It’s just taken us over 2 hours to drive about 30 mls back from our half-day (ha! ha!) trip on Puffing Billy! We set out from here at 10.30am to catch the 12.20pm train from Belgrave to Lakeside – an hour and a quarter’s trip – have an hour to wander round Lakeside then return. We got back here at 7.30pm!
The day started normally enough although the weather was dull and very windy. We left the motel in plenty of time but the traffic was heavy and the maps we had are, not to put too fine a point on it, C**P. So we did make it but only just in time for the 12.20 train. I think Tom put a pic of Puffing Billy on the blog on Sunday, but just to jog your memories, it’s an old steam engine which pulls some closed and some open sided carriages on a 15 mile route from Belgrave to Gembrook and return. You can have lunch every day, and dinner on Friday and Saturday evenings, or simply travel in the open carriages for whatever part of the route you like. Lakeside is just over 8 miles from Belgrave. The route goes through some pretty forest and over at least one very rickety looking wooden bridge
– on a summer’s day with the sunlight dappling through the trees it must be a memorable experience. Today, with the wind howling through the open carriage, bringing with it leaves and bits of branch; the constant stops for the maintenance crew to clear the fallen trees off the line;
the lack of hot food or drinks at the station because of the power cuts caused by the trees pulling down the lines – it was certainly memorable but not for the same reasons!
A “Trainee” conductor was in our carriage, and was a mine of information about the route, and the history of the train. He also did the Australian Tourist Information bit, giving us advice on where to go in Adelaide, and even drew a little map for us. We naturally got talking about where we had been and what we had seen, and we mentioned the Vietnam War Memorial in