Overnight to Broken Hill

A deserted Broken Hill on a cold mid-winter Sunday morning

Taking the second seating at breakfast we were in no hurry to leave the train. We had arrived at Broken Hill about 7:30 in Sunday morning, and the town was very quiet. Broken Hill had been a gold mining town for 120 years, and the story goes that more gold has been taken out of that operation during that time than anywhere else in Australia. It is estimated that from the 1880s to the 1950s about a billion dollars in gold came from the mines every year. That is BIG money. The mines are still a private company so the books are not publically available. If you have heard of the British mining company BHP, the largest in the world today, it got its start as Broken Hill Properties and has made many a Brit rich. Unfortunately, being Sunday, and a nippy one at that high on the plains in mid-winter, there was not much going on. Despite the wild west feeling, the town was deserted.

Gold Kangaroo Dining Car

What the romance of the rails was all about.

We left the station around 3:30pm and after getting settled into our compartment, where Elysee informing me I had the upper berth, we made our way to the lounge car for pre-dinner drinks and to meet some of our fellow travelers. It was already lively, as you do not have to wait long for Australians to create a holiday spirit.The dining car was terrific. A throw back to an era long gone, and the food and service were all one could expect. Lots of wine, too.After dinner back to the lounge car we met a New Zealander on his way to Perth, Bob Dansey. It was not long before we were invited to stay with him when we got to New Zealand, and sure enough, some months later that happened.Regarding sleeping on trains. For me, the romance quickly faded. Its like sleeping in a giant cocktail shaker, and every once in a while you get poured out. The allusion to imbibing isn't accidental. A solution to sleeping well on trains is to to be amply "fortified" before turning in.

(Much of the above is from my book Our Summer in Australia and New Zealand which you can read on my web site links at www.marshallpublications.com)

Train Across Australia

E Elysee invites you to board. The Wedge Eagle is the train's
Mascot with a wingspan of nine feet
Very comfortable compartments

One of the advantages of staying for an extended time (in Australia we stayed for three months) is the ability to plan any excursions to meet your schedule, and design an itinerary to suit your interests. We planned and took a twelve-day journey across the continent from Sydney to Perth and back, with many stops along the way. I'm going to begin with our embarkation from the Sydney train station aboard the Indian Pacific. That train makes the three night, 2700 mile journey, stopping along the way at Adelaide, and crossing the 160,00 square mile Nullabor Plain, one of the most desolate places on earth. But I'm getting ahead of myself. We were ticketed for Gold Kangaroo service, a first class ride with sleeping compartments, a wonderful period dining car and a private lounge car with a full service bar and a smoking room for those who still do. All A'board. Come along with Elysee and I, and ask any questions you may have.

(There is more on my website http://www.marshallpublications.com/)