been travelling together for the past 2 weeks.
Next morning we wake to the rolling farmland of southern West Australia, an amazing contrast to the Nullarbor & the train arrives at East Perth station spot on time.
Thursday, 10 November 2011
Sydney to Perth
I am now on my last great train journey on the Indian-Pacific from Sydney to Perth & have stopped off at Adelaide & found that the station has free WiFi - well done Adelaide - catch up Sydney !
Sydney
Sydney is outrageously expensive, it took hours of internet searching to find a 2 star hotel that averaged $150/night, anything slightly better jumped to $300.
Sydney pubs routinely charge $5 -7 for a small local beer (half pint) unless you opt for one of the seriously dingy drinking dens & then its $4.50. I realise that beer is not a typical family guide to the weekly supermarket shop but I'm sure its a guide to general costs (in my mind). No wonder Aussies flock to Indochina where similar beer costs from 15 - 50 cents & a good quality side-street restaurant meal costs around $4.
Its amazing to find that generally it seems cheaper to live in the UK, where wages are higher, than Australia - what's happened to the Australian dream?
Incredibly the city seems to be in the dark ages for WiFi, the few places that do have it want $10/day to use it whereas supposedly backwards countries like Vietnam & Cambodia have free WiFi available in every little corner bar & cafe.
I'm doing all the usual touristy things - the Rocks, the Bridge, the Opera House, Harbour ferries, Bondi Beach - interestingly, browsing through the mountains of tourist literature they all seem to be selling the city primarily on opportunities for shopping & eating. No matter what the destination or activity, its about what you can buy & eat there - how weird is that - or is it just me?
My best eating experience was at Harry's Cafe de Wheels in Woolamaloo where I had a hot dog but it came with chilli-con-carne, mushy peas, garlic, onions, cheese & chilli sauce - an absolute mess to eat, but oh so tasty for $5.90.
Sydney seems to be a schitzophrenic place, I've not seen so many grossly over-weight people since my last visit to America's Mid West. Then, as I walked along the harbour path at Farm Cove I'd never seen so many joggers - so many that they were a serious pedestrian hazzard. From my hotel in China Town I was able to enjoy the company of Sydney's rough sleepers, many behaving very oddly - shouting & talking to invisible people, so they might be clinically schitzophrenic, but what about all the rest?
I climbed aboard a 333 bus from the city to Bondi Beach & was promptly thrown off, with some glee, by the bus driver. None of the useless tourist literature tells visitors they have to buy a ticket from somewhere else before boarding a bus. After trying 3 shops I eventually bought a $3.50 ticket & boarded the next bus to Bondi which was a 380 - that did bloody well sell tickets - what a shambles for visitors! I've got leaflets of where I can buy or eat anything under the sun but nothing about how to use the impressive but mysterious city transport system.
What a fabulous beach Bondi is - pristine pale yellow sand, modest sized breakers although surf boards seemed more for posing than riding the waves. There was plenty of lifeguard activity - helicopter, beach buggy & jet-ski patrols as well as training & I saw the first ambulatory policeman seen since landing in Oz. Bondi is pretty busy midweek, mostly girls sunbathing & retirees stolling the promenade.
After a beer & a paddle I caught the 380 onwards to Watson's Bay for some of Doyles famous Barramundi & chips beside a lovely little sandy bay that is perfect for small childten as its on the harbour side (not the Pacific) so has no breakers. Actually I had better Baramundi in Darwin but Doyles has possibly the best restuarant views in town.
The regular ferry service ($5) took me back to Circular Quay, with fantastic views of the Opera House & the Bridge - completing a nice circular tour at a fraction of the price of an organised tour. I had planned to take the free city circular bus (555) but instead walked down Pitt Street to look at what turned out to be insanely overpriced opals -$4-6,500 for something quite nice!
So that's Sydney.
Sydney pubs routinely charge $5 -7 for a small local beer (half pint) unless you opt for one of the seriously dingy drinking dens & then its $4.50. I realise that beer is not a typical family guide to the weekly supermarket shop but I'm sure its a guide to general costs (in my mind). No wonder Aussies flock to Indochina where similar beer costs from 15 - 50 cents & a good quality side-street restaurant meal costs around $4.
