Bagni di Lucca and Beyond

The Indian Pacific train is named for the 2 oceans at either end of the train’s journey. It first ran in 1970 after the completion of gauge conversion projects in South Australia and Western Australia, enabling a cross-continental rail journey. The route includes the world’s longest straight stretch of railway track. The stretch across the Nullarbor Plain is 478 kilometres. The entire trip is 4352 kilometres.

It was the crossing of the Nullarbor that was the attraction. We took the Ghan from Adelaide to Darwin several years ago and I loved travelling through the desert. Far from boring, the landscape is stunning and constantly changing. I expected the same with the Nullarbor.

We boarded the train in Perth. Our train was 800 metres long, difficult to see from the photo below.

We soon left the city and suburbs behind.

We began to see farms and bush and open country.

We saw some of the salt flats spotted from the plane on our way to Perth.

We saw kilometres of pipeline.

We stopped in Kalgoorlie on the first night. We were driven through the town and up to the huge open cut mine, which operates 24 hours a day. The town looks well kept and the mine interesting but even though the mine was lit photos didn’t really show much.

The Nullarbor was well and truly on show on day 2. Nullarbor means no trees, but there is plenty of low growth and we saw sheep and cattle grazing and the odd emu.

 

We stopped for an hour at Cooke, an abandoned town beside the train line. It was established in 1917 when the Trans-Australian Railway was built, and named after the 6th Prime Minister of Australia, Joseph Cook. At one time it supported a school and hospital. It is still a principle stopping place for trains to take on diesel fuel and water.

The remains of a town pool.

It would have been a good idea to stay out of jail.

Someone had a sense of humour.

It was an interesting interlude on the journey. I don’t think I would like to be this remote.

The Nullarbor continues… As we got closer to the South Australian border trees began to appear.

At one point we travelled beside the long straight road.

A desert sunset.

We woke up to a different landscape when we were close to Adelaide.

We had a short stop in Adelaide. I chose to visit the famous Adelaide Market. There was also offered a walk through the city centre, a tour of Adelaide Oval or Adelaide Hills.

 

An extra locomotive was added to the train to take us up to the Blue Mountains where we stopped and visited the gorgeous Three Sisters and took the steep train ride down to the forest below.

 

Coal was mined here many years ago and there are still remnants of the industry.

This is a track from the mining days, no longer in use.

And a memorial to the mine workers.

From there it was back through Katoomba to a local train to take us to Sydney and our flight home.

The Indian Pacific was an excellent adventure. The cabin was small but comfortable, the food and service on board was great and I loved the ever changing Australian landsacape.

I am now in Helsinki on my way to Italy. Needles to say, the landscape and temperature are a bit different here.

After our hot summer in Brisbane I am enjoying walking in the cold weather. Tomorrow Italy.