DARWIN TRIP

Day one. (25th March.) Nervous excitement as I left home for the journey to Darwin. Arriving at the station I was amazed at the length of the train- 26 carriages not including the motor rail at the front.

There were two engines;

 in case of breakdown- it's a long way ! I quickly found my seat, listened to all the instructions from the steward then went to buy a seat in the observation car.

Soon after leaving Adelaide  we were in open countryside with just the odd farm here and there. The first place we came to was Snowtown,  famous when eight bodies were found in acid in barrels in a disused bank vault in 1999.

Then it was on to Port Augusta.We were travelling up the peninsular so the sea was on our left and the Flinders Ranges beyond the plains on the right.

the Flinders Ranges on the right, beyond the plain.

 Fort Augusta is where we left the sea and where the outback begins. The farms became even more remote and there was just a vast expanse of shrub as far as the eye could see.

 There were flocks of sheep grazing on this arid ground and occasionally a few cows, and although I looked until dark for kangaroos  I  saw only emus.After a magnificent sunset I went to the restaurant then settled down for a read before lights out (Yes, really!) I am sitting next to some French people who, true to form, produced a magnificent picnic dinner from cool boxes (Eskies) complete with Camembert, dessert and coffee! Brilliant. They even offered me some as I had helped them with translating what to them were unintelligible Aussie accents.