Australia 1988

Thursday 26 May — The Daylink to Adelaide

A restless night, kept waking up and wondering what time it was. The bloke in the next room got an alarm call at 0430. He also snored and coughed. The two rooms were once one, with just a wooden partition to separate them. Finally got up at 0645, washed, checked out and walked across to the station. The weather was overcast, though the forecast was for better things to come, but I wouldn’t see it.

The Daylink is similar to the Sunraysia with minor differences, the first class car has a combined toilet and washroom with aircraft style toilet and minuscule hand basin. Toilet seat covers are provided but the usual request to wipe the basin with paper towels is difficult to obey with a hot air dryer. Second class seats are five abreast 2+3 fixed with alternate rows facing each other. The snack bar had open seating rather than compartments. 90 seated in second, 56 in first which had the guard’s compartment at one end.

We left on time, just as there were signs of the cloud breaking up but headed into thicker cloud, some mist and patches of light rain. Pretty flat, passing near some isolated hills but never getting into them. A blink of sunshine near Alarat but it didn’t last.

A few minutes early into Dimboola, I nipped up front to photograph the train and found someone there before me. I must admit that I had suspected he might be a railfan as he was carrying a briefcase of a type of which I had seen several before. He said the latest news was that the buses in Scotland were in chaos. He didn’t like Thatcher. I photographed a couple of wee phut-phuts in the yard.

The train turns at Dimboola, which is the last stop in Victoria, to go back to Melbourne while we continue on the bus that brings the passengers out from Adelaide, a double-decker luxury coach, my seat was second row nearside window on the top deck. The bus departed at 1324, train still in the station. Stopped a hundred yards down the road to pick up a couple of bods who had gone into town for fish suppers, then returned to the station to collect their hand baggage. Off again at half past and on into improving weather as we headed west.

Very flat on either side, some pasture, some grain, periodic silos by the railway line which was not far away. Long straight stretches of road, the occasional bend, always heading west. I moved into the front seat, thereby losing sight of the video screen but getting a better view of the scenery. We stopped for half an hour at Coonalpyn, one of a string of small road/railside towns servicing this agricultural area.

Hit the Murray River at Tailem Bend and crossed it just downstream of Murray Bridge, then crossed the southern end of the Adelaide Hills, scene of the Ash Wednesday Fires, near Mt Barker on the South Eastern Freeway, quite a hairy descent into Adelaide, city lights spread out below but not as impressive as from the railway last Saturday night.

Fifteen minutes early at Keswick Station, then got dropped off at City Station. A bit of bother finding a bed, both cheap and respectable, but in the end, I found an excellent place, Kiwi Lodge, not far from the station. Large room, double bed, wash hand basin and kitchen sink. Tea and coffee facilities and a couple of slices of bread to toast in the morning. Went out and added some cheese, milk and OJ. Washed some socks, then watched an old movie on the (black and white) television till 0300.

Friday 27 May — Adelaide

Despite which, I was up at a reasonable hour and went off in search of some decent tobacco. Good tobacconist called Tunney in Groote St, mixes his own but I stuck to Condor. Also cashed a traveller’s cheque and bought a $5 coin commemorating the opening of the new Federal Parliament in Canberra. The advert I saw in yesterday’s paper said $6.50 but apparently that is next week’s price and I got mine at par. There’s three million minted, I wonder if they will appreciate much in value.

Wandered along by the banks of the Torrens for a while, between showers, then nipped into the tavern by the station underpass and met Graham, the NSW engine driver. Had a few more beers than I had intended, then decided that I was fed up looking for Agfachrome and bought some Ektachrome instead. Took some shots of the Glenelg trams then returned to the Kiwi Lodge to do some laundry.

Headed for a fish and chip shop I had noticed earlier but it was already closed, at seven o’clock, so I dined on spag bog instead before returning to the digs and bed. TV reception not so good so I switched off at eleven thirty.

Saturday 28 May — Steaming in Adelaide

3801 departs on standard guage

Despite which I slept in and did not wake till ten to eight, when I had hoped to be up by seven. Shower and breakfast, pack the bags and it was ten past nine before I was ready to leave. Perhaps I should have taken a taxi but it was a lovely morning for a walk so I did. Twenty-five minutes to Keswick Station.

The South Australia train was in the platform, hauled by 621 Duke of Edinburgh, 3801 was still in the yard. Checked the big bag through to Murwillumbah (just south of the Queensland border), put the small bag in a locker and joined the throng on the platform. Some seats still available but I declined. 3801 came in, both trains loaded up and 3801 pulled out first closely followed by 621 (on a separate broad gauge track).

