Go West Young Man - Epilogue

First thing on Sunday morning I put all my washing on and then picked up Louis from the boarding kennels.

A few statistic from the trip.

Distance traveled by Buss.        1,279 kilometres. Including airport shuttles

Distance traveled by Plane.       4,342 kilometres.  Brisbane to Sydney and Perth to Brisbane

Distance traveled by Train.        4,352 kilometres

The best part of the trip was the the train journey.  The food was generally great, the service terrific and even my little single cabin was comfortable.  I met some lovely people. The scenery was varied and even the 500km treeless stretch of the Nullabor was interesting.  The excursions broke up the journey and were interesting if a little rushed.

I liked the City of Perth but should have liked to spend several days exploring it.

The Margaret River trip was just too rushed.  The area is beautiful and needs several days to do it justice.

All in all a worthwhile experience and I have finally crossed a continent by rail. 




 

Go West Young Man - Day 8 - 18 October 2014

I woke up to the alarm at 5.00am and after a shower and shave had a cup of tea for breakfast.  I had got in too late the night before to order a breakfast tray to delivered to my room.  My flight home was at 9.00am and I had to check in by 8.00am in order to ensure seat allocation.  My attempts to check in over the internet were unsuccessful so I had to catch the 6.10am shuttle to the airport from near my hotel.  The 7.10am shuttle is not guaranteed to get there before 8.00am.  Of course the 6.10 got me to the airport well before 7.00am.

Checking in was uneventful but getting from check in to the departure lounge took over 30 minutes due to security checks.  They had only two check in lines and the queues stretched for about 40 metres and moved very slowly.  Before boarding I filled in time  by having fruit toast and coffee for breakfast and updating Day 7's blog.

We boarded at 8.45am then sat for 45 minutes as one of the pilots had failed to turn-up because of illness. After finding a replacement we were of to Brisbane which is a four and a half hour flight.  First they had us set out watches forward two hours to Brisbane time and then began serving lunch at 12.00 noon i.e. 10.00am Perth time.  I couldn't face Shepherd's Pie but did manage to drink a red wine before settling back to watch a movie. 

We arrived in Brisbane at 4.00pm and due to baggage handling delays I only just caught my 4.30pm shuttle bus back to Tewantin.  I was the final drop off at 7.15pm.  I warmed up a frozen pizza  as my only substantial meal of the day and went to bed at 9.00pm.  It had been a long and tiring day.

Go West Young Man - Day 7 - 17 October2014

This post is being typed up at Perth Airport as I didn't  get back to my hotel until 09.30pm last night after a long day.

I had a continental breakfast in the hotel dining room at 07.00am and went back to my room to update day's 6 blog which took a couple of hours.  Then I had a short  walk before being picked up by my bus for a day tour of the Margaret River area.  The first stop was to pick up the other members of the group of four and we joined up for the days activities.

It was about 11.00am and  our first stop was a winery for a wine tasting.  This was a great winery and we were given a detailed description  of the winery's history and the wine we were tasting.  I really liked one of their  whites and also one of their reds and ended up buying a case of each to be delivered back to Tewantin next week.   We also had lunch at the winery and I had a steak sandwich which was very filling.  It was washed down by a glass of the red I had selected.

The rest of the day now became a blur of winery visits with an olive oil factory, cheese factory and brewery  visits thrown in.  I did not sample  any more wine but enjoyed the cheese and bucked up to sample the beer.  By now it laws 5.30pm and we were transferred back to our bus back to Perth.

We had a stop for a snack at 7.00pm and settled down for the long drive home where we arrived at 9.30pm.  We had traveled about 500km during the day.

I said a sad fair well to the rest of the group of four. Elaine and Brian were flying  back to Adelaide later next day and Christine was meeting up with her daughter.  We all exchanged email addresses and hope to keep in touch.

After sorting out my case for the flight home I finally got to bed at l030pm.

This day' blog was finally finished on Sunday 19 October at home.

Final day yet to come.

A view from the first winery

Part of the first winery tour.