Its amazing to find that generally it seems cheaper to live in the UK, where wages are higher, than Australia - what's happened to the Australian dream?
Incredibly the city seems to be in the dark ages for WiFi, the few places that do have it want $10/day to use it whereas supposedly backwards countries like Vietnam & Cambodia have free WiFi available in every little corner bar & cafe.
I'm doing all the usual touristy things - the Rocks, the Bridge, the Opera House, Harbour ferries, Bondi Beach - interestingly, browsing through the mountains of tourist literature they all seem to be selling the city primarily on opportunities for shopping & eating. No matter what the destination or activity, its about what you can buy & eat there - how weird is that - or is it just me?
My best eating experience was at Harry's Cafe de Wheels in Woolamaloo where I had a hot dog but it came with chilli-con-carne, mushy peas, garlic, onions, cheese & chilli sauce - an absolute mess to eat, but oh so tasty for $5.90.
Sydney seems to be a schitzophrenic place, I've not seen so many grossly over-weight people since my last visit to America's Mid West. Then, as I walked along the harbour path at Farm Cove I'd never seen so many joggers - so many that they were a serious pedestrian hazzard. From my hotel in China Town I was able to enjoy the company of Sydney's rough sleepers, many behaving very oddly - shouting & talking to invisible people, so they might be clinically schitzophrenic, but what about all the rest?
I climbed aboard a 333 bus from the city to Bondi Beach & was promptly thrown off, with some glee, by the bus driver. None of the useless tourist literature tells visitors they have to buy a ticket from somewhere else before boarding a bus. After trying 3 shops I eventually bought a $3.50 ticket & boarded the next bus to Bondi which was a 380 - that did bloody well sell tickets - what a shambles for visitors! I've got leaflets of where I can buy or eat anything under the sun but nothing about how to use the impressive but mysterious city transport system.
What a fabulous beach Bondi is - pristine pale yellow sand, modest sized breakers although surf boards seemed more for posing than riding the waves. There was plenty of lifeguard activity - helicopter, beach buggy & jet-ski patrols as well as training & I saw the first ambulatory policeman seen since landing in Oz. Bondi is pretty busy midweek, mostly girls sunbathing & retirees stolling the promenade.
After a beer & a paddle I caught the 380 onwards to Watson's Bay for some of Doyles famous Barramundi & chips beside a lovely little sandy bay that is perfect for small childten as its on the harbour side (not the Pacific) so has no breakers. Actually I had better Baramundi in Darwin but Doyles has possibly the best restuarant views in town.
The regular ferry service ($5) took me back to Circular Quay, with fantastic views of the Opera House & the Bridge - completing a nice circular tour at a fraction of the price of an organised tour. I had planned to take the free city circular bus (555) but instead walked down Pitt Street to look at what turned out to be insanely overpriced opals -$4-6,500 for something quite nice!
So that's Sydney.
Broken Hill to Sydney
My 3 days in Broken Hill went like lightening, it wasnt really enough & I wanted to stay on for a few more days but I've got a train ticket & pre-booked accommodation in Sydney.
The 4.30pm train didnt arrive until 5.40 but still left at 6.30 so buggered anyone with a planned whistlestop tour of Broken Hill. This will be a tougher test of the day/nighter seat comfort as the train is due into Sydney at 10am tomorrow morning so I have to sleep in what amounts to a 48 bed dorm; mind you most flights are 300 bed dorms.
10 years ago my day/nighter seat carriage was full of backpackers & Korean & Japanese tour groups but this one is almost 90% domestic travellers & most in the upper age bracket - a sign of the times I guess. There are far fewer staff in Red class & they always seem to be rushing from carriage to carriage but they're friendly, if you can catch their attention.
I went down to the dining car around 8pm but the cupboard was bare - no meals, pies, pasties or anything except a bag of crisps, I should have bought some backup food!
It wasnt a bad nights sleep, much better than last time, the seats are probably as good as a seat can be; there's masses of leg room & they recline almost to 45 degrees but I twist & turn & fidget a lot & you just can't do that in a seat.
