Indian Pacific - Nullarbor Plain

 17th May 2021

Our next leg takes us from Kalgoorlie to Adelaide across the Nullarbor Plain. 
A journey of some 1,800km.

We woke to see the Sunrise and have Breakfast at Rawlinna. 

At 2 .5 million Acres, It is the largest Sheep Station in Australia.

No off train excursion today, just an opportunity to get some early morning fresh air and stretch our legs.

Our 'resident' Entertainer sang Bush Ballads while commenting that he was being upstaged by a Horse!

They say he wanders in and stands in the same spot to greet the train each time it stops - 

No one seemed to know why.

Back on board we watch as the Great Nothing of the Nullarbor Plain rolled by.  

There really IS nothing out there (unless I am told, you look for it ...)

Another stunning Lunch was served. 

This time a rather delicious Camel Curry

After which we finally enjoyed our Chef's Treat from last night.  

Thinking it was a heavy Chocolate Cake we were delighted to find inside was .. 

A Lamington!

(Stowaway Frog certainly enjoyed being invited to Lunch)

Next Stop is the "Ghost Town" of Cook.  

A necessary stop for the Train to take on Water and give us some time to once again stretch our legs.

This time we were able to get to the front of the Train to take the all important Photo of the Engine

And - Because we were actually in the Middle of Nowhere. 

The sign told us so...

We walked all the way to the end of the Train and took a photo of that as well. 

Because - nobody does!

It is a very long train.

It was a great opportunity to also photograph a section of the Rail Tracks.  

At 487km it is the longest stretch of Straight Railway Track in the World.

More views of the Great Nothing as the train continued on 

We enjoyed the Company of other travellers in the Lounge - listening to their stories is a great way to pass the time.

More wonderful meals and a Nightcap before bed.  

Next Stop will be Breakfast in Adelaide.

The Indian Pacific - Perth to Kalgoorlie

 16th May 2021

Today we Celebrated our 40th Wedding Anniversary.

 
Today we hit the Rails on a much anticipated Journey from The Indian Ocean to The Pacific Ocean by Train.

No - Not This Train....

THIS Train!

The Indian Pacific. 

Our Journey will take us from the

WA Capitol of Perth, 

East to Sydney NSW.

Once on board there was not much to do except sit back - relax and watch the scenery go past.

Check your location, or make final calls before you lose Internet and Phone coverage.

 

(One of the things I like about these inland trips is the only thing you use your phone for - is taking photos!)

Some on board nodded off and woke to The change in Scenery

Lunch was served - 

Full White Tablecloth Service for every meal. 

No "Airline Food" here!

We watched the Sun Set over the outback

Then dressed for a 'Romantic' Dinner in the Queen Adelaide Restaurant Car.

(We had our own booth tonight.)

Was Chef having some fun? 

 

Or was it pure coincidence that

DH's entrée matched his Shirt?

They knew it was our Anniversary.

And Maggie Beer's (Non-alcoholic) 

RUBY Cabernet was also on the Menu

We couldn't have asked for a more Beautiful Meal.  

Amuse-bouche to start, Followed by 3 Courses with Wine and Coffee.

And when we had thought we couldn't fit anymore in....

Chef presented us with "A little Anniversary Surprise" - 

Oh Goodness, Can we have it tomorrow?

What can we possibly do for After Dinner entertainment? 

Go on an Off-train excursion to Kalgoorlie.

Add to our list of Big Things, and go see some Very Big Toys.

And a Very Big Hole in the Ground.

Australia's largest Open cut Gold (and other things) mine.

It can be seen from space!

The mine works 24 hours a day and would be a sight to see in daylight!

Back to the Train

and head for Bed, 

new Adventures Await Tomorrow.

Back in Perth

 15th May 2021

With a Free Day, we had all of Perth to explore at our own pace. So what better way to start than with a leisurely Breakfast, while watching the Saturday Morning activities on the River below.

Our wanderings brought us to The Perth Mint - Open to the Public for sales of all things shiny and sparkly.
(Unfortunately No Photos allowed).  

And for Tours, where photos were enthusiastically encouraged!

We were first Introduced to the Largest Legal Tender Coin in the World.  Minted in Perth in 2012.

 

At 80cm x13cm, the 1 Tonne Coin is made from 99.99% Pure Gold it has a Face Value of AUD $1 million. 

It is estimated Actual value is AUD 50 Million.  It is not for Sale!

Next we were left to wander around the extensive collection of  Gold Nuggets. 

The Newmont-Normandy Nugget, found just out of Kalgoorlie weighing 25.5 kg is the 2nd Largest nugget still in existence. Estimated to be 40 Million Years Old and 80/90% High Purity Gold it was purchased by Normandy Mining in 2000 to ensure it is kept in Australia as an important part of our mining heritage.

Our tour continued into an Area where we could enjoy a Talk on the History of the Room. 

We then watched a Demonstration of the process of melting Gold in a Crucible at high temperatures before pouring it into a Mould to make Gold Bars.

And just so we could say we actually got our hands on one of these....

Here was one (appropriately secured) that we could pat and pick up, if only for a moment.

So when they say "You're Worth your Weight in Gold"... 

I finally found that being a little heavier than I would like to be has it's benefits - DH discovered that He indeed "Could not afford to Replace Me"!

On that note - Our Tour concluded (Via the Souvenir room of course) and it was time to move on.

Catching the Bus we headed up to Kings Park - 

Not having the Time or the Energy to walk it's many paths we settled to Just to admire the View!

Heading back DH wanted to show me where he used to go when sent to the "Perth Office" but I certainly wasn't prepared for what came next.  He led me through a Gate to . . .

France?

Tudor England Actually

A working Retail Arcade, London Court was was Built in 1937 and is the only walk outside Britain to capture the Setting and  Atmosphere of Tudor England.

After that I needed an Ice Cream. 

 

And there was no better place than at the Elizabeth Quay.

Ice Cream and Carousels, with Horses that looked like they were carved from Chocolate - 

What better way to finish the day?

Rottnest Island - Day 2

 14th May 2021

Glamping was not exactly High on my Bucket List but when you leave the accommodation to whoever puts your tour package together - you get to stay in some interesting places!

Other guests commented that they didn't know if it was supposed to be a Luxury Resort or a Camp Ground.

I think the  'Luxury Eco-Tent' experience would have been more enjoyable had they not planted us under a massive Gum Tree. 
(They always make me nervous!)

The Day's activities began by coming to the realisation that you CAN actually forget how to ride a Bicycle - DH who was a more experienced cyclist handled the ride a lot better!

We were ignored by Quokkas - who being semi nocturnal had obviously had all their fun last night and just wanted to be left alone.

And the Lighthouses I was so excited about Photographing were also camera shy.  

We were informed that Lead Paint was being removed from all surfaces of this Lighthouse which is why it is wrapped tighter than a Christmas present.

The Pinky Beach Lighthouse was also under repair.  

Whereas I was disappointed to not get that Classic Shot, it is not everyday that you can actually see them being restored.  

We think of lighthouses standing stoic against all that Nature can throw at them and not consider that they deserve to be cared for.

With disastrous Coffee (This is the foam DH scooped off his Flat White) 

and meals that were definitely not "Instagram worthy" you would be thinking that today was a bit of a write off.  

That is until...

Best Holiday Activity Ever!

I almost declined the included Segway Lesson and Tour but am SO glad I went - The Segway were so easy to operate and It was so much fun. 

I would definitely do this again!

But all good things must - and it was time to collect our souvenirs, take a few last photos and say Goodbye to Rottnest as more adventures await. 

Rottnest Island

 May 13th 2021

Whereas I could really get used to the view of the Swan River for Breakfast, there was little time to enjoy the scenery when you had to be elsewhere by 8:20 am

Just as well the Barrack Street Jetty was only a One Minute walk from the Hotel. 

This is where we were to get the rest of our tickets and passes for the next 2 days and board the Rottnest Express.

Rottnest Island is 18 km West of Freemantle and a 90 minute Cruise by Ferry from Perth.

With an 8 knot limit in the river it was a leisurely trip past some of Perth's most expensive real estate.

We had barely landed when we were whisked off for a Bus Tour around the Island.  

There is only one main road. The only vehicles are those that work on the Island and they have to give way to everybody!

Our Coach stopped at West End and Cape Vlamingh Viewing Platform where we were able to stretch our legs and breath in the wonderful fresh air straight off the Indian Ocean.

It is here I got my

"Shot of the Day" It is in fact 

'A Shag on a Rock'!

Further along, our tour passed the Lakes - Very pretty but no Fresh water here.

These are Salt Lakes.

  

There is actually no fresh water (Other than collected Rainwater) on the Island at all which made it unsuitable for farming.  

The entire Island and its surrounding Marine environment is now a Class A Reserve.

So by now some are asking 

"Did I meet a Quokka?"

Yes I did.

Did I get a Selfie?

No - I Tried but eventually gave up, bought a Stuffed Toy and took one with that instead!

By the time we had finished dinner we were a little "Over" our Very Friendly local Wildlife.

Very Cute - Outside, but became somewhat annoying as Dinner Guests.

(These cheeky Locals snuck in via a door that was left ajar and proved rather difficult to round up.)

Beaches hold a special place in my heart and the opportunity to walk along one at Sunset, even more so.

An after Dinner stroll along Pinky Beach gave such an opportunity to watch the Sun set over the water before heading back to our accommodation for the night.  

But I will show you WHERE we stayed 

- in the Morning!

Another Adventure

 May 12th 2021

It was supposed to happen in June 2019. 

It was postponed until May 2021 to Celebrate our 40th Wedding Anniversary and we have been anxiously watching the News, COVID numbers and Borders that opened and closed.

Masks were mandatory from the minute we climbed into the Taxi until we got through Police checks at Perth Airport and to the Hotel room via the Local Bus.  

It was a long day. 
So Hot Cookies received at Hotel Check-in was a Very nice Touch!

Happily unmasked and looking for Coffee, we settled down in a Cafe with a view of the Swan River to work out with our Travel Agent back in Melbourne as to what was happening with the rest of our bookings!

Nothing like being on the other side of the country with no idea as to what happens next!

That sorted (sort of) all that was left to do for our First Day away since August 2019 was to stroll through the quiet City Streets on a pleasant evening in search of ....

The Best Sashimi ever!

We were really just looking for somewhere to have dinner and stumbled across a Restaurant that describes itself as a Japanese Tapas Bar. (Main Street Ryu)

A perfect  finish to a big day - It was a long time since Breakfast in Melbourne.

The Absence of Posts

I haven't fallen of the edge of the Planet although 

I do feel like I am on a Merry-go-round.

We are once again back in Lockdown.
- a 7 day Circuit breaker to try and halt the spread of the "Highly Infectious Indian Strain" of COVID which has put an end to our 3 month run of no community infections.  

All it took was just ONE case.

On a brighter note - it will give me the opportunity to get on top of things that I have put aside for the last month - Including catching up on my Blog Posts!

So here we have a definite "Blast from the Past" - Yowies are Back!