Adelaide to Perth via Kalgoorlie
Adelaide to Perth via Kalgoorlie
Adelaide to Perth via Kalgoorlie on the India-Pacific
Rail
I left on Tuesday evening, South Australia time from
Adelaide and arrived in Perth this morning at 9:30 am
Western Australia time (1 1/2 hours different).
Northern Australian and Southern Australia are 1/2
different from Victoria, Queensland, ACT and New South
Wales.
I boarded the train with fantasies of playing the role
of Hercule Poirot in a reenactment of Agatha Christie
type murder on the India-Pacific Line. Oh well. It
was a short-lived fantasy. The characters were
interesting: Wayne-my personal conductor, John and
Anthony-condutors for other cars, Zane-the chief and
Dave Train Manager, who made all the announcements
(with a little flavor of the Peter Principle).
The scenery from Adelaide until the next morning was
pitch black with occasional street lights in the black
and stars above with a 1/4 moon (bowl). In the
morning we were awakened to slight rolling hills with
scattered trees and ground cover. Soon that
disappeared and the flatest terrain you can imagine
appeared for 2000 kms. The trees came and disappeared
as we traveled westward. Except for some birds and
one dingo and a few camels in the far distance we
seldom were treated with an animal show.
Stretches did have varied red, blue, yellow and white
wild flowers. When I asked their names I got "red
wildflowers". Hmmm?
We stopped in the town of Cook...one family, mother,
father and two children. There are several houses but
most are empty now and the few that are used are used
by railroad employees.
It was fun to sit in the dining car in the RED
Kangaroo Car...middle class. GOLD Kangaroo was the
FIRST class.
I preferred the RED. We had long periods we could
eat. The GOLD only had specific sitting times and had
no choice of their exclusive meals.
We got to know the STAFF and had fun with them,
especially Wayne, a retired Army Colonel who was
always sharing stories with me when he saw me taking
notes in my journal and taking photos.
Got two books read and started a third plus completed
a lengthy questionnaire given to me by a professor
from Malaysia, Alice Lee, who I will see when I arrive
in Kuala Lumpur in August.
Last night we stopped in Kalgoorlie, a famous gold
mining and silver mining town. In the early 1900's it
had 92 hotels and and many restaurants. Now it has 30
and still many restaurants. The end of 90 minute bus
tour of the "SUPER PIT", similar to coal strip mining
I have seen in the states in Ohio, was past the
illegal yet tolerated RED LIGHT district with the
girls on display in their personal client rooms. The
second from last one had some clientele out front when
the driver of the bus said that the men would turn
away, they certainly did. One turned away bent over
and pulled down his pants. You fill in the rest.
Then after grabbing a chicken dinner from a local
chain, Red Rooster I boarded the train and reentered
my cabin...the size of two phone booths together. The
hallway on the car was serpentine in shape and
extremely narrow. I sat down to eat and in a few
minutes without any announcement the train quietly
pulled away on its trip to Perth.
After a very comfortable, though broken sleep, I took
a shower in the car shower. Boy that felt good after
two days of train riding.
Then off to writing and watching the fantastic sunrise
out the dining car windows.
One of the passengers is Bill Hartley, an
international news writer and photographer for
Australian Newspapers (about 70). We had some great
conversations during the two days.
My train adventure came to a happy end this time. My
last over-night train ride was in 1977 from Athens,
Greece, leaving at midnight to arrive at midnight the
next day in Beograde, Yugoslavia (Belgrade); then at
peace. Within an hour I began to be very sick and was
sick throughout the trip and ended up in a hospital in
Beograde for four days. I found out later that I had
contracted cholera in Egypt before returning to
Athens, Greece to travel to Yugoslavia and the
communist block countries.
This trip ended with a restful pleasure.
Perth in the next message. I will be going off with
my hosts, Mike and Von to their country retreat for
the weekend. Perhaps I'll write again on Monday or
Sunday when I return to Perth before leaving for
Darwin in the very northern section of Northern
Australia.
