Goodbye Indian Pacific train

This morning we enjoyed our last meal on the fabulous Indian Pacific, then it was time to say goodbye to our companions that were going to straight through to Sydney. We made the choice to get off and go to the Blue Mountains for the morning.

Thankfully a bus was waiting to take us from Mt Victoria station into Katoomba because it was only 1 degree!! Our driver Greg took the scenic route and showed us a few great lookouts before we arrived at Scenic World – the home of the Scenic Railway, the Scenic Skyway and the Scenic Cableway.

Our guide Jo room one group onto the cableway and we travelled down into the Jamison Valley with amazing views of Orphan Rock and the Three Sisters. The descent was very gentle – and very steep!

We then wandered along the pathway through the rainforest and past the remains of the coal mines that were the reason the vehicles we were travelling in were created in the first place!

Our return trip back up was going backwards in the railway and the driver encouraged us to look back as we went up the last super steep section – yikes!! Lucky it was over in a heartbeat. I can remember travelling on a more basic version of this railway with my Mum when I was about 13!

Time then to go across between the cliff tops in the skyway and enjoy amazing views of the Katoomba Falls and the iconic rock formations. I didn’t need to stand on the glass bottom section of the cabin – just looking out from the glass sides was enough for me!

After all our rides we set off to walk down to Echo Point and just soak in the amazing views!

Back in the bus then to go to The Lookout restaurant at Echo Point for a tasty light lunch before we tootled back to Katoomba train station to catch our train which was privately chartered for the Indian Pacific passengers. Two hours and we were in Central Station and our car was waiting to take us to our accommodation out near the airport.

What a pleasant surprise it was at The Citadines Hotel. Their reception was on the top floor as was the bar and restaurant with amazing views over to the airport. We dropped our bags in our room then found a spot to sit and enjoy the sunset and watch the to and fro of airport traffic. So relaxing and a great way to finish off our last day. Tomorrow we are o an early flight home after nearly five fabulous weeks of travel – virtually a complete loop around the country!

Adelaide visit and on to NSW

An early start to be up and dressed for our Adelaide Experience this morning. We said farewell to Fran and Steve as they headed off for the next chapter of their adventure in the Flinders Ranges.

There were three choices for us for our couple of hours in the city – a walking tour in the city, a tour of the Adelaide Oval or our choice – a tasting tour of the Adelaide Markets – a square mile of stalls to explore!

Our guide Greg was fabulous and talked us through the history and stories of many of the long term stalls. I love the colours and smells of the markets. So many delicious tastes – honey, Turkish delight, coffee, fig syrup, chocolate, nuts & veggie and herb pancake. Yum!

Time for a quick shop at the train merchandise shop and then on board again. The window washers were hard at work getting the train ready for departure!

The next leg of our train journey involved backtracking from Adelaide then heading east towards Broken Hill. Sadly the extended stop at this town no longer happens due to scheduling- just a 20 minute break to change drivers. We could see the high rim of what used to be THE Broken Hill mine and make out the Line of Lode Miners Memorial to remember the 700+ miners who have died.

We were going to be offline for a while so I’ve posted early today while there is still a signal.

Crossing the Nullarbor Plain

Today we travelled across the Nullarbor Plain – the longest stretch of straight railway track in the world! It started very early to see the sunrise at Rawlina – a remote town about five hours from Kalgoorlie and bordering the largest sheep station in the Southern Hemisphere.

But there nobody awake when we were there at 6am and the only movement was the local lady whose horse provided the perfect rural backdrop for our resident singer as we warmed up with a cuppa and a bacon & egg slider. Our resident entertainer was strumming up a storm to lift spirits as people lucky niches and gathered around the fire pits.

We did a little wander along the ‘main street’ past the 1985 Time Capsule and the deserted homesteads. Then back on the train to snuggle back under our doona and have a lazy morning reading and watching the Nullarbor roll by. The crisp morning and the colours in the sky made for a memorable desert sunrise.

Finally surfaced for brunch about 1pm and even tasted the camel curry Fran had chosen from the menu. Mmmm ….. not for me! Then it was time for some cards and of course …… some of that icy Bollinger!

There was an extended stop at Cook where water supplies for the train were replenished.

Obviously some people with a sense of humour pass through this little town with four permanent residents because the signs and local icons had a whimsy about them!

There was the Jailhouse Rock between the “his & hers” lockups.

And the signpost in the middle of nowhere!