I woke up to a raising sun with rolling wheat fields, scattered clumps of unfamilar trees & cattle sitting or grazing. Its very misty & there were lots of low laying artificial ponds to collect any run-off. Its a well farmed area with occasional farm houses, neatly planted orchards & a few small vineyards.
There are a some sprawling bungalow towns before the Blue Mountains, which are about 3 hours west of Sydney. A train announcement tells passengers that the Blue Mountains are a raised plateau with deep valleys rather than actual mountains. Eucalytus & blue gum trees (same thing I thought?) clad hills disappear into the distance in every direction; grasses & an under story of shrubs appear to grow dirctly out of bare rock. The Eucalytus trees give off a fine oil vapour that mix with moisture in the atmosphere to form classic blue haze that is unique to the Blue Mountains.
The train is very slow & stops constantly as there is lots of track work & we eventually arrive in Sydney 3 hours late.
Wednesday, 9 November 2011
Broken Hill
I took a Red class seat on the Indian-Pacific from Adelaide to Broken Hill, a 7 hour journey that was the most comfortable standard train ride I've ever made - few frills but more space & comfort than a first class seat anywhere in Europe.
Broken Hill is a quintessential outback town in the far west of NSW, near the South Australia border. Its a major stop on the Indian-Pacific rail route between Sydney & Perth; I had a brief wander around town 10 years ago & liked the place so much I was determined to come back one day & explore it in more depth - & here I am.
The next train doesnt come through for another 3 days & I've booked into the Palace Hotel which is famous as one of the film locations for Priscilla Queen of the Desert (1994). The Palace was built in 1889 but locally its more famous for its food which is excellent & evenings often get completely booked out. It has a fabulous 20 foot wide cast iron balcony overhanging the wide pavement & it wraps around the hotel. All the first floor rooms open onto the balcony which is perfect for watching the world go by as the sun goes down.
The interior is so kitch its hard to believe, until you see it - thanks to Mario Celotto who owned the Palace from 1974 & obviously loved 50's & 60's furniture & decor. For style it was like stepping back into my childhood house but I must admit I couldnt chuck the furniture & garish carpets away quick enough when I left home. I've seen some of the furnishings as collectors items on recent antique shows, I still wouldnt want it at home but its an absolutely one-off hoot.
Mario also painted a copy of Botticelli's Birth of Venus on the hallway ceiling after replacing the roof that blew off in a storm. It took him 6 months to paint & he became so obsessed he offered a $1,000 for anyone who would continue his watery theme - local aboriginal painter Gordon Whey was commissioned to cover the interior with dozens of extravagant wall murals that now smoother every inch of wall space in the public areas. It may not be high artistry but its an absolutely mind blowing sight.
Broken Hill grew up as a mining town after Charles Rasp stumbled across the world's largest silver, lead & zinc deposit in the early 1880s. By 1888 it had become a boom town & by 1907 it was the second largest town in NSW after Sydney. Mining is still a big part of Broken Hill life, its full of mining history & the unionisation of labour to combat the appalling conditions that miners had to endure.
I don't usually go on organised tours but the local Silver City Tours are exceptional because of the driver/guides - they are real local characters, have a host of fascinating stories & local insights that lift a routine 'tour' into the realms of an enthralling insiders track on the city & its people.
It was a surprise to me to find that Broken Hill has so many famous artists, well known in art circles around the world. I asked artist Ian Lewis why this small outback town (actually its much bigger than I originally thought & is officially a city) had developed & attracted so many Australian artists. He was quite certain about the reason - its the light, its so clear, pollution free, the big open spaces & the way the intense heat causes the land to glow & shimmer. Jack Absalomb, Howard Steer & Pro Hart are probably the most well known Broken Hill painters. Some are landscape painters, some focus on humor, others tell stories in paint, often raising significant political or historic issues; but always they are set in the great Australian outback.
Broken Hill is a quintessential outback town in the far west of NSW, near the South Australia border. Its a major stop on the Indian-Pacific rail route between Sydney & Perth; I had a brief wander around town 10 years ago & liked the place so much I was determined to come back one day & explore it in more depth - & here I am.
