Hawkesbury Reflections

 A convenient and inexpensive way for me to travel to Sydney is by rail (Seniors can travel all day for $2.50.

 Until today I hadn't boarded a Sydney bound train since pre Covid times. As I was meeting up with some schoolfriends at the Art Gallery for lunch I had ample time to hop on a train at Fassifern and make the meeting time of noon.

I had forgotten about some of the pretty scenery encountered on that 2 hour journey and was entranced by some of the reflections I spotted on the calm waters in the calm waters of the Hawkesbury River near Brooklyn.

Riding on the Mail Train

Not far from our accommodation in Kings Cross was the Mail Rail. Once a method by which the mail was transported under London on  a network of small trains this system has been reborn as a tourist attraction. We visited this site yesterday and followed it up with a visit to the Postal Museum across the road. 

I would highly recommend this unique attraction where one has a short train trip complemented by audio-visual and static displays.

Trains stabled ready for action

Audiovisual Display

Audiovisual Display

Original tunnels

A former station where mail was dropped off

It's a cosy ride

Passengers ready for their ride

It wasn't quite the Eurostar...

 ...but I had a very comfortable train ride from Narrabri to Newcastle yesterday. I can't remember the last time I took a long train ride in Australia. I think it was probably Sydney to Melbourne on the new Southern Aurora in 1969.

On The Southern Aurora in August 1969 (Note the bouffy hair)

The Xplorer two carriage train was spotless, the staff very pleasant and helpful and the $10 hot meal was good value and more palatable than expected. I was expecting the seat to be a bit more spacious but there was plenty of leg room. I was surprised to find that the train was fully booked so I thanked my lucky stars that the seat beside me was unoccupied for more than half the journey.

Always the earlybird

I didn't take as many photos of the countryside as I had hoped as the scratched and spotty windows were a hindrance. Nevertheless I enjoyed the changing landscapes we passed on both sides of The Great Dividing Range.

I particularly enjoyed the free entertainment provided when our two carriages hooked up with a few from Armidale to make a longer train. We were given the option of remaining on the train or "stretching our legs" and watching the procedure. I am so pleased I took the opportunity.

Note the little old lady taking a photo 

Pineapple Express

16 January 2019

Our excursion away from the resort this afternoon took us to the Dole Plantation (with a couple of detours to more than one Ross Store) with one of  our descendants and her family.

Although we had been to Hawaii on several occasions we had never bothered to visit this site. It was much better than I anticipated, we enjoyed a train ride through the plantation on the Pineapple Express and a walk through the lovely gardens. At the end of our visit we fortified ourselves with a Dole Pineapple Ice Cream.

Manspread

There's a new word floating around social media : Manspread. I snapped a good example on the train in Sydney today. 

Rail Fatality

An interesting start to our holiday. Stuck on train to airport. Thank goodness we are staying in an airport hotel for our early flight tomorrow.