All Aboard!

Preparation is key to great trip and so we were somewhat annoyed with ourselves that we hadn't bothered to look up the baggage rules for the train trip until it was too late to do anything about our blasé attitude in that we could fit our suitcases in the cabin. She'll be right mate looked like being the opposite where we would end up having to possibly sleep with cases in our beds. Cozy. The major reshuffling and repacking of all our gear late last night was quickly zipped up when we got up and headed out onto the street to catch a taxi to the station. Was sort of funny having two drivers almost come blows over who would get our fare. After it was pointed out it was a short trip anyway, one drove off in a huff and the other drove off with us.

So here we are on the Indian Pacific. Lots of facts and figures will no doubt come out over the next 4 days. Arriving at the station they had a sumptuous breakfast being served on the platform with the silver beast patiently waiting for the hordes to arrive and be herded on board. The trip musician was strumming his guitar and working his way through his Cat Steven's repertoire.. needless to say, once the all aboard was called he'd got to Peace Train. Suspect this type of humor will persist throughout the trip.
Counted 34 carriages all pulled by one loco. Seemingly hundreds of guests and it looks like we're just about the youngest. A foray down the cabins to the lounge car revealed just how keen most of them are in getting stuck into the free grog.

At 10:30 am. Suspect a lot of them will be comatose soon after lunch. Non-Blogger fell asleep pretty much as soon as the wheels rolled. Can see where offspring no 2 gets if from now. Blogger got the first of what will probably be a few slow TV shoots. Heading out of the Perth burbs into and through the winding hills to emerge in the wheat belt. Its very dry out there. Yet to see how well we work with the suitcase in the toilet/shower alcove.
Lunch was fabulous fare in the luxurious dinning car, spent yarning between mouthfuls with the couple from Adelaide sitting opposite. Followed by a drink and a round of trivia in lounge car. A game of scrabble in the cabin (quote of the day as we're stopped waiting for a train coming the other way on the single track -  excuse me miss do we have a flat tyre?) and then back to lounge car as we rocket across salt plains interspersed with patches of scrub and trees sitting atop red soil. All warmly lit by the afternoon sun as it falls into the golden hour.

Pity about the aircon inside freezing lots of peeps bits off. Hanging around the bar meeting a bucket load of poms until being ushered into the dining car for dinner which was another foodies delight. This time shared with a couple from the USA. Although he's originally from the UK as well. Arriving in Kalgoorlie in the pitch dark ushered onto a flotilla of busses.i think the idea of this was to show us the town and get an idea of the history and subsequently what goes on here. The town on a dark Sunday night was incredible. In that there was nothing to see. Because it was dark. And a Sunday night. Everything was closed and all the lights were off. Got to appreciate someone in town getting up to put on a show/play for the hordes. Got to go and play in the monster trucks and then head on up to look at the super pit. In the dark. Apparently its really impressive in daylight. Even though we could hear the distant growling of big heavy beasts chewing away at the planet and a stream of glowing ants slowly moving up and down the far slopes, really had no clear perspective of what its really like. Suggest a daylight visit would be more appropriate. Can't actually see this blogger ever making the effort to do so. Left the pit at 12:00 midnight and spent the next hour driving aimlessly around the two towns whilst the driver told us about every little factoid he knew of. Mostly to to with earthquakes and hookers. For some strange reason the train was an hour away and thus we needed to wait for it until 1:00 am. A very surreal experience.