The next train doesnt come through for another 3 days & I've booked into the Palace Hotel which is famous as one of the film locations for Priscilla Queen of the Desert (1994). The Palace was built in 1889 but locally its more famous for its food which is excellent & evenings often get completely booked out. It has a fabulous 20 foot wide cast iron balcony overhanging the wide pavement & it wraps around the hotel. All the first floor rooms open onto the balcony which is perfect for watching the world go by as the sun goes down.
Mario also painted a copy of Botticelli's Birth of Venus on the hallway ceiling after replacing the roof that blew off in a storm. It took him 6 months to paint & he became so obsessed he offered a $1,000 for anyone who would continue his watery theme - local aboriginal painter Gordon Whey was commissioned to cover the interior with dozens of extravagant wall murals that now smoother every inch of wall space in the public areas. It may not be high artistry but its an absolutely mind blowing sight.
Broken Hill grew up as a mining town after Charles Rasp stumbled across the world's largest silver, lead & zinc deposit in the early 1880s. By 1888 it had become a boom town & by 1907 it was the second largest town in NSW after Sydney. Mining is still a big part of Broken Hill life, its full of mining history & the unionisation of labour to combat the appalling conditions that miners had to endure.
I don't usually go on organised tours but the local Silver City Tours are exceptional because of the driver/guides - they are real local characters, have a host of fascinating stories & local insights that lift a routine 'tour' into the realms of an enthralling insiders track on the city & its people.
It was a surprise to me to find that Broken Hill has so many famous artists, well known in art circles around the world. I asked artist Ian Lewis why this small outback town (actually its much bigger than I originally thought & is officially a city) had developed & attracted so many Australian artists. He was quite certain about the reason - its the light, its so clear, pollution free, the big open spaces & the way the intense heat causes the land to glow & shimmer. Jack Absalomb, Howard Steer & Pro Hart are probably the most well known Broken Hill painters. Some are landscape painters, some focus on humor, others tell stories in paint, often raising significant political or historic issues; but always they are set in the great Australian outback.
Monday, 7 November 2011
Broken Hill to Sydney
My 3 days in Broken Hill went like lightening, it wasnt really enough & I wanted to stay on for a few more days but I've got a train ticket & pre-booked accommodation in Sydney.
The 4.30pm train didnt arrive until 5.40 but still left at 6.30 so buggered anyone with a planned whistlestop tour of Broken Hill. This will be a tougher test of the day/nighter seat comfort as the train is due into Sydney at 10am tomorrow morning so I have to sleep in what amounts to a 48 bed dorm; mind you most flights are 300 bed dorms.
10 years ago my day/nighter seat carriage was full of backpackers & Korean & Japanese tour groups but this one is almost 90% domestic travellers & most in the upper age bracket - a sign of the times I guess. There are far fewer staff in Red class & they always seem to be rushing from carriage to carriage but they're friendly, if you can catch their attention.
I went down to the dining car around 8pm but the cupboard was bare - no meals, pies, pasties or anything except a bag of crisps, I should have bought some backup food!
It wasnt a bad nights sleep, much better than last time, the seats are probably as good as a seat can be; there's masses of leg room & they recline almost to 45 degrees but I twist & turn & fidget a lot & you just can't do that in a seat.
I woke up to a raising sun with rolling wheat fields, scattered clumps of unfamilar trees & cattle sitting or grazing. Its very misty & there were lots of low laying artificial ponds to collect any run-off. Its a well farmed area with occasional farm houses, neatly planted orchards & a few small vineyards.
There are a some sprawling bungalow towns before the Blue Mountains, which are about 3 hours west of Sydney. A train announcement tells passengers that the Blue Mountains are a raised plateau with deep valleys rather than actual mountains. Eucalytus & blue gum trees (same thing I thought?) clad hills disappear into the distance in every direction; grasses & an under story of shrubs appear to grow dirctly out of bare rock. The Eucalytus trees give off a fine oil vapour that mix with moisture in the atmosphere to form classic blue haze that is unique to the Blue Mountains.
The train is very slow & stops constantly as there is lots of track work & we eventually arrive in Sydney 3 hours late.
