Indian Pacific Train
Sydney to Perth: We board train in Sydney to cross Australia from east to west and arrive in Perth four days later
Day 1 - Depart Sydney, New South Wales and cross the Blue Mountains, New South Wales
Day 2 - Broken Hill, New South Wales in the morning and Adelaide, South Australia in the evening
Day 3 - Nullarbor Plain and a visit to Cook, South Australia plus a stop at Rawlinna, Western Australia
Day 4 - Nullarbor Plain to arrive in Perth, Western Australia late afternoon
01 Mar (Day 35): We had a limousine booked to pick us up from the hotel as we had upgraded our accommodation aboard the train from Gold to Platinum so we went down, with our luggage, to meet the car to be told that we needed to go back to reception level and book our luggage in there instead. Nobody quite knew what was happening but we skipped a huge queue in the hotel lobby, checked our luggage into the very helpful Indian Pacific staff who informed us there had been a medical emergency aboard the train the previous day and that the train had missed its slot to arrive into Sydney station. As this train is 37 carriages long it is not something you can squeeze into the timetable so we would all have to be coached out to where the train was stationed at Lithgow in the Blue Mountains. Ah-ha, here's where the surprise visit comes in! This was a day of astonishing surprises and the Indian Pacific crew were amazing, coping with a number of changes exceedingly well.
We were taken by car to Sydney Central Railway Station and chaperoned by Indian Pacific staff to a heritage bar, set aside for Indian Pacific passengers. This bar had been constructed within the original buildings of the station and still has its stunning stained glass windows and architecture. Really beautiful setting, even though the bar itself was modern. Champagne, coffee, all manner of drinks were freely available followed later on by a buffet lunch, all organised on-the-hoof as we should have been aboard the train by this time. We had live musicians brought in to entertain us and then desserts and more coffee and cake. Eventually we were informed that we were to board coaches bound for a trip to the Blue Mountains and that we would be given a visit to Echo Point on the way there. Hurrah, another chance to take some photos of the Blue Mountains and actually perhaps see what was there.
Sydney Central Station Bar and our private party
Stained glass windows in the station buildings
Blue Mountain view and this time we get to see it at leisure
Harsh sunlight but a beautiful day for being in the mountains
We were very specifically organised onto coaches depending on where we had our cabin on the train, however none of that was evident to us, we'd just been handed a lanyard and label when we had checked our luggage in at the hotel initially. The careful organisation at such short notice! It was essential to their planning that they had us on specific coaches as became evident later in the day. The coaches left in carefully spaced convoys, some 30 minutes or so apart, and made their way towards the Blue Mountains. A member of the Indian Pacific staff was onboard the coach to give us a guided tour and answer any questions we may have. We were just enjoying the day, not realising what an extraordinary day it was for the staff. The guides wouldn't get home that night as they normally would any other week.
As we made our way out of Sydney towards the Blue Mountains the coach driver skipped a red light, goodness knows why he felt he had to do that. Before he'd even got through the junction an unmarked police car had put its siren on and asked him to stop and explain himself. He had the ignominy of us all peering out of the coach windows as the police made him fetch his driving licence and issued him with a ticket to appear in court. Very strict these Australian authorities. Another weirdness to add to the weirdness of the holiday.
We reached Echo Point in the Blue Mountains and this time it was quicker getting everyone off the coach and there were drinks provided for those who wanted them but we made a beeline for the views and lookout points. We had a better idea of the geography from our previous visit so could whisk around and get the photos we wanted from the views of the mountains and rocks. We had been given extra time at this stop as we were informed that the train wasn't yet ready for us. Enough time to do what we wanted to do and use the facilities before re-boarding the coach for our scenic drive to wherever the train was waiting for us. Once on the coach we continued our scenic drive towards the train and after about 10 minutes we turned off onto a tiny road, weaving across countryside, which we thought was all part of the scenic 'slow down' route. As we drove we caught up with a lorry that was struggling, having trouble climbing the hills on this route and, at one time, the coach had to stop to let the lorry lumber up in front of us before we could start our climb up and catch the lorry up again. We followed the lorry along the tiny road and were lucky enough to see kangaroos hopping across the fields by the side of us at one point, just as we came to the tiny rural village of Rydal. This village has just a few houses, a couple of farmsteads, a small inn and a railway station in the middle of nowhere. In the railway station was parked the Indian Pacific train, stretching all its 37 carriages along the fields to each side of the station. We were to board here instead of Lithgow for a very good reason. In Lithgow all the luggage for over 200 people would have had to have been taken over a platform, up, over and down a footbridge and across another platform. Here in Rydal it was just a matter of unloading from the lorry (hey, remember that lorry that couldn't get up the hill? Yeah, that's the one with all the luggage) and just a few feet across one platform and straight onto the train in the right luggage trucks for the right cabins.