My steak sandwich 

Another winery view

At the cheese factory

WA's floral emblem - The Kangaroo Paw
They come in many different colours

The beer tasting - they are very small glasses

Finally a picture of me and I drank them all

Go West Youth Man - Day 6 - 16 October 2014

It was another early start for the group of four.  After last night's big dinner I settled for orange juice, toast and marmalade with a cup of tea for breakfast before we rushed off to catch our 7.30am bus.  It was 15 minutes late.  Today was going to be a big day with about 350km of coach travel and several sightseeing activities.

We managed to get  four seats together.  I sat with a younger lady called Christine.  She told me that she lived in NSW with her son, daughter in law and two grand kids.  It was her house but she had decided to take the train trip to escape the family.  However her daughter was flying to Perth to join her on an extended holiday.  She is a great lively lady and a good person to share a couple of days with.  The others are a couple from Adelaide.  He is another Brian and she is Elaine.  They each maintain their own homes but spent a lot of time,  and always travel, together.  There is obviously a deep connection between them.  Brian is probably a bit older than me and is the joker of the group.

Or first stop was Busselton about two and a half hours south west of Perth.  Here we had a comfort stop   and an ice cream.  Busselton's  main attraction is a two kilometre long jetty so we took the obligatory photos.

Then it was of into the Margaret River area of WA.  This is now a major wine producing area of WA but our first stop  was at  a micro brewery for lunch.  This was a selection of local products including breads, cold meats including a venison sausage, spreads and dips and a plate of potato chips and tomato sauce. During the meal we were given samples of the cider and beers produced by the brewery.  The brewery  was beautifully laid out and there were black swans and cygnets nesting there.

Next it was a winery visit.  We sampled three red and three whites.  They were quite nice did not warrant the excessive price the were asking but I am a cheap drunk!  More later.

Next it was onto my highlight of the day, The Mammouth Cave.  This is the second largest of six caves, they found a bigger one later.   I don't normally do caves as I can't really climb to well.  This cave has a walk in entrance and had steep but manageable steps in the cave itself.  I was advised that I could turn back if it got too had but I made it all the way.  This is a dry cave with a cathedral like main chamber.   I really enjoyed the tour.

Our final stop of the day was  the Cape Leeuwin Lighthouse which is the most westerly place in Australia. It is also where the Indian and Southern Oceans meet and the nearest land south is Antarctica.  We all walked out to the headland and took photos.

Then it was on to our hotels.  The other three were booked into an hotel in Margaret River while I and two Japanese girls were booked into an hotel a couple of kilometres out of town.  We were a bit concerned as our original documents indicated that we had to provide our own dinners.  One of the Japanese girls asked where we could get a meal and was told that a full dinner was included as was a full breakfast.  This was a pleasant surprise.

I spent the time before dinner updating the previous day's blog.

Dinner was a nice piece  of grilled barramundi and veggies followed by ice cream, I had a greater selection if I had wanted.

During dinner I had three glasses of Chardonnay at $10 a glass.  Now normally I drink cask wine at $15 a five litre cask so I had just blown a two week wine budget.  I said I am normally a cheap drunk.

Go West Young Man - Day 5 - 15 October 2014

I was up very early as I had difficulty sleeping in a bed that was huge  so I caught up with my blog before going down to the Smorgasbord for breakfast.  I whipped out my camera for a picture but the battery was flat.  It is a dedicated battery and as I have no spare had to to fall back to using my phone for  the day.  I sat with three other travellers from train for breakfast which started at 6.45am and as we had to get to our bus pick up point at 7.30am had a quick meal.

Of course we had to wait ten minutes for the bus which only took us a couple of kilometres where we we transfered to another bus for a tour of the city and Freemantle the major port near Perth.  The four breakfast companions sat together as a group on the bus,  Things did not go too well.  Perth  traffic  was horrendous and we were gridlocked for half an hour which meant that   were late getting to our stop at Kings Gardens a major Perth attraction.  Instead of a 45 minute stop we had 20 minutes.  The gardens were great and I feel that they deserved a full day to do them justice.

Back on the bus we were two passengers short.  They took another 15 minutes to board and put us further behind our schedule.  Our driver took us to Freemantle where we had about 20 minutes to look around before catching  a ferry back to Perth at 11.00am.  The group of four had a minor revolt and changed our ferry ride until 12.30pm.  This gave a little time to explore the "old port", it was extensively modernised for the America's Cup in 1988 but the building facades retained.  We also had a quick lunch lunch before  catching the ferry.

The ferry ride was about an hour and gave us a great idea of how beautiful the Swan River in Perth is.  I regretted not having my camera as  it was too bright to use my phone.  Back in Perth we had a walk from the quay to the hotel and stopped off to walk through a "British Arcade"  built in 1938".  Then it was back to my room for a rest.  I was absolutely worn out and slept before going to dinner in the Smorgasbord at 5.30pm.  I could not face the full deal and just ordered a steak an chips.  When it arrived it was on a huge plate and the steak was 20mm thick and about 200mm wide.  I managed about half it and two glasses of local Cabernet Savignon  were needed to help it down.

Back in my room it was a bit stuffy, it had been 35C during the day, so I tried to open a window and had a rather limited view.

I intended to write up my blog but fell asleep.  I went to bed a 8.00pm and slept soundly all night.

Go West Young Man - Day 4 - 14 October 2014

I was showered, shaved and dressed and ready for breakfast at 6.00am both train and WA time but I had misread my itinerary as breakfast was at 6.30am.  I just sat around in the lounge car pretending to read and hiding my amusement that other people could also make the same mistake.  Anyway when breakfast was served I had the full breakfast comprising   bacon, poached eggs, sausages and fried tomato accompanied by orange juice, tea and toast and marmalade.  Then it was back to my cabin to sit and watch WA flash by.

We reached Perth at about 9.00am and I found the bus taking me to my hotel.  This is the quaintly named The Miss Maud Swedish Hotel.  Miss Maud actually exists.  She came from Sweden to Perth in 1971 where she established  The Miss Maud Swedish Pastry House followed by by The Swedish Smorgasbord and then The Swedish Hotel.  She now has 16 Miss Maud Pastry houses.

Check in was not until 1.00pm so I went for a walk around the Perth  CBD which was literally around the corner.  I walked with two other people from the train and there are six of us from the train at the hotel with the same tour itinerary.   We walked down the shopping malls and took a free bus ride around the city which appears to be a nice place.  We had a coffee and cake in one of the malls and walked back to the hotel to check in just before 1.00pm.  The hotel is a boutique style hotel next to and over one of the pastry houses.  It has really nice rooms with modern facilities and is just around the corner from the Smorgasbord.

I spent the first part of the afternoon updating my blog using the hotel free Wifi .  About 3.30pm I was about to set of for another walk when I realised that I had lost my credit card holder which had my credit cards and other important cards in it.  I had left an imprint of one my credit card at reception but they told me that I had not left the holder there.  I was in a bit of a panic but I calmed down and retraced my steps to the cafe where we had coffee and some one had handed it in.  It hais a smooth aluminium case and it had popped out of my back pocket as I sat down.  I have checked my accounts and all is OK.

After this scare I needed to go to an pub and have a settling down beer.  Back at the hotel I had a rest before going to dinner at the Smorgasbord.  It was a little pricy but it was an all you can eat place.  I started with oysters and prawns followed by a salad and a selection of cold meats ended with  a plate of cheese and greens.  I declined the soup, roasted meats, vegetables and a selection from the pastry bar.  This was washed down by a couple of glasses of WA Margaret River Chardonnay.

I was really tired and went to bed early  

Go West Young Man - Day 3 - 13 October 2014

I woke up early as breakfast was scheduled to start at 7.00am as we were to stop at Cook in the middle of the Nullarbor Plain just after 9.00am.  Unfortunately for me and several other passengers I had not heard the announcement to set our watches back one hour to "train time" so we all had an extra hour to wait.   Anyway I had a light breakfast  of toast and cereals before going back to the cabin to post Day 2's blog but I could not get an internet connection so you would have got it a day late.

Cook is in the middle of nowhere in South Australia.  It used to be a railway maintenance workers town with a hospital and a swimming pool and even its own jail!  Now it has a permanent population of four.  We stopped to fill up the trains fuel tanks for the long haul to Perth.  We all got out and walked up and down to look at the old town.  Some of  artistic graffiti advised us to "save our local hospital - get sick".  It was quite windy and cool so we were soon back on board to complete a journey across the Nullarbor which means "no trees " in the local dialect.

It was a ten hour stretch to Kalgoorlie are next stop and I passed the time reading a book from the train's little library.  It was "The Bush Bashers"  by Len Beadell.  He was the surveyor who laid  out the UK atomic test site at Maralinga in South Australia and also built many roads aross the outback in support of these tests.  I was lucky enough to meet Len in the 1980s as we both worked for the Department of Defence at the time.  Len wrote seven books about his exploits and in this one he got married and took his bride, a young English girl, and their 3 month old daughter on a six month campaign to build new road.    When completed it was called the "Connie Sue Highway " after their daughter.  I managed to read the complete book .

See:

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Connie_Sue_Highway

As we neared Kalgoorlie trees came back. We had an early lunch (chicken and cheese plate)  and dinner (lamb cutlets and apple pie) before arriving at Kalgoorlie.  This meant that by  about 8.30pm  train time we were off on a tour of  the town but it was really only 7.00pm West Australian time.  We visited the mining museum and the huge open cut gold mine, The Super Pit.  It was very interesting but as it finished at 10.00pm WA time or 11.30pm train time and I had been awake since 4.00am train time I was exhausted.  I went straight to bed and was asleep before the train left K at 11.00pm WA time .

...                                                                     

Go West Young Man - Day 2 - 12 October 2014

First I should mention last night's dinner.  I had  a starter of scallop ravioli followed by duckling breasts.  I finished it of with cheese and biscuits with a fig.  It was very nice and I shared a table with a Sydney couple who are going to and from Adelaide on the train.

I am typing this sitting on my bunk as I wait for breakfast at 6.00am.  We are just arriving at Broken Hill in far west NSW and our clock should be set to Adelaide time which is 30 minutes ahead of QLD time but 30 minutes behind Sydney time. The reason for the early breakfast is that I am going on a our of the Pro Hart art gallery at 7.00am before re-boarding the train to head south to Adelaide. The the trouble is my phone and tablet are on Sydney time and I think the train has changed to Adelaide time.

I showed my folding sink yesterday which is OK for a quick wash but I thought I would have a shower.   What an experience.  It is tiny, my clothes and towel were just out of harms way, the water took ages to heat up but was then scalding and of course with my gammy leg I was unsteady as the train rocked and rolled.  I survived by hanging onto the sturdy rail and I am now clean and smell nice.

Breakfast was a bit unusual in that it did not offer a continental breakfast or cereals but three other breakfasts and I had Tasmanian eggs which was scrambled eggs on toast with a bit of Tasmanian smoked salmon.

We arrived in Broken Hill soon after  breakfast and I took a short tour of the city and Pro Hart's gallery.  There is something odd in sipping  champagne at 7.00am and looking a Pro's life and work.  Pro Hart is covered in Wikipedia.

We were  back on the train at 8.10am and headed south to Adelaide.  This goes through very dry country.

Back on the train I had a rest before going to lunch which was Beef Medalions.

After lunch I updated the blog before watching South Australia's mid north    flash by my window.  Soon we were n Adelaide where I took a short tour of the city.  In the last 16 years it has changed in some was with lots of new developments but the original city I grew to know in the 38 years I lived there was still there.

Then it was back on the train for the ongoing trip north and then west to Perth.

Dinner was Spanner Crab followed by grilled baramundi with a citrus tart for sweet and off to bed

T

Go West Young Man - Day 1 - 11 October 2014

The flight from Brisbane to Sydney was uneventful and arrived at 10.30am.  It took some time to get my luggage and work out how I was going to get to Central Station in Sydney.  Since my last visit to Sydney back in the 1990s there is now a rail ink from the airport in to Central which takes about 20 minutes so I took that.  I was at Central  by 12.00 noon and had to wait till after 1.00pm before being allowed in to the lounge for a pre-leaving drink.   Note all standard drinks are free and this could become a bit of a trap. At 2.00pm we were allowed into our cabins.  The single cabin I am in is almost identical to the ones I had on my Outback trip but has a little table ideal for resting my tablet on and my seat has padded armrests

We got away a little late at just after 3.00pm and the first bit of the journey was through the Western Suburbs, a fairly industrial  area.  After a while we began   to climb the Blue Mountains and the scenery was beautiful.

I had dinner early and went back to my cabin, sober, to update this blog.