March 2
Darwin to the desert
I packed everything, checked out and left my bags at reception. Outside, even at 07.45, it was like an oven. I took a couple of photos and then went to The Coffee Club, which had been closed for several days for redecoration. Everything savoury on the menu looked huge so they made me a simple ham and cheese sandwich, which was also huge. I ate half and wrapped the rest in a napkin for later. The coffee was good.
Being the pessimist that I am, I returned to the hotel to re-check the time of the bus and then went walk about again.
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The Wave is a posh pool outside the hotel, with a wave machine and lots of chairs with sun shades. I hadn't taken photos when it was open for fear of offending someone. Now was the ideal opportunity, although it wasn't very exciting without the waves.
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There are some small bird statues in the gardens. Not as exciting as the Adelaide pigs but quite good fun. I started photographing the flowers and then one of the gardeners suggested that there might be a charge. We had a good laugh and a long chat. He said that it was very hot and that the plants were showing signs of losing their leaves in anticipation of "The Dry". Everything was growing furiously. The sky was clear - no rain bearing clouds - but there was still very high humidity suggesting that moisture would fall somewhere. |
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Back at the hotel, the entire foyer was full of old people - ie older than me. I was horrified to discover that they were all going on the train.
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The bus arrived, our baggage was placed on the pavement and we piled on board - except for the half dozen people who wouldn't fit. Another bus was sent to collect them. Our bags were then stuffed into the baggage compartment.
We reached the station in the middle of nowhere after a 20 minute drive, were checked in and we climbed aboard. The train was enormous. About 950 metres long and carrying about 225 passengers and 40 staff. I had hoped to go up to the front end to take a photo of the engine but this was too far away and they were very keen to get us all on board as quickly as possible.
My single cabin looked tiny but I could fit in. There was room for a large armchair type seat with a fold away table and a foot rest. Hidden in the walls were lots of small cupboards and a fold away sink. I managed to find a dirty glass in one of my cupboards, much to the horror of the young man who had arrived to tell me how everything worked.
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I should say at this stage that all of the staff were young and that all of them were really good. Not just efficient but also very friendly. The down side to the whole trip is that the train is a sealed unit & all photos will have to be taken through the train windows.
After 20 minutes, we had travelled about 50 metres - backwards. It could take a long time to reach Adelaide at this rate.
We started to move a little faster - ie 20 mph - and I walked three carriages to the lounge. This was quite smart, served adequate if not brilliant coffee and had a reasonable looking wine list.It also had views on both sides of the train so should be the best bet for photography. We were given a potted history of the railway, which was only completed in 2004. |
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About 40 minutes after we had first moved, we started picking up speed, leaving the industrial sidings behind and entering woodland. We crossed the Elizabeth River bridge, half a kilometre long, but as I was returning my empty cup to the bar at the time, I had to beat a hasty retreat to my sofa and my camera.
There was a temptation to sit at the window and snap away at everything. With two and a quarter days to occupy, however, this didn't seem entirely sensible.
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I spotted lots of termite mounds, similar to the ones by the rock art. They are remarkable structures and are always aligned North-South to avoid the worst impacts of sun exposure. It’s amazing what you can learn on a train journey!
I even saw a heard of cows, the first I had seen since leaving Darwin. I assume that it is too hot up here for cows to be a really cost effective crop.
After 90 minutes, the vegetation started to change subtly, with less water and more dry soil around.
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At 12 noon, the sun crossed the yard arm and I had my first wine, a very good dry riesling. I was ushered into the restaurant car and seated opposite an elderly lady from the Gold Coast. She had travelled extensively with her late husband and had continued to do so after his death. They had both been teachers, his subject being mechanical engineering. Because of this, they did a stint every year on one of the more remote communities, so she knew Australia very well. She had, of course, been to far more of Europe than I have!
Lunch was good. I tried the first three white wines on the list, all of which were very acceptable. The meal commenced with bread, mild macadamia oil and a good dukkah.
The fish, which should have been snapper but had been substituted by barramundi, was excellent and the goats cheese was interesting. I crawled back to my cabin for a rest before our first stop. I was able to use my very clever washing facilities.
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We arrived at Katherine about 30 minutes late and walked to the station buildings, several hundred metres alongside the track. There was a flotilla of buses awaiting us and we all boarded the appropriate one.
We drove about five kilometres into the town of Katherine, birthplace of Cadel Evans as the road signs proudly announced, and then out of the other side, a trip of about 25 minutes. We disembarked, disturbed a few flying foxes and queued to get onto the boat.
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The driver gave us lots of information about the traditional owners and about the flora and fauna. I would have needed a tape recorder to retain all but a fraction of it. The main part was that the chain for gorges on the Katherine River is all joined up when the river is at its highest, but that they are all separated by rapids when the water level falls.
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We took one boat to the first set of rapids, walked along some steps and concrete paths for about 300 metres to a second boat, went to a second set of rapids. then turned around and returned to our starting point. We had been warned that a fair level of fitness would be required to complete the walk but I thought that was something of an exaggeration.
The cliffs towered over the river and were riven with faults. They looked eminently suitable for filming Lord of the Rings. The sun shone and it was hot, but the motion of the boat generated a gentle breeze.
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We were starting our return when the clouds rolled in, darkened and produced thunder and lightning in the distance. The driver rushed round delivering plastic ponchos to everyone. I managed to put mine on but it was an interesting challenge in the wind. It may or may not have been worth while. For a short time, it was quite wet.Progress was delayed for a long time for an elderly lady who had been unable to manage the walk between the two gorges. The boat company rushed another boat to rescue her and seemed to do everything brilliantly. |
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The end result was that we were very late back at the train so I had to rush along the platform to reach my carriage. No time for either photography or the purchase of postcards.
As soon as were-boarded the train I felt obliged to try a small, cold beer. They really are essential in this climate.
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I changed rapidly and shared a table in the dining room with Ian, celebrating his 75th Birthday, and his wife Jan. A charming couple from the Gold Coast. Dinner was good as, yet again, was the wine.
The staff joined in the celebrations and presented him with assorted souvenirs and a bottle of wine. They even gave him a rendition of Happy Birthday. They certainly understand customer service.
I returned to my cabin to find that the bed had been assembled and was surprisingly roomy.
Right: A surprisingly roomy bed |
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