I waited awhile in the station to photograph the Overland carriages being shunted out then walked to Goodwood to catch a suburban train. Most of the trains stopping at Keswick are Belair line and that’s closed for the weekend following a derailment yesterday. Down to Noarlunga Centre, back to town, out to Outer Harbour, back to town, then to Salisbury to see 3801 and 621 on their way back into Adelaide.

I returned on the following suburban service and walked down by the tram tracks to Goodwood where I had a butter-fish supper, $2.40 and quite good. Walked back up to Keswick Station. A train departed at 1830, a private charter, I think, lots of fairly well dressed young adults, I don’t know where they were going. The rear two carriages were Plover and Kookaburra, I don’t know what was in front.

Tonight’s Overland is hauled by X52 and X46. Just a couple on minutes late departing, crawled past another of yesterday’s derailments between Eden Hills and Coromandel. Track gang working under floodlights. Some upturned wagons on the other side of the line and a short length of track still missing. Couldn’t be bothered going for a beer, just went to bed.

Sunday 29 May — Changing trains at Melbourne

T381 at Spencer St

A fractured night’s sleep but I still felt fine and refreshed this morning. Raining in Ballarat, and misty, but clearing rapidly by Geelong. Forecast is for showers clearing and mainly fine. Five minutes late into Spencer St, attributable to a very slow approach.

Caught the 0943 to Flinders St then the 1003 to Belgrave. Found Puffing Billy, well signposted, and after some vacillation, decided to travel on it, despite the raw overcast weather. Departure was delayed twenty minutes by a late decision to add another carriage to the train, to cope with the crowd. The best I could do was a seat in a closed carriage with open platforms, but I had to share one with the conductor who kept standing on the side I wanted.

We crossed the down train at Menzies Creek but one of the crew walked in front of the engine at exactly the wrong moment. Later observations convinced me that the crew deliberately stand where they get into (and ruin) all the photos. A brief wander round at Emerald Lake then caught the same train back to Belgrave, passing, I think, Merv with his video camera at a level crossing.

Didn’t rush to return to Melbourne, went into Belgrave for a fish supper, very reasonable. Maybe it is just Western Australia and the Northern Territory where they’re expensive and not very good. On the way back to the city, change at Ringwood then walked by an indirect route from Flinders St to Spencer St, admiring trams on the way.

A beer or three in the station before joining the Sydney Express, one first and four second sitting cars with a buffet car, six sleepers with dining and lounge cars, baggage car, motorail wagon with eight cars and a power car for the air conditioning, all hauled by a NSW standard gauge loco 8159. My roomette is Indian Pacific style rather that Overland, with a wavy passage and a loo that will come down when the bed is down. The window was dirty. I opted for the second sitting of breakfast at 0645.

We left on time but stopped for ten minutes between Middle and West Footscray, then continued slowly out of Melbourne, with the occasional lurch. Must be track maintenance. He’s gonny have to shift to be on time at Sydney. I went along to the club car for a beer but it was pretty full so I took a couple of tins back to my compartment. To pot with pollution, pipe smoke smells much nicer than cigarette smoke. Later, I went back for another beer and a sandwich. One of the attendants remembered me from the Sunraysia the other day.

Monday 30 May — Changing trains at Sydney

The train was running an hour late. Breakfast would be five minutes late! In fact it was forty-five minutes late. We picked up the catering crew at Goulburn (and presumably dropped the VLine staff) and they got their act together in half an hour. The meal was good but no kippers. Campbelltown at 0905, the limit of electrification on this line. It had been a misty morning with frost on the grass but the sun soon wiped that out and it looked like being a fine day.

Sixty-five minutes late at Sydney, who cares? A quick look round the Railway Shop under the station then wandered down to Darling Harbour, a major reclamation of derelict docks. Discovered the floating part of the Sydney Maritime Museum and had a wander round that. The main building is not yet complete, I think the roof is intended to represent billowing square sails.

Some of the First Fleet replicas and other tall ships came up the harbour (under power) and they opened the Pyrmont Bridge to let them through. I spent half an hour in the Chinese Garden of Friendship, the first the Chinese have built outside China then tried sushi in a Japanese fast food place in the Darling Market. The fish was good but the savoury rice was pretty boring.

Wandered a bit further then tried a couple of house beers in the Pumphouse Brewery Tavern, quite good by Australian standards. Up town for some money and tobacco then leisurely back to the station for a snack and a beer before train time.

The Pacific Coast Motorail Express to Murwillumbah consisted of electric locos 8635 and 8626, two motorail wagons, power car, four sleepers, dining car and five sitting cars, one with a snack bar in it. My compartment last night was pleasantly cool, tonight it is a bit warm but that should dry my thick socks nicely.