The 4.30pm train didnt arrive until 5.40 but still left at 6.30 so buggered anyone with a planned whistlestop tour of Broken Hill. This will be a tougher test of the day/nighter seat comfort as the train is due into Sydney at 10am tomorrow morning so I have to sleep in what amounts to a 48 bed dorm; mind you most flights are 300 bed dorms.
10 years ago my day/nighter seat carriage was full of backpackers & Korean & Japanese tour groups but this one is almost 90% domestic travellers & most in the upper age bracket - a sign of the times I guess. There are far fewer staff in Red class & they always seem to be rushing from carriage to carriage but they're friendly, if you can catch their attention.
I went down to the dining car around 8pm but the cupboard was bare - no meals, pies, pasties or anything except a bag of crisps, I should have bought some backup food!
It wasnt a bad nights sleep, much better than last time, the seats are probably as good as a seat can be; there's masses of leg room & they recline almost to 45 degrees but I twist & turn & fidget a lot & you just can't do that in a seat.
I woke up to a raising sun with rolling wheat fields, scattered clumps of unfamilar trees & cattle sitting or grazing. Its very misty & there were lots of low laying artificial ponds to collect any run-off. Its a well farmed area with occasional farm houses, neatly planted orchards & a few small vineyards.
There are a some sprawling bungalow towns before the Blue Mountains, which are about 3 hours west of Sydney. A train announcement tells passengers that the Blue Mountains are a raised plateau with deep valleys rather than actual mountains. Eucalytus & blue gum trees (same thing I thought?) clad hills disappear into the distance in every direction; grasses & an under story of shrubs appear to grow dirctly out of bare rock. The Eucalytus trees give off a fine oil vapour that mix with moisture in the atmosphere to form classic blue haze that is unique to the Blue Mountains.
The train is very slow & stops constantly as there is lots of track work & we eventually arrive in Sydney 3 hours late.
Sunday, 6 November 2011
Around Broken Hill
Priscilla Queen of the Desert is only one of many films & iconic XXXX beer ads made in & around Broken Hill. Many of the big action scenes from Mad Max II were filmed here & out at Silverton there's a Mad Englishman who is a Mad Max fanatic & has set up a museum that's a dream for any Mad Max fans.
Adrian Bennett saw Mad Max 1 when he was a teenager in 1982 & became enthralled by the style, the characters & the setting of the film. He used to travel all over Yorkshire to watch the film wherever it was being screened & in 2004 made his first pilgrimage to Australia. He exploring the area around Melbourne where Mad Max 1 was filmed & fell in love with Australia & promptly migrated with his wife Linda & 3 of their children.
Adrian settled in Silverton & built up the Mad Max museum starting with a V8 Interceptor he built himself, then adding Creek buggies used in the film & a host of left over props & memoribilia. Many Broken Hill residents worked as extras on the film so he also has a dozens of insider stories about the film & heaps of unique behind the scenes photographs of the film production. The question he gets asked most is 'what happened to the dog?' - if you're interested, you'll have to go & ask Adrian yourself.
Silverton was the first big mining town in the area but the Day Dream mine was short lived & Silverton became a ghost town for decades - now the population is back up to 50. The Silverton Hotel is the local pub & has featured in over 100 films & commercials especially those requiring authentic outback pub scenes.
But for anyone who wants to get a real feel for the outback you have to do more than look at it from a train window & you need to get out of even the smallest of towns. So I arranged a stay at the Eldee outback station (www.eldeeststion.com), 56km northwest of Broken Hill. Stephen Schmidt' family has been at the station for generations & with his wife Naomi they run sheep & cattle.
Stephen calls it a hobby farm as it only covers 40 sq km but its classic outback including the rolling Mundi Mundi plain & the formidable Barrier Range that limited earley explorers. It seems vast & endless with big skies, amazing sunsets & little rocky oasis' that bring countless kangaroo, emu, wild pig (Razorback was filmed locally) & thousands of wild goats.