After a little afternoon aperitif and board game, we rested and watched the Nullarbor (No trees) roll by. Not a tree or shrub to be seen – it was barren indeed!

It was our farewell dinner tonight because after four weeks together we farewell the Maitlands in Adelaide early tomorrow as they leave to join Steve’s sister and travel to the Flinders Ranges and we journey on to Sydney. So surprise surprise we were one of the last to leave the dining car. A scrumptious dinner, lots of laughs, staff who were leaving in Adelaide so ready to play with us and the closing of a travel chapter with our friends. Soooooo many reasons to celebrate!!

Indian Pacific – here we come!

Our transfer driver Stephen arrived to pick us up at 8.15 so we were all ready with our bags to head to the station and begin the final adventure for this holiday.

At the station we were greeted and welcome to travelling Platinum class with great hospitality to start our journey.

We boarded our train and headed for the dining carriage where the coffee machine was gurgling – but more importantly the Bollinger was being popped at 9am! Did we indulge – of course we did!!

Our gorgeous host Georgia met with us to explain the different tour options and our train slowly pulled out of Perth and lolled through leafy suburbs. We knew it was going to be a relaxing journey!

The train is nearly 700 metres and has 34 carriages so it’s quite a site to see. By the time we arrive in Sydney on Thursday we will have travelled over 43000 kms and crossed through three states. I’m a little worried I could also be a few kilos heavier too!

After Perth we travelled through the Avon Valley where the annual Avon Descent white water race is held. The train line followed the river closely and the outlook was very pretty.

I enjoyed having a little wander in our new surroundings. Our lounge/dining car was all set for lunch and the meal was as good as the aromas wafting through the carriage promised.

We enjoyed a delicious fish lunch and brownie dessert accompanied by Bollinger and wine – I think my annual alcohol intake is at capacity!!

The scenery rolling past our window was constantly changing – wheat fields, canola fields, sheep & lambs, then interspersed with a little town. It was amazing to watch!

Back to our cabins for an afternoon nana nap after the lovely Lydia put our bed down. Such a treat to lie down and watch the passing parade.

As the end of the day approached the scenery through our window took on a different mood and colour. Even some rain clouds on the horizon! Occasionally there was a commentary over the loud speaker highlighting points of interest – eg the water pipeline from Perth to Kalgoorlie.

A game of cards with Fran & Steve was arranged so that we could find a spot ready for the afternoon trivia. A guy was working his way through the various carriages with his trivia quiz and finishing with us in platinum class. Our team was playing cards and playing trivia at the same time! Incredibly we scored a perfect 10/10 with the first round. Our delicious dinner was at 7 then we rugged up ready for our Kalgoorlie nighttime off train excursion at 9 pm.

Good thing we had a couple of glasses of Bollinger to help us warm from within!!

When the train stopped at Kalgoorlie at 9.30 there were buses waiting to take us for a drive around the town before arriving at the museum for a short performance! The bus driver gave us a commentary and we were lost for words to describe her very personal approach!

Short play about the discovery of gold in Kalgoorlie.

Fran and I tried to get loaded!

Very tricky trying to balance on the tyre rim!

Next stop was at the enormous gold mine pit operating 24 hours a day. We went to the lookout and could see down nearly a kilometre down to the bottom where the huge dump trucks looked like little cars!

Back to the bus and in the train again by midnight!

Exploring in Fremantle

Sadly we didn’t get to go to Rottnest Island today because the weather was forecast to be wild and the ferries were all cancelled. As it turned out there was little rain and we had some sunny periods so we were lucky we could go exploring without worrying about getting wet.

So a slow start with a leisurely brunch at the trendy Moore & Moore cafe. It was chilly in the undercover garden area so we were happy to be near a little heater. And a bonus watercolour exhibition was on in this spacious area.

There was an hour or so before our movie so we set off walking around the trendy streets of Fremantle. So many unique one-off shops and so interesting. We lost ourselves in a children’s books shop, a gentleman’s outfitter, a map & chart shop, a second hand record shop – just to name a few. Lots to discover on a cloudy windy day!

Then off to the movies at 12.30 to see the legendary Gérard Depardieu in a French movie – Maigret. It was only a two minute walk from our hotel so just perfect.

Another wander after the movie before we made our way back to the hotel to meet our Perth friends for afternoon tea. Such a treat to see them once again.

An early dinner was in order tonight so we set off up the street to a little Italian restaurant called Nunzio’s. There were busy and we wandered in without a reservation but because we promised to be gone by 7.30 they squeezed us in. We had a delicious meal and met our deadline to leave!