We left Central Station at a fair lick but had a few stops on the way out of town. Raining at Gosford. I wonder why we stopped in a station then pulled forward a bit and stopped again got a couple of minutes. We swapped the electrics at Broadmeadow for two diesels, 44209 and 44237. Hardly a tremor as they coupled on but a right jerk when they started the train. Between there and Maitland (2135) we passed three long freight trains heading south, they all looked like grain wagons. The line appeared to be four tracks, two for passenger trains and two for freight but I’m not certain about that as my window was on the left hand side of the train. After Maitland, the line was single track and we crossed two more freights in the first two passing loops.

Tuesday 31 May — Surfer’s Paradise

The six fifteen breakfast call came at 0601, just as we arrived at Grafton City. I don’t know why we stopped there for twenty minutes but it did simplify the business of eating. All previous stops with the exception of Broadmeadow, have only been a couple of minutes. Cloud overhead, some clear sky inland, can’t see towards the coast. Casino at 0755, the train stopped for twenty-five minutes to unload some cars. I bought a paper.

The last bit up the Gold Coast was quite pleasant with interestingly shaped hills (low ones) just inland, but I couldn’t keep track of my whereabouts as all the station platforms were on the other side.

Just a few minutes early at Murwillumbah. Got my bags. A taxi driver suggested that four could go to Surfers (where I had sort of decided to go) for $11 each and get there an hour before the bus which would cost $8, but there weren’t enough people about so bus it was.

Up alongside the Tweed through sugar cane country to Tweed Heads, the last town in NSW, and into Coolangatta, the first town in Queensland. The sugar cane gave way to resort developments. At Surfers, I dropped my wallet unnoticed getting off the bus, a young lad returned it.

Surfers paradise is a row of high rise apartment blocks along the beach with a dense crowd of tourist shops behind and between. Weather sunny by now. Sat in a pedestrian mall for an hour, smoking my pipe and watching the girls go by, then headed towards the YH. Came to a backpackers first (an annex to the Admiral Motel) and decided to stop there. Just as well, the YH was demolished six months before. Washed my jeans and some other things and hung them out to dry, then went walkabout. Returned just after dark and took in the dry things, leaving the others out overnight.

Back out for a fish supper and into the Chevron public bar. Talked to a couple of locals for a while then they went off to smoke illegal substances and I went to another pub for a few more beers. Talked to an Englishman from Coventry and a New Zealander whose father came from Peterhead, till the bar closed. Back to the backpackers, watched TV for a while then went to bed. First one in the dorm.

Wednesday 1 June — Surfer’s Paradise

About two in the morning, a bunch of drunks came in, fooling around and demolishing a bunk, which they managed to rebuild. The were Canadians which was surprising as they are usually fairly quiet. After a while, they decided to continue the party downstairs and I got back to sleep. When I woke at seven, there was someone else just going to bed. Later, I discovered that he’d been to a night club and got so drunk that he fell asleep in a shop doorway. His mate disappeared earlier in the evening and did not reappear till half past nine, having spent the night in the cells. Luckily the police did not take a serious view of incapable drunks and let him go after taking 50 cents “bail”.

I finally got up about nine, weather overcast and breezy. Wandered into town and spent the day just ambling about, dodging the showers and having the occasional beer. Swithered about taking a river/canal cruise but decided against it. If I had gone, on the open deck, I would have got wet, and there’s not much point in being in an enclosed cabin.

Stopped drinking early in the evening with a mind to rise early and take some photographs (if the weather was good) but then sat watching a film on TV (Lords of Discipline) till ten thirty.

Thursday 2 June — On to Brisbane

A quiet night. No untoward events. Some of the lads had gone out to the casino but I didn’t hear them come back. Still didn’t get up till half past eight. The weather was better than yesterday, mostly sunny with some thin high cloud. Went down to the beach for a paddle, the water was too cold for most Queenslanders but it was warmer than the North Sea ever gets. Then returned, packed, checked out, went up town and had baked beans on toast for breakfast.

I considered sitting awhile on the beach but while the beach may be vastly different from the Costa del Clyde, the on-shore wind would be instantly recognised. So I went across town to the river/canal and sat in a park by the cruise landing stage.

Chap came round the corner and said “Glasgow?” (reading my T-shirt). Yes. Brian Demanel, parents live in Ardrossan, he was educated in Glasgow, lived in Bonnyrigg in the early 60’s, had a newsagents in Dalkeith, worked for S&N, lived in Torquay, came to Queensland two years ago to set up a brewery, now hires out the barbecue pontoons. Thinks it’s marvellous here but his wife would go back to the UK tomorrow if he wanted to go. (A barbecue pontoon is a raft with a barbecue and a chemical toilet, towed to the site of your choice and fetched back when you’re finished.)

Then it was time for the bus. McCafferty’s to Beenleigh, transfer to the suburban EMU into Brisbane. Two three car sets, each set haviing a driving car at either end and the power pickup on the centre car. Good quality ride, lots of stops. At Roma St (Brisbane Transit Centre), dumped my big bag in the left luggage till Saturday, had a bite to eat, went into town, bought a couple of films (this morning I couldn’t find the other three I bought in Adelaide). Couldn’t get any Condor so I’ll take a chance I won’t run out before Saturday (though I doubt if I’ll get any then).

A couple of beers before joining the Westlander for Quilpie. Diesel hauled by 2118-A, power car, mixed seating (four abreast in second, three in first, six rows each), buffet car, mixed sleeping (three bunks in second, two in first, four first and three second compartments in the car), mixed sitting, mixed sleeping, brake van and a stack of goods wagons behind (mostly beer I was told). Very few passengers.

I found the berth on my ticket, car 6 berth 8, train left on time. Guard came along and said “you’re not supposed to get on till Toowoomba”. He checked his list and found I should be in car 8 berth 6. I moved. Chap called Barney in the upper berth. He will be getting off at Roma at half past four in the morning.

The compartment had just a folding wash hand basin. there was a toilet at each end of the car, one for ladies, one for gents. One shower opposite the gents. After a bit, I went through to the buffet car for a bite to eat, then a few beers in the company of Alan, a railway boilermaker from Toowoomba, Clive the guard and Nola the stewardess. When the party broke up at Toowoomba, I went to sit in the sitting car for a while before retiring.

Friday 3 June — A day trip on the Westlander to Quilpie

A bit hot in the night and not a window to open. When Barney got out at Roma, I got out too for a walk and a smoke. A pleasant relief from the air conditioning. They changed the engine here, attaching 1750 leading 1764. Back to bed for a bit, watching the sky getting lighter but, with a bit of cloud in the east, not much of a sunrise. (In fact, nothing that looked like a sunrise at all.)

Decided to get up about seven, hung around a bit then went for breakfast. Settled for OJ, tea and sandwiches. At ten, had a quick beer before arriving at Charleville. The train splits here, 1750 taking the power car, sitting, dining, sleeping cars and some beer to Cunnamulla leaving sitting, sleeping cars and more beer to Quilpie behind 1764. The yard shunter was 1703.

I photographed the departure of the Cunnamulla portion then had a quick beer in the Railway Hotel then joined the rest of the train for Quilpie. The tracks diverged at Westgate where there was a triangle and sidings, some wagons but no sign of life. The road followed the other track.

By now the cloud was mostly gone and we bowled along in the sun. I was the only fare-paying passenger, the few others were all railway personnel. Saw four emus between Westgate and Cooladdi, they were cut off between the train and a fence. They can go at some speed. Also the mouldering remains of an emu which had got a foot trapped in the fence. Top speed over this section was 60 kph, I think it’s a track restriction. The terrain was flat, red soil, tussock grass and some trees, density varying presumably according to the reliability of the water supply.

Arrived in Quilpie, left my bags in the station office and went round the town (population 747) quite quickly. Walked out to the Bulloo River bridge and disturbed a water fowl who flew off leaving three chicks to scuttle across the surface (and under it) as best they might. Had a beer in both the town’s hotels, the Quilpie Brick and the Imperial (the Thirst Aid Centre of the Outback!). This is opal mining territory.

Returned to the station. The yard shunter was 1707 but they didn’t use it, they used a small track maintenance type vehicle. I expected to leave at 1715, the ticket said 1735 but we actually left at 1725. A convivial group in the smoking car on the way back to Charleville. Bevan the guard, Peter, Jody and Billy who was so drunk that all he could do was introduce himself and fall asleep (several times). A couple boarding the train at Cooladdi caused a brief stir (the consumption of alcohol is not allowed in sitting cars in Queensland) but they soon went off to bed.

We were a couple of minutes early at Charleville, just as well as the pubs shut at ten here. Across the road for a quick beer or two before closing, then hang around for the 2220 arrival from Cunnamulla, and the shunting which was done by 1700. It seems to be necessary to use some force to get the automatic couplings to work.

The train was a few minutes late departing but there would be plenty of time to make that up. I had the compartment to myself for the night.