Guests can camp at Eldee but they also have beautifully presented rooms where you can be self-contained or have Naomi cook great home-cooked meals. Visitors can do their own thing, explore a working sheep & cattle station or join Stephen on rugged 4x4 excursions or take a romantic sunset picnic at the Lookout on the top of the Barrier Range.
The Broken Hill area is surrounded by spectacular national parks, I visited Kinchiga National Park with the Minindee lake system which for years has been relatively dry but now are briming over with more than 3 & half times the volume of water in Sydney Harbour. People were camping in isolated spots along the Darling river, some with simple tents & others in impressive mobile homes. There are also shearers quarters where visitors can bunk down & use kitchen & lounge facilities but you have to bring all your own food & equipment.
Menindee is the nearest town for supplies or for a drink in NSW's second oldest pub where Burke & Wills stopped off before continuing on their ill-fated expedition to the Gulf of Carpentaria.
For a unique Menindee accommodation experience, that's also in a good cause, its possible to stay at the Minintitja accommodation which are 1945 & 1923 refurbished railway carriages. Its an initiative set up by Menindee Central School as a training experience for local kids - building, maintenance, business development & hospitality. It is a novel experience, clean & comfortable & all meals can be provided.
Broken Hill
I took a Red class seat on the Indian-Pacific from Adelaide to Broken Hill, a 7 hour journey that was the most comfortable standard train ride I've ever made - few frills but more space & comfort than a first class seat anywhere in Europe.
Broken Hill is a quintessential outback town in the far west of NSW, near the South Australia border. Its a major stop on the Indian-Pacific rail route between Sydney & Perth; I had a brief wander around town 10 years ago & liked the place so much I was determined to come back one day & explore it in more depth - & here I am.
The next train doesnt come through for another 3 days & I've booked into the Palace Hotel which is famous as one of the film locations for Priscilla Queen of the Desert (1994). The Palace was built in 1889 but locally its more famous for its food which is excellent & evenings often get completely booked out. It has a fabulous 20 foot wide cast iron balcony overhanging the wide pavement & it wraps around the hotel. All the first floor rooms open onto the balcony which is perfect for watching the world go by as the sun goes down.
The interior is so kitch its hard to believe, until you see it - thanks to Mario Celotto who owned the Palace from 1974 & obviously loved 50's & 60's furniture & decor. For style it was like stepping back into my childhood house but I must admit I couldnt chuck the furniture & garish carpets away quick enough when I left home. I've seen some of the furnishings as collectors items on recent antique shows, I still wouldnt want it at home but its an absolutely one-off hoot.
Mario also painted a copy of Botticelli's Birth of Venus on the hallway ceiling after replacing the roof that blew off in a storm. It took him 6 months to paint & he became so obsessed he offered a $1,000 for anyone who would continue his watery theme - local aboriginal painter Gordon Whey was commissioned to cover the interior with dozens of extravagant wall murals that now smoother every inch of wall space in the public areas. It may not be high artistry but its an absolutely mind blowing sight.
Broken Hill grew up as a mining town after Charles Rasp stumbled across the world's largest silver, lead & zinc deposit in the early 1880s. By 1888 it had become a boom town & by 1907 it was the second largest town in NSW after Sydney. Mining is still a big part of Broken Hill life, its full of mining history & the unionisation of labour to combat the appalling conditions that miners had to endure.
I don't usually go on organised tours but the local Silver City Tours are exceptional because of the driver/guides - they are real local characters, have a host of fascinating stories & local insights that lift a routine 'tour' into the realms of an enthralling insiders track on the city & its people.
It was a surprise to me to find that Broken Hill has so many famous artists, well known in art circles around the world. I asked artist Ian Lewis why this small outback town (actually its much bigger than I originally thought & is officially a city) had developed & attracted so many Australian artists. He was quite certain about the reason - its the light, its so clear, pollution free, the big open spaces & the way the intense heat causes the land to glow & shimmer. Jack Absalomb, Howard Steer & Pro Hart are probably the most well known Broken Hill painters. Some are landscape painters, some focus on humor, others tell stories in paint, often raising significant political or historic issues; but always they are set in the great Australian outback.
