I have travelled quite a bit in Queensland, however, I have never been into the true ‘outback’. For some time, I have wanted to go to Longreach. This year I decided to do it.
Booking the Train
I had prior experience with Queensland Rail when booking a trip to Hervey Bay after Christmas.
This was an interesting experience to say the least. Curiously, the QR ‘Travel Centres’ were closed on every day from Xmas until after the new year. That meant dealing with the telephone ‘service’ which was undermanned. It was not possible to use the on-line service because it does not do ‘seniors’.
This time the issue was the bike. QR does recognise that there is such a thing as a folding bicycle. For them a ‘bicycle is a bicycle’. This also means that it has to put and a ‘bike box’ with its peddles and handle bar removed. Of course, this is completely unnecessary if it is a folding bicycle.
I won’t bore with the details of the discussions I had with QR over this issue. The discussions went on for several days. The upshot was that a comment was put on my reservation stating, “Brisbane Customer Service has given permission for a folding bicycle to be carried in a bag”.
On the Train
I boarded the train around one o’clock. As I made my way to my compartment, the first thing I noticed was the ‘curvy’ corridor. Check out the Flickr photo.
The first ‘Eating Event’
Once away, train headed north out of Brisbane.
It wasn’t long before we were offered ‘afternoon tea’. This was to be the first of a seemingly endless series of ‘eating events’ they were to be offered on the journey.
Fun over Fifty
The afternoon tea was served in the dining car. I noticed that the people at my table were wearing ‘name tags’. It turned out that they were part of an organised tour run by a company called ‘Fun over Fifty.
It seemed that many on the tour had joined the tour ‘unknowingly’. They had booked the trip in response to an advertisement in the Royal Queensland Automobile Club (RACQ) magazine without looking at the ‘small print’. Anyway, this tour accounted for most of the people in the ‘sleeping class’ on the train.
Move into the Club Car
After afternoon tea, most of the passengers moved into the ‘Club Car’. This a bit ‘old world’ with leather lounge type seats. It is no wonder that the train is so long. The passengers spent time in their compartments, in the dining room and in the club car.
That is a lot of ‘moving real estate’ for relatively few passengers.
Chatting with English Couple over Dinner
It didn’t seem long before we all back in the dinning car for dinner.
The meal was excellent.
Over dinner I chatted with an English couple. They were also part of the ‘Fun over Fifty’ tour. They told me that they had been booked on another tour that was cancelled. They were offered this tour as a replacement. I was yet to meet anyone who had ‘actively’ booked on the tour.
The English couple told me that they lived near Maidstone in Kent in the South East of England.. I told them that I knew Maidstone and other parts of Kent quite well. I wont bore you with all the details, but we found that we had some ‘connections’.
In summary those connections are:
I told the couple that In September 1983 I met a girl in the nightclub in Maidstone. The club was called called the ‘Warehouse’. This caused the wife to laugh. It appeared that they could have been in that nightclub that night.
The girl I met came out to Australia in 1985, however our relationship didn’t last.
I told that couple that girl lived in a village called Upchurch which is near to Maidstone.
The husband told me that he knew Upchurch well. He had played at private golf club in Upchurch for some years in 1990’s before they temporarily moved to Spain.
That golf club was owned by the above-mentioned girl’s father. The husband knew the owner, the girl’s father, quite well when he played at the club.
I told the couple that I had gone to the nightclub with some people who were living in Maidstone at the time. This included a couple who later moved to Tunbridge Wells. I am still in contact with the wife of that couple.
The daughter of that family has married a local musician called Fred Clark. The English couple told me that they are Fred Clark fans and often go to his gigs.
I guess all that is an example of ‘six degrees of separation’.
Good Night’s Sleep
After dinner and few drinks in the club car, I headed to my compartment. The seat was quickly converted into a bed by the attendant.
I was soon asleep as the train rattled on into the night.
Heading West
During the night the trained passed through Rockhampton and then turned west.
We were well inland by the time I woke up.
Breakfast was served not long later. It was very good.
Barcaldine
The train stopped for a sometime at Barcalbine. This is famous for its ‘Tree of Knowledge’. This commemorates the ‘shearers strike’ of 1861. That strike led to the formation of the Australian Labor Party.
As we rattled along we had lunch – another good meal.
Due to the heat, speed restrictions came into play. This meant we arrived into Longreach a couple of hours late. This is not a big issue on a train journey that takes over 24 hours when it is ‘on time’.
Short Ride to Accommodation
It was a short ride to my accommodation. Even though it was almost dark, it was still very hot – around 35 centigrade.
As well as the heat, the other thing that was obvious were the flies. These were going to t a constant companion for the next few days.
Mosman Resident
Two of the other quests where I was staying had also travelled out on the train. They were an Englishwomen and her German girlfriend.
It turned out that the Englishwomen lived in Mosman. They were very interesting to talk to.
Flickr Link
Train to Longreach
https://flic.kr/s/aHsmBR1VHS
Barcaldine Link
https://www.environment.gov.au/heritage/places/national/tree
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