Fran enjoyed grated caramelised orange on her ravioli!

Saturday night was starting to ramp up with all the eateries and bars full of people, so Steve’s plan to go to the whiskey bar called “Darling Darling” was canned because there was a queue. Instead we returned to the hotel for our nightcap and then faced the challenge of repacking. The train storage space in our cabins is limited so we set about condensing our luggage before retiring for the night. The train adventure begins tomorrow.

Flying south

Our pristine ‘600km on the clock’ hire car was returned this morning looking a tad different. The red dirt of the Kimberleys was all over the white paint work and in all the crevices inside too! But the tank was filled and we packed it up one last time to return to the airport – with a extra 3000+ kms travelled in 18 days!

Broome airport was an experience with lots of travel groups and a very busy airport! We finally boarded our Qantas BA320 aircraft and it was snug. Oh well only three hours so all good.

Steve and Fran had booked a maxi taxi to get us to our accommodation in Freemantle so once we had our luggage we hit the road and arrived at the grand old Esplanade Hotel.

After finally progressing to the top of the longest check-in queue ever, we got our room keys and off loaded all our luggage. Then off for a walk to have a little explore. The Fremantle markets were only a block away so that was a good place to start.

Lots of beautiful old buildings around this area as went in search of a florist to buy flowers for our hosts tonight

A quick turn around before we set off to enjoy a delicious dinner of soup with our old neighbours from Sherwood. Their daughters also joined us and we had a wonderful night sharing lots of laughs and enjoying their amazing hospitality.

Last day in Broome

A very slow morning today. Fran had a massage booked and I had a manicure booked so the boys did their exercise sessions and we all headed to the beach mid morning for our swims.

After watching the beach set up each day when we had a swim, Fran and I decided we wanted to indulge and enjoy a beach umbrella and some deck chairs today and just wallow on the beach for an hour before we left.

The guy delivered our chairs and put the umbrella up in under a minute. He certainly had the right tools for the job!!

Now that’s a drill!

Another dip to cool off before heading back to meet the boys for lunch down the road at the Divers Bar.

Steve snapped us from every angle!

Our last night at Cable Beach and it had to be at the resort Sunset Bar to watch that spectacular sunset one more time. It’s amazing when the sun sets but it just keeps getting better for the 15-20 minutes after sunset when the colours are simply breathtaking!!

All the groups of camels wander past after their sunset beach rides are done, four wheel drives have a traffic jam as they all leave the beach, and the visitors all pack up and head away from the beach. Lucky for us we can stay on and enjoy this magic spot.

So finally there was no escaping that we had to leave the bar and head back to our rooms to pack up after six amazing days in Broome. When you stay that long in one place and spread out, the challenge is always going to be condensing everything back into our luggage once again. So some repacking and culling and we were sorted and ready for our flight south in the morning.

Broome icons

Today we enjoyed three iconic spots in Broome – Cable Beach, Matso’s Brewery and the “Staircase to the Moon” event.

The day started with a relaxing swim at Cable Beach. The waves were the gentle “nana waves” that I love and the water was crystal clear. Perfect conditions! We arrived as the man was setting up and the lifesavers started their patrol.

A stroll back to the resort to enjoy a leisurely coffee before setting off.

Fran and I wanted to have a little shop in the Main Street before we visited Australia’s most remote brewery – Matso’s!! Magic spot with a cool breeze off the water.

We had a couple of jugs of mango beer. I tried it but decided I’m still not a beer drinker!

Lots of memorabilia for the brewery on the walls – the oldest family owned brewery in Australia!

Lots of choices!

Loved the names!

Chris had an afternoon massage booked so I ducked down to the beautiful pool for a swim and relax in the cabana.

Then off we set for the night markets at Town Beach where we would see the magical “Staircase to the moon” phenomenon. When there is a full moon and an extremely low tide the combination creates a beautiful optical illusion of a staircase reaching up to the moon. Just magical!

People had gathered and claimed their spots for the best view. They had blankets, chairs, snacks, and lots of drinks ready to wait for that magic moment.

We on the other hand were totally unprepared so we investigated the food stalls and went to the one with the shortest queues and it happened to be the gelato stand!! Win win!!

We settled in and waited then for the lights to dim and the moon to rise. It was spectacular and our phones just couldn’t capture the magic of the moment. The light from the moon replicated a staircase across the mudflats – it was amazing! Hence a photo from the internet to show what it looked like. Cameras were flashing and everyone was just in awe of this show Mother Nature put on for us.

