March 13 - 14
Wellington to Lithgow
March 13
Wellington to Lithgow
The early night didn't work and I had little sleep. I got up before the alarm (both alarms) at 03.30 and was outside the house at 04.00 to welcome the taxi. This took me to the airport in very little time, I checked in without incident and sat in the lounge having a light breakfast, changing my sim card and writing my diary.
Boarding started a bit late, I thought, but we were aboard about five minutes after departure time. Unfortunately, the baggage wasn't. We finally took off about 30 minutes late.
The flight information map soon showed that we were on course to arrive as originally scheduled. This continued until we were just off shore from Sydney, when we started to circle over the sea, finally landing about 35 minutes late. I was starting to fear for my connection with the Blue Mountains train.
The electronic passport system was very quick and efficient so that I was soon on my way to the baggage carousel. At that stage, however, things ground to a halt. After fifteen minutes, nothing had happened. If there had been a wi fi signal, I would have phoned Malcolm and told him that I would miss the train. This being Sydney, such mod cons haven't yet appeared.
Suddenly, things started moving, my bag was about the second to appear and the queues at bio-security melted away. In less than five minutes, I was in the main concourse. I bought an Opal card and staggered down a couple of escalators. The train to Central was due in three minutes and my connection to the Blue Mountains train was on again.
On the platform, an elderly man was being treated by a paramedic. It looked like heart trouble. There but for the grace of God go I!
At Central, I found a lift up to the main station concourse, having first had to descend a flight of stairs and then manoeuvre myself along a long corridor. This took some effort.
When I emerged into the magnificent main section of the station, I had half an hour to wait for my train. No need to panic at all.
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I have always been confused by the pricing structure of trains in Sydney. When I enquired to make sure I had enough funds on my Opal card to cover the fare to Lithgow, it transpired that the ten minute trip from the airport cost just under $20. The three hour trip to Lithgow would cost just under $7. Why am I confused?
We departed on time and wound our way gently through the suburbs.
I have taken many photos from the windows of this train in the past, with minimal success, so I didn't really bother this time. The further into the mountains we travelled, the worse the weather became. The visibility fell and the rain drops on the windows grew and grew. A shame, as the views are magnificent and the numerous small stations all appear to be well maintained.
After almost three hours, we arrived at Lithgow, the end of the journey, about five minutes late. Malcolm and Ronny were there to meet me and loaded me into the car and drove me home, about three kilometres away.
I have visited their retirement village before and it is quite similar to Valerie's in Paraparaumu. The main difference is that, in Lithgow, the bungalows are much more closely packed together. It was very comfortable and well appointed.
Whilst the weather was considerably better than it had been in the Blue Mountains, it was still not inviting so we spent the rest of the day studying maps and chatting.
March 14
Lithgow
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Still cloudy this morning but not damp. Malcolm, Ronny and I set off to walk round the retirement village before breakfast. Only about a mile but a healthy start to the day. We even saw a native in the distance.
We went along the main road towards Bathurst, about three quarters of an hour to the west. The countryside was considerably flatter than it had been in the Blue Mountains, with both farmland and trees lining the road.
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At Bathurst, we stopped at the Information Centre and cafe. The car park was full of magnificent gum trees which were full of noisy cockatoos. We had good coffees and then drove up the road to the town's most famous feature, the Mount Panorama motor racing circuit. Most surprisingly, we were able to drive onto the track and then round the complete circuit, just over six kilometres. |
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The circuit climbs over a hill |
Classic racing bridge |
It is a public road and some of the houses which surround it can only be reached via the circuit. We stopped at intervals to take photographs and appreciate the views. Unusually for a top level racing circuit, there are some steep hills involved. There are lots of very smart looking facilities and we spent a happy hour driving round in circles. We could equally well have walked or cycled it but the hills would have been a bit frightening.
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Another 30 minutes up the road is Millthorpe, an old country town full of old buildings. Unfortunately, most of the village is closed on Tuesdays. The railway station looks very grand and has one train in each direction. The cafe, however, was closed. Up the road we found a small cafe/deli which sold us toasted sandwiches and good coffee. Most enjoyable. |
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We returned to Bathurst and stopped at a huge indoor market/superstore, selling every possible variety of fruit, vegetables, cheese, meat etc etc. I bought some prawns for dinner and some cheese to eat on the road The others bought supplies for the next few days.
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After another 45 minutes, we reached home again, where we relaxed. Malcolm did some chores on the computer, I wrote my diary and Ronny prepared dinner. After the prawns I had bought in Bathurst, we had a vegetable soup made by Ronny. Both were very good. Suitably replete, we had a quiet night in front of the TV.