Wandering Alan
Cheerio mates
Adelaide to Perth via Kalgoorlie on the India-Pacific
Rail
I left on Tuesday evening, South Australia time from
Adelaide and arrived in Perth this morning at 9:30 am
Western Australia time (1 1/2 hours different).
Northern Australian and Southern Australia are 1/2
different from Victoria, Queensland, ACT and New South
Wales.
I boarded the train with fantasies of playing the role
of Hercule Poirot in a reenactment of Agatha Christie
type murder on the India-Pacific Line. Oh well. It
was a short-lived fantasy. The characters were
interesting: Wayne-my personal conductor, John and
Anthony-condutors for other cars, Zane-the chief and
Dave Train Manager, who made all the announcements
(with a little flavor of the Peter Principle).
The scenery from Adelaide until the next morning was
pitch black with occasional street lights in the black
and stars above with a 1/4 moon (bowl). In the
morning we were awakened to slight rolling hills with
scattered trees and ground cover. Soon that
disappeared and the flatest terrain you can imagine
appeared for 2000 kms. The trees came and disappeared
as we traveled westward. Except for some birds and
one dingo and a few camels in the far distance we
seldom were treated with an animal show.
Stretches did have varied red, blue, yellow and white
wild flowers. When I asked their names I got "red
wildflowers". Hmmm?
We stopped in the town of Cook...one family, mother,
father and two children. There are several houses but
most are empty now and the few that are used are used
by railroad employees.
It was fun to sit in the dining car in the RED
Kangaroo Car...middle class. GOLD Kangaroo was the
FIRST class.
I preferred the RED. We had long periods we could
eat. The GOLD only had specific sitting times and had
no choice of their exclusive meals.
We got to know the STAFF and had fun with them,
especially Wayne, a retired Army Colonel who was
always sharing stories with me when he saw me taking
notes in my journal and taking photos.
Got two books read and started a third plus completed
a lengthy questionnaire given to me by a professor
from Malaysia, Alice Lee, who I will see when I arrive
in Kuala Lumpur in August.
Last night we stopped in Kalgoorlie, a famous gold
mining and silver mining town. In the early 1900's it
had 92 hotels and and many restaurants. Now it has 30
and still many restaurants. The end of 90 minute bus
tour of the "SUPER PIT", similar to coal strip mining
I have seen in the states in Ohio, was past the
illegal yet tolerated RED LIGHT district with the
girls on display in their personal client rooms. The
second from last one had some clientele out front when
the driver of the bus said that the men would turn
away, they certainly did. One turned away bent over
and pulled down his pants. You fill in the rest.
Then after grabbing a chicken dinner from a local
chain, Red Rooster I boarded the train and reentered
my cabin...the size of two phone booths together. The
hallway on the car was serpentine in shape and
extremely narrow. I sat down to eat and in a few
minutes without any announcement the train quietly
pulled away on its trip to Perth.
After a very comfortable, though broken sleep, I took
a shower in the car shower. Boy that felt good after
two days of train riding.
Then off to writing and watching the fantastic sunrise
out the dining car windows.
One of the passengers is Bill Hartley, an
international news writer and photographer for
Australian Newspapers (about 70). We had some great
conversations during the two days.
My train adventure came to a happy end this time. My
last over-night train ride was in 1977 from Athens,
Greece, leaving at midnight to arrive at midnight the
next day in Beograde, Yugoslavia (Belgrade); then at
peace. Within an hour I began to be very sick and was
sick throughout the trip and ended up in a hospital in
Beograde for four days. I found out later that I had
contracted cholera in Egypt before returning to
Athens, Greece to travel to Yugoslavia and the
communist block countries.
This trip ended with a restful pleasure.
Perth in the next message. I will be going off with
my hosts, Mike and Von to their country retreat for
the weekend. Perhaps I'll write again on Monday or
Sunday when I return to Perth before leaving for
Darwin in the very northern section of Northern
Australia.
Wandering Alan
Cheerio mates
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