There was a traffic jam as everyone then headed home. We had already had enjoyed dessert so we stopped at Woolworths, bought some crackers and cheese and also some prosecco and red wine and found a great spot back at our resort outside the Italian restaurant to sit, play cards, drink our wine and enjoy our nibbles. The Italian music set the mood and our card playing improved with every glass of wine. It was the funniest night and we decided that Thursday morning was definitely going to be a sleep in day!

Lazy day at the resort

Today we decided to be kind to ourselves and just enjoy the beautiful surroundings. Fran and I wandered down to the beach for a wonderful long walk along Cable Beach. What a sight! The sun was shining and the water was the amazing blue.

There’s a guy who has a beach business setting up umbrellas and deck chairs for people to hire. The first day we walked down there we saw lots of white poles along the waters edge and none of us could work out why. A couple of minutes later we saw a guy hitting pegs into the ground near these white piles. Even curiouser! Then we saw the final step – he set up beach umbrellas in the white poles and secured them to the pegs nailed into the sand – aha!!

After our beach walk today we had a short surf with the boys then meandered back up for a morning coffee before some much needed washing is done!

We wiled away a couple of hours today sitting on the verandah playing cards and enjoying a light lunch – in the shade, a light breeze and a comfy spot.

An Australia Post colleague was holidaying in Broome so we organised to catch up for a drink then joined the Maitlands for sunset drinks and dinner at the iconic Sunset Bar at the resort. A fabulous way to end a relaxing day.

The camels heading home from sunset rides.

Horizontal Falls

Off on an adventure today in a little six seater plane! We were picked up from our accommodation and taken to the Broome airport where our touring half day Scenic flight began.

Michael (Freddie) our pilot and the second pilot flying an Air Broome plane too gave us an overview of what to expect before we boarded. Fran and I exchanged some nervous glances as we looked inside the plane. A though it was a Cessna 210 known as the Toyota of the Skies, the interior had that very well used and lived in look which didn’t I still a great deal of confidence. But we needn’t have worried because the engine purred into action and we had a fabulous flight and Chris was delighted to be sitting up beside the pilot in the flight north.

As we flew north Michael gave us lots of information about what we were seeing. He chatted about the size of the Kimberleys (same as Germany); the indigenous communities that are dotted through this area and the importance of the plane visits to them; the military area we flew over where SAS as trained because it resembles Afghanistan. He was a wealth of knowledge!!

After an hour or so in the plane we arrived over the Horizontal Falls and it was as spectacular as we had hoped. We could clearly see the push of the water through the narrow space. The 24 metre width of water had to pass through the 10 metre space making for very turbulent waters.

We also saw the houseboat that we were supposed to stay on. It was moored in the bay and looked like an idyllic spot. Oh well we might have to come back!

After having a fabulous fly around over the falls we changed direction and flew over Koolan Island where there is a mine digging out the worlds highest grade iron ore

Then on past Cockatoo Island where a disused iron ore mine is possibly going to be reopened.

We saw one unique beach with the whitest silica sand; a working lighthouse at Cape Leveque and then landed at Cyvnet Bay for our visit to the Pearl Farm – Australia’s oldest family owned and operated pearl farm

Steven our guide was a great host and shared the story of the Brown family who created this business. He took us into what was the primary school for the farm workers and then explained the ins and outs of the business and showed us an old “Big Country” ABC show.

He explained how the indigenous people created “rijis” – decorated mother of pearl shells. the design used was their family story and not shared. He also showed us the amazing necklace the owner created for his wife taking 50 years to find the perfect pearls needed. There was much to learn about size, shape, lustre, colour and surface – the five features of pearls. I’m going home to look at my pearls with lots of knowledge!

After a delicious barramundi lunch and time to shop, we boarded the plane once again for the spectacular journey home along the coastline. The pictures will tell the story.

Such a great day perfect flying weather!

Down to the pool for a swim and a cocktail before we set off for our nighttime adventure.

Sharing Chandon Spritz cocktails!

We booked tickets for the Sun Pictures tonight. It’s the world’s oldest outdoor picture garden.

Now and then Sun Pictures from the Museum.

After our flight today seeing Maverick: Top Gun seemed perfect and a jet even flew overhead as we were enjoying the movie. Pizzas were ordered and we headed in to find a good spot in the canvas chairs. Even some jaffas to roll down under the seats! Relaxing end to another amazing day.