Across Australia By Train

Last month I flew to Perth in Western Australia.  It was the first time I’d been to Perth in 22 years.

It had changed a lot since I was there.  Apparently it had even moved states.

Perth is a really nice city.  It’s the most isolated capital city in the world (the nearest capital city is over 3000 km away).  I met up with one of my Clarion friends and we went to Wave Rock, a giant rock formation shaped like a wave.

I also visited Rottnest Island, a beautiful island off the coast of Perth.  I rented a bicycle and rode around the island.  The weather was great and I stopped at a few beaches along the way.

Then I took the Indian Pacific – the train that runs from Perth to Sydney.  It’s a 4352 km trip and takes 65 hours.  There are different travelling options, including cabins.  I took the cheapest option, which is a reclining seat.  There are showers and a dining carriage aboard the train.  Such a long trip isn’t for everyone, but I really enjoy travelling by train and I was happy talking to other backpackers, admiring the scenery and reading.

The train stops for a couple of hours in Kalgoorlie, Adelaide and Broken Hill and you have the chance to get off the train.  In Broken Hill I visited an art gallery that has one of the largest paintings in the world.  A single artist painted a circular painting that wraps around the room and is over 100 metres long.  It depicts the landscape near Broken Hill and is very impressive.

In Sydney I visited some more Clarion friends.  It was great catching up with people from Clarion again.  We went and had a look at the Powerhouse museum’s Star Wars exhibition, as well as an exhibition by a Japanese artist.