We had to go to Brisbane for an appointment in late August, we wanted to visit our oldest Granddaughter in Perth, and we wanted to take a long train ride across Australia, north/south or east/west or the other way didn’t matter. Looking a our calendar we decided to combine the three and “Get’er Done” so we could plan other trips.
Brisbane was a given but this time we thought we would spend a day or two more there and take in a show at the QPAC (Queensland Performing Arts Center) while we were in town. It’s a 5 to 6 hour drive to Brisbane from where we live so taking in a few cultural events was worth the effort. Our appointment was on a Friday morning so we drove down Thursday and had dinner at our favorite Irish Pub in Brisbane Thursday evenin, got the Friday morning business completed, and spent Friday afternoon exploring downtown Brisbane. Great place.
Friday evening we went to see “Pride & Prejudice” at the Playhouse in the QPAC. Great show, very well done, pleasant evening. Because our hotel was downtown we walked to the show and back. I had my UBER numbers ready in case it was cold or raining but it turned out to be a nice evening and nice walk.
Saturday was errands day, We did some shopping at the places we visited on Friday, had an early dinner, then went to Mass late Saturday afternoon at St Stephen’s Cathedral which is also in downtown Brisbane. Beautiful church. We decided to try a Mexican Resteraunt not too far from the church … it was busy, the food was okay. Australians don’t understand TexMex.
Sunday morning we were up early, drove to the airport, left our car with a park garage, shuttled over to the terminal and flew to Perth. Samantha (Sam), our Granddaughter, had rehearsals all afternoon so we checked out a rental car at the Perth airport, drove to our hotel in downtown Perth, checked in, and decided to take a walk to get the kinks out of out legs. Just the right distance away is an establishment called “Nightcap at the Belgian Beer Cafe” so we stopped and had a Trappist Blond. While we were there, Sammy walked in. Seems her rehearsal was right across the street and we had messaged her that we were going to the Belgian bar and would contact her later about dinner. A very nice reunion.
Sam was busy Monday and Tuesday as she was getting ready for the opening of a new play she was directing. We had planned to go south to Mandurah to visit our daughter-in-laws parents but we both had contracted a cold and thought we would just isolate for a day or so. So we just took the day off. Neither of us felt that well and vegging out was appealing..
Tuesday, we did a little walk about downtown where we were staying. Nice area. A few photos of the central walking shopping area and the buildings along it.
Wednesday Sam joined us and we went down to Fremantle. Perth, although next to the Pacific Ocean, does not have a port. That feature is provided by Fremantle (That’s where “Quigley Down Under” arrived in Australia at). There we toured the Maritime Museum, walked around eye balling interesting things, rode a ferris wheel, and had a beer before we came home.
The Maritime museum was especially interesting as it a big selection of boats and history. To top it off they had a Virtual Reality (VR) theater that put you underwater in the Great Barrier Reef.
We wandered around looking at the different displays and ships.
We walked around Freo (Oz for Fremantle) a while and ended up riding a ferris wheel.
Feeling better Thursday we scooped up Sam and drove down to Mandurah to visit her other Grandparents. Mandurah is mostly a retirement kind of town absorbing the retired from Perth. Nice place. Had a great visit, some fine food, and a nice drive.
On Saturday we took a cab over to the Perth Central Train Station and signed in for our train ride. A bit about the train.
- The Indian Pacific is a famous long-distance passenger train in Australia. It runs across the whole country from Perth on the west coast to Sydney on the east coast. The trip covers 4,352 kilometers (2,705 miles) and takes four days and three nights.
- History and Route
- Started on February 23, 1970, after tracks were joined to a single standard gauge.
- Named after the two oceans it connects: the Indian Ocean and the Pacific Ocean.
- Passes through the Blue Mountains, Broken Hill, Adelaide, and the Nullarbor Plain.
- Features the world’s longest single straight stretch of railway track at 479 kilometers (298 miles).
- Life on Board
- Operates like a moving luxury hotel with all-inclusive dining and drinks.
- Offers two main cabin levels: Gold Service and Platinum Service.
- Includes off-train excursions and cultural stops in outback towns.
- The train we rode had 27 cars and was 860 Meters long. We were only able to get Gold service due to our late booking so we ended up with bunk beds. The food and tours was the same for both classes. All food and drink was included in the price of the trip. We had 204 guests on board. The train was split up so there was a dining car and a lounge car for every two cabin cars. No crowds, no fighting for seats.
The trip was five days and four nights. The terrain was outbackish for 80% of the way, then the Blue Mountains on the east coast produced beautiful scenery and mountain forests.
This was our first long trip on a train. We had considered others but I was always reluctant because you just watched everything pass by and couldn’t stop and look at things. Because the Nullabor (the huge barren part of Australia) was a large part of this trip, I wasn’t so concerned about seeing stuff. There were several interesting stops along the the way so we signed up.
The trip started at the station where you checked in your luggage. You were permitted only one small bag in your cabin, The cabins were small and the bathrooms even smaller so every square inch counted. The company hosted a reception at the station with sandwiches, drinks and music while everyone processed in. Once the train was ready we all boarded and went to our cabins, put out stuff in, and retired to the lounge car.
W had a pleasant evening, a very nice dinner, and turned in.
The next morning we had a six AM tour of “The Super Pit”, one of Australia largest, open pit, gold mines. We boarded buses and headed into Kalgoorlie and the Super Pit.
Back on the train. Some folks got off and boarded “The Ghan” which was another trip that went from Adelaide to Darwin … oooff! We stayed on the the next morning we found ourselves approaching Broken Hill, another mining town. These mines were shaft mines and the mined ores like zinc, copper, lead, etc. Nancy and I had selected a tour named “A Taste of Broken Hill” and we were off.
Back on the train and headed for the Blue Mountains.
After disembarking, we transferred to Scenic World for four phenomenal mountain experiences. The Scenic Skyway took us above ancient ravines, visible 270 meters below through the glass cabin floor. Our view was 360 degrees and featured the Three Sisters, the Jamison Valley, and Katoomba Falls.
Then, we boarded the Scenic Railway, the steepest passenger railway in the world. Toured the mine area, then joined the Scenic Cableway and glided over the forest as you ascended more than 500 meters back to the top.
Finally, we traveled to the Hydro Majestic Hotel, which is perched high on the escarpment overlooking the Megalong Valley. Here, we enjoyed a light lunch set against sweeping views across the Blue Mountains landscape.
After lunch, we boarded a private charter train that took us through to Sydney Central Station, concluding your epic journey.
The ride to Sydney was nice, it was in a modern new train. Then we had a smooth transition to the airport vis taxi. Checked our luggae and flew to Brisbane. Caught the last shuttle to our car park, drove to our hotel and got a great nights sleep. Next morning we drove home.
The trip was interesting. The staff on the train and the facilities were great. We enjoyed meeting many of the people. Our groups were small in the lounge cars so it was easy to meet and get to know everyone you traveled with. Worst part was the noise and jostling of the cars. Sleep was impossible most of the night. The tracks, relaid from narrow gauge seventy five years ago were uneven, and bumpy. The cars, although well kept, were 75 years old and had seen their better days structurally. Squeaks, thumps, bangs, whooshes, you name it and it was there. So, while we did enjoy our trip across Australia, both ways, we will probably not do the train again.
