JANUARY 25, 2009 - (17/115) - INDIA PACIFIC ON THE WAY TO PERTH

JANUARY 25, 2009 - (17/115) - INDIA PACIFIC ON THE WAY TO PERTH

After sleeping relatively well on the rough track across the beginnings of the outback, we are up early for a stop at Broken Hill. It is an old , but still functioning silver mining town. A tour bus meets us at the station and gives us a short tour passed some nice Victorian era buildings. It takes us up to a silver mine and then to an art gallery. The gallery has a large mural, "the Big Picture", plus arts and crafts by local people and silver jewelry made from the silver brought out of the mine. Carolyn can’t resist a few small charms.
Back on the train we have breakfast as we work our way across some very barren, arid countryside. This is sheep country and in the distance every once in a while we can see a lone station house. About lunch time we turn more southward toward Adelaide. Here the land becomes rolling hills with fields and fields of wheat. They have harvested a bumper crop and the silos are full so they are piling the grain on the ground within concrete retaining walls and then covering it with tarps.
We pull into the Adelaide station around 3:00. Everyone must get off the train as they are servicing the cars, adding new cars and reordering the train layout. We catch a cab into Victoria Square in central Adelaide for $10AU. We walk around the Square and take some pictures of the nice Victorian architecture. The streets are wide and the city has a clean, modern look to it. It is Sunday so things are quiet except for Rudell Mall’s shopping crowds and people in the city for the Down Under Tour bicycle race. We continue our quest for a replacement power converter to no avail.
We catch a cab back to the station and arrive at 5:00. The train has moved and we must wait in the station for its return and permission to board. Fortunately, the station is comfortable, modern and air conditioned. It is a dry hot outside with the temperature well into the 90s.

By 6:15, we have reboarded and at 6:40 we continue on our trip to Perth. The sun sets on our side of the train and about 8:00, we turn out the light and watch the beautiful red orange glow on the horizon as night comes. Dinner is late due to the departure time and our second seating dinner time. The food has continued to be good and nicely presented. Once dinner is over, about 10:15, we head for the compartment, showers and a good night’s sleep.