Broken Hill is a quintessential outback town in the far west of NSW, near the South Australia border. Its a major stop on the Indian-Pacific rail route between Sydney & Perth; I had a brief wander around town 10 years ago & liked the place so much I was determined to come back one day & explore it in more depth - & here I am.
The next train doesnt come through for another 3 days & I've booked into the Palace Hotel which is famous as one of the film locations for Priscilla Queen of the Desert (1994). The Palace was built in 1889 but locally its more famous for its food which is excellent & evenings often get completely booked out. It has a fabulous 20 foot wide cast iron balcony overhanging the wide pavement & it wraps around the hotel. All the first floor rooms open onto the balcony which is perfect for watching the world go by as the sun goes down.
The interior is so kitch its hard to believe, until you see it - thanks to Mario Celotto who owned the Palace from 1974 & obviously loved 50's & 60's furniture & decor. For style it was like stepping back into my childhood house but I must admit I couldnt chuck the furniture & garish carpets away quick enough when I left home. I've seen some of the furnishings as collectors items on recent antique shows, I still wouldnt want it at home but its an absolutely one-off hoot.
Mario also painted a copy of Botticelli's Birth of Venus on the hallway ceiling after replacing the roof that blew off in a storm. It took him 6 months to paint & he became so obsessed he offered a $1,000 for anyone who would continue his watery theme - local aboriginal painter Gordon Whey was commissioned to cover the interior with dozens of extravagant wall murals that now smoother every inch of wall space in the public areas. It may not be high artistry but its an absolutely mind blowing sight.
Broken Hill grew up as a mining town after Charles Rasp stumbled across the world's largest silver, lead & zinc deposit in the early 1880s. By 1888 it had become a boom town & by 1907 it was the second largest town in NSW after Sydney. Mining is still a big part of Broken Hill life, its full of mining history & the unionisation of labour to combat the appalling conditions that miners had to endure.
I don't usually go on organised tours but the local Silver City Tours are exceptional because of the driver/guides - they are real local characters, have a host of fascinating stories & local insights that lift a routine 'tour' into the realms of an enthralling insiders track on the city & its people.
It was a surprise to me to find that Broken Hill has so many famous artists, well known in art circles around the world. I asked artist Ian Lewis why this small outback town (actually its much bigger than I originally thought & is officially a city) had developed & attracted so many Australian artists. He was quite certain about the reason - its the light, its so clear, pollution free, the big open spaces & the way the intense heat causes the land to glow & shimmer. Jack Absalomb, Howard Steer & Pro Hart are probably the most well known Broken Hill painters. Some are landscape painters, some focus on humor, others tell stories in paint, often raising significant political or historic issues; but always they are set in the great Australian outback.
Saturday, 5 November 2011
The Ghan from Darwin to Adelaide
Last time I travelled on the Ghan it only ran from Adelaide to Alice Springs but since 2004 the track has been extended 1,420km all the way to Darwin in the tropical north of Australia.
I boarded the 9am train at Darwin station which is 20km outside the city centre. Some people were still buying tickets but my internet booking waved me straight to my cabin. Checked in luggage is weighed & bags over 20kg have to be unpacked until they meet the weight restrictions; because this is lower than many airlines it can be a hassle for some passengers who pack to the airline limit.
There are plenty of travel options on the Ghan from Platinum service with a champagne welcome, Gold service with a tea/coffee welcome & Red service with a - snack bar will be open shortly - welcome. Sleeping is equally varied with a spacious cabin & double bed in Platinum class, modest space with easy access bunk beds in Gold class, almost acrobatic manouvers to access the upper bunk in Red sleeper & finally the chair sleeper option - this is the cheapest but it still beats the space usually provided by most business class airlines. These Red class day/nighter seats have greatly improved since I last used them, they're softer & recline further - to about 45 degrees.
Gold service is slick & efficient from the comfortable & cleverly designed cabins to my wake-up morning tea in bed as I had opted for an early breakfast. The cabins in my carriage had been modernised but some still had the interesting pull down toilet & sink which are a way of providing more space whilst showering.
Breakfast, lunch & dinner are served in the Queen Adelaide restaurant car & tea/coffee are available all day. There is a definite sense of luxury in Gold class compared to the Red class I travelled in from Adelaide to Sydney.
We had a formal 'champagne' welcome to Australia & more specifically the Ghan after our 3 course dinner. Staff were almost apologetic that the landscape was exceptionally green due to the recent heavy rains as the continual references to the 'red centre' seemed slightly misplaced.
I saw my first kangaroo of the trip before we made our first stop at Katherine. The temperture was a blistering 38 degrees C but most passengers were still game for the whistlestop tours to the spectacular Katherine Gorge or into town for some shopping & one couple took a helicopter from the station for a ride over the gorge.
We arrived in Alice Springs on Sunday & as I had spent a week here on my last visit I just walked to the Sunday market in Todd Mall & had a couple of beers. I checked out that the Todd River was still dry & sent some emails from the public library that was open on a Sunday!
One of the train staff who also works for Penfolds on her days off hosted a little wine & cheese tasting session, that gave a good introduction to some of the pending charms of Adelaide's Barossa Valley.
Crossing the South Australia border the landscape is raw & intimidating but still spectacular. There are isolated Mulga trees, lots of scrub & spinifex, then an occasional sinuous line of trees following the line of a part-time river. Sometimes its as flat as a pancake & then suddenly the landscape folds up with deep crevices & rolling hills a popular spot for kangaroo & emu.
After passing the Flinders range South Australia's rich farmland begins with miles of wheat fields, then orchards & distant vineyards before finally rolling into Adelaide's Parklands (previously Keswick) station.
A sad feature of the journey is that smokers no longer feel welcome on the Ghan or the Indian-Pacific since they removed the entertaining & inoffensive tailend smoking capsule. That's where I met some of the most fascinating & oddball people on my last trip but Big Brother anti-smoking fanatics seems to be even more rife in present day Australia than almost anywhere else.
There are plenty of travel options on the Ghan from Platinum service with a champagne welcome, Gold service with a tea/coffee welcome & Red service with a - snack bar will be open shortly - welcome. Sleeping is equally varied with a spacious cabin & double bed in Platinum class, modest space with easy access bunk beds in Gold class, almost acrobatic manouvers to access the upper bunk in Red sleeper & finally the chair sleeper option - this is the cheapest but it still beats the space usually provided by most business class airlines. These Red class day/nighter seats have greatly improved since I last used them, they're softer & recline further - to about 45 degrees.
Breakfast, lunch & dinner are served in the Queen Adelaide restaurant car & tea/coffee are available all day. There is a definite sense of luxury in Gold class compared to the Red class I travelled in from Adelaide to Sydney.
We had a formal 'champagne' welcome to Australia & more specifically the Ghan after our 3 course dinner. Staff were almost apologetic that the landscape was exceptionally green due to the recent heavy rains as the continual references to the 'red centre' seemed slightly misplaced.
I saw my first kangaroo of the trip before we made our first stop at Katherine. The temperture was a blistering 38 degrees C but most passengers were still game for the whistlestop tours to the spectacular Katherine Gorge or into town for some shopping & one couple took a helicopter from the station for a ride over the gorge.
We arrived in Alice Springs on Sunday & as I had spent a week here on my last visit I just walked to the Sunday market in Todd Mall & had a couple of beers. I checked out that the Todd River was still dry & sent some emails from the public library that was open on a Sunday!
Crossing the South Australia border the landscape is raw & intimidating but still spectacular. There are isolated Mulga trees, lots of scrub & spinifex, then an occasional sinuous line of trees following the line of a part-time river. Sometimes its as flat as a pancake & then suddenly the landscape folds up with deep crevices & rolling hills a popular spot for kangaroo & emu.
After passing the Flinders range South Australia's rich farmland begins with miles of wheat fields, then orchards & distant vineyards before finally rolling into Adelaide's Parklands (previously Keswick) station.
A sad feature of the journey is that smokers no longer feel welcome on the Ghan or the Indian-Pacific since they removed the entertaining & inoffensive tailend smoking capsule. That's where I met some of the most fascinating & oddball people on my last trip but Big Brother anti-smoking fanatics seems to be even more rife in present day Australia than almost anywhere else.
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