The Blue Mountains
On our way through beautiful countryside to the train
Stretching towards the front of the train in the station
Stretching off the platform in the opposite direction
The entire crew were out unloading the luggage while we waited on the tiny road outside the station. We could have waited on the coach but this was a sight to be seen and I did manage to get onto the platform either end and take some photographs along the length of the train. The organisation of loading the train was phenomenal. The coaches had been organised so that they arrived with the right passengers for the carriages as, out of 37 carriages, only 6 carriages at a time could fit along the platform of Rydal. They filled coaches with passengers, then moved the train up and filled the next with the next group off the next coach etc. The only difference to this was that lorry, the one with the luggage. First, the bags were unloaded and stacked according to which luggage wagon they were to go into and whether it was 'hand luggage' for the 4 days journey or stowed luggage which would not be seen again until Perth. Then the luggage was loaded onto the train by moving the train up and down to get it into the right place. When we reached Perth the stowed luggage would be just a carriage or so along from where we were on the train and the same for everyone else. Incredible organisation as they had never had to use this Plan B before although it had been a contingency for many, many years. One of the women said she had worked on the train for 38 years and had never seen or heard of this happening in all that time. We were the only group that had to wait to board as we had arrived just after the luggage lorry but actually standing on the roadside in the lovely sunshine and chatting to others about the experience was very pleasant. The guides and drivers from the coaches were all looking at the tiny inn and wondering if that was where they were going to be sleeping that night. The residents of Rydal, the few that lived there, were turning out to take photos of this strange event in their tiny village.
Rydal, as seen from the station - tiny and very, very quiet
Lorry and crew unloading onto the train
Set up and waiting for us in our cabin when we got there
Start of the 4 day journey from Sydney to Perth by rail
We were chaperoned onto the train whilst they were stowing our luggage, their was an Indian Pacific host to welcome us aboard with champagne and cheese and biscuits in our cabin. We were informed that as soon as everyone was on board we would be on our way and dinner would be served in the restaurant car. The restaurant car only had 20 people in it, the two carriages of Platinum guests, so felt very spacious. It had a bar up one end with lounge seating and then dining tables for couples or groups of 4 at the other end. This carriage never felt full, even when we were all in it. It was available for drinks and 'nibbles' at any time, day or night. Someone was always on duty in there to serve and make sure no one went hungry or thirsty. Great service throughout our time on this train.
What a different sort of day we had to get started on this journey, not what we had expected but still very enjoyable. After dinner we found that our cabin had been converted from seats and a table into a double bed. There was a tiny ensuite bathroom with a full-sized shower which delighted Ray after the short, cramped shower on the Queen Elizabeth ship. There was minimal storage but then we had been warned to only bring a small amount of hand luggage into the cabin and there was plenty of room for what we had with us. Just enough for the four days and no formal wear needed. The gents wore long trousers for dinner and for the last evening all the ladies agreed to wear a dress instead of trousers or capri pants but other than that it was a shorts and t-shirt event.
Bar end of the restaurant car
Dining end of the restaurant car
Set up for the night
Door to our private ensuite
02 Mar (Day 36): The following morning we were up very early as we pulled into Broken Hill, New South Wales. Our train hosts were ready, serving us coffee as we disembarked before breakfast. Broken Hill is in the outback of NSW and is a frontier mining town, still very much operational today.
We didn't have very long here but found out a little about living and working in a mining town way out from anywhere. Some of the original buildings and a hotel are still there today and it looks like a place with a rich community spirit.
We attended a re-enactment of a union meeting and listened to the changes in working conditions that were being fought for before heading back to the train for breakfast and to find our cabin had been reverted back to seats.
Broken Hill
Original buildings
Surrounding countryside
Stretching into the station
02 Mar (Day 36): The rest of the morning we enjoyed sitting in our cabin, looking out at the passing countryside. Some hills, a lot of bush and small trees sitting in sandy plains. We had a lovely lunch in the restaurant car, having had pre-lunch drinks. All drinks throughout the trip were included and Ray was asked what he'd like to drink. He asked for Prosecco, and was told 'sorry, they didn't have that, would he like Bollinger instead?' Never mind!
By late afternoon we had reached Adelaide, South Australia and were taken for our chosen trip to the McLaren Vale and Coriole Vineyard for wine tasting. Lovely countryside and then a visit to a restaurant for dinner that was right on the coast with a view overlooking a beautiful sandy bay.
Back to the train, where our cabin was once again in bed mode. More drinks and chats in the bar area of the restaurant car before heading to bed.
The Coriole Vineyard grounds
Wine tasting at the vineyard
Dinner overlooking the ocean
Adelaide coastline
03 Mar (Day 37): After leaving Adelaide the night before we had started to cross the Nullarbor Plain, travelling along the world's longest straight stretch of railway track. A distance of 478 kilometres or 297 miles through treeless, arid country. This is mostly a single line with just a few crossing loops to allow trains travelling in the opposite direction to pass each other along this great distance. Today and tomorrow would be taken up crossing this plain, until we reach within a couple of hours of Perth tomorrow afternoon.
As we travelled we kept our eyes open and we did spot wedge tail eagles, hovering above their prey. We had seen a group of 4 emu the previous day as we looked out of the window and others said they had seen kangaroo. We also saw vast expanses of sand and bush, stretching far, far away into the distance; salt plains too, great patches of white salt, crystallised in the heat.
We stopped at Cook, South Australia mid-afternoon, whilst the train refilled with water for the rest of the journey. This is a crossing loop as freight trains of over a mile long needed to pass us on their way towards Adelaide, Sydney and other places on the east of Australia. It is also a driver's rest area and the train swapped drivers here, leaving some to rest before they take back over on the return shuttle to Sydney in a few days. An important place on the trip.
Cook has just 3 residents now and is a deserted town. There was an old cricket ground and also a golf course, without a single blade of grass. It was very hot here in this 'desert' area but nice to stretch our legs and views. It was also interesting to see the water reservoirs they had for the trains and for those who rested in this area whilst driving trains, wagons, trucks or cars on the long road from one side of Australia to the other. The drive from Perth to Melbourne (or vice versa) takes 37 hours of non-stop driving to cover over 3400 km. If this is being done as a holiday roadtrip it takes about 14 days to drive and a lot of preparation.
There was also an emergency landing strip and aircraft hangar on the plain which we spotted. This is used by Flying Doctors and also anyone else who needs to make an emergency landing as they travel across the Nullabor Plain. There used to be a hospital at Cook but that was closed down some time ago now I believe.
We were also made aware of a water pipeline that runs from Perth to Kalgoorlie in the Nullarbor Plain, a distance of 560km and this could be seen from the train.
We awoke to scrubland
The vacated town of Cook
Cook Cricket Club - not one blade of grass in the place
The main street of Cook!
03 Mar (Day 37): After leaving Cook we continued on our way west and the sunset this evening, over the vast hot plain with clear skies was fantastic. We were travelling directly west so couldn't actually see the sun setting but the sky over the flat lands was beautiful.
We reached Rawlinna, Western Australia about 8pm and stopped here for a drink on the platform. It was meant to be a BBQ but we had arrived too late so had eaten dinner on the train. Dinner on the train was always interesting. We had been served camel curry and kangaroo steak amongst many other original dishes. Tonight it had been lamb as Rawlinna is a huge sheep station, home to over 80,000 sheep over 2.5 million acres, roughly the size of Sydney.
Whilst others sat and drank and listened to the live music Ray and I wandered off a little to be able to see the night sky in the desert, away from the lights. Not totally successful as we had been warned about snakes, spiders and not to wander too far. We did speak to the lady who had been working on the train for 38 years, and asked her about her career which was very interesting.
A few trees but little else
Salt plains
Wheat fields
Kangaroos under the tree
Nullabor Plain and Perth, Western Australia
04 Mar (Day 38): When we awoke today we were still on the Nullabor Plain but during the morning we started to see absolutely enormous wheat fields and grain stores. There were many of these as we approached towards Perth.
We also started to see more sheep, and also horses and equestrian centres. We also spotted several clusters of kangaroo, sheltering in the shade under larger trees which were growing in the slightly more verdant countryside. There were still large expanses of wheat fields seen for many a mile and the grain stores that could grow or shrink with capacity requirements.
There were flocks of galah seen in the trees and on cables alongside the railway line. These were the pink and grey cockatoo and very pretty to see. Not so easy to photograph but we did come across more in a few weeks time which I managed to capture photographs of when we were in Augusta.
We arrived into Perth, Western Australia at the East Perth Railway Station in the mid-afternoon where again the staff were incredible at making it easy to collect luggage and find our limousine transport to take us to our booked hotel for the night. The station is only used for this train and it is within feet of where Adrian has his apartment but the hotel was booked as part of the package and made it easier for the one night we were to stay in Perth before setting off northwards the next morning. The hotel was not nearly so organised as the Indian Pacific train but I think Imagine Cruising had more to do with that than the hotel. Imagine Cruising - wouldn't touch them with a bargepole again. One issue after another but we didn't let it spoil our adventure of a lifetime.
We escaped from the hotel as soon as we had checked in. Adrian had invited us to a friend's BBQ just a few minutes drive away. He picked us up in his Defender and took us to his friend's house. It was a lovely evening. So nice to meet some of his friends and chat to them about their lives in Western Australia and meet their families. Good to speak to young people about their ambitions for study and what they would like to do with their future. Some very talented young people were at this party. The hostess had her father there too and it was very interesting to hear his stories of flying across the Nullarbor and around Western Australia, Adelaide and beyond in tiny planes as he ferried businessmen around. All-in-all it was a truly lovely event, I was just so caught up in the moment that I didn't take any photos at all, didn't even get my mobile phone out to take a few snaps. We were sitting enjoying the chatting and the food, including goat that Adrian had supplied, and lovely desserts that other guests had brought with them. A great evening for us both before Adrian dropped us back to the hotel with a road trip to Jurien Bay promised for the next day.