Traveling on the Indian Pacific

Indian Pacific Symbol- Australian Wedge Tail Eagle

The train station in Adelaide- The Adelaide Parklands Station- was very nice. We arrived about an hour early and checked our bag which now mostly contained dirty clothes. The symbol for the Indian Pacific is the largest eagle on earth, the Australian Wedge Tail Eagle. It conveys a sense of power, momentum and purpose . The eagle is used as the symbol of  the freedom and adventure of one of the world’s greatest train journeys.

Washing the Train Windows

As we sat and waited much preparation was going on as golf carts ran back and forth while staff members with lots of keys and two-way radios moved up and down the track. The windows even got washed on both side of the train. The Hospitality staff made a big deal about welcoming us aboard as they lined up in front of the train in their Aussie Hats. We were off at exactly 10:00AM headed for Sydney.

We traveled in Car J; Berths 15 & 16. We passed through huge wheat and other grain fields before the land flattened out and got fairly green. Once again the red desert sand appeared. Stacy, the Hospitality Hostess said it was normally greener this time of year. We did see many ponds of water. We found the scenery fascinating and we even saw several flocks of emus and one hopping kangaroo plus lots of cattle and sheep.

Broken Hill

 Our welcome reception was at 12:30PM in the Lounge Car. For this journey there are 17 cars and there are 120 passengers aboard. People are so friendly and chatty with each other. We talked with a man who really knows trains. He said our engine had 4000 horsepower and the carriage are of the American BUDD design. 

After the reception and lunch we went to our compartment to await arrival in Broken Hill. Jim even took a mini-nap and you can tell our compartment was a little too chilly for him. We arrived about 4:30 and got off the train for one of the train-sponsored "Whistle Stop Tours." We saw the highlights of the city. It had been a big silver mining town and then went through a down time. Now the mines are all being reopened because of the discovery of lead, tin and silver. ....plus deposits of uranium and titanium. There were signs of new life and an expanded economy. We all scrambled aboard about 5 minutes before the train whistle blew and we were off.

Sunset over Lake Menindee

After a brief stop in the compartment we went to the Outback Lounge to see the most amazing sight- Lake Menindee. This lake is normally a dry lake bed, but because of all the rain it is filled and when like this it holds 4 times as much water as Sydney Harbor. Sunset over the lake was beautiful.

Dinner in the Queen Adelaide Dining Room was tasty but by that time the train "driver" had started going so very fast that the train was rolling and rocking and the people were reeling and staggering. It was loud. Jim complained and the staff all assured us that this was just a rough section of track- some where the wooden "sleepers" are being replaced with concrete sleepers. We could hardly eat our dinner for fear of the food bouncing away.

We went to bed but it was so rough that Jim thought he might get thrown out of his top bunk. He got up twice and went to the Lounge Car to rest. Neither of us slept more an hour at a stretch. Lots of people complained this morning about the speed and not being able to sleep.  One thing we are learning about Australians is they never hesitate to express their feelings and opinions.

Sydney Central Train Station

The Indian Pacific Train

We arrived at Central Train Station in Sydney about 30 minutes late. The train quickly got all the passengers off and the luggage came off the car quickly. We were down in the area beside the train engine. We got a taxi to Bill and Katherine's house and happily settled into life at 9 Avenue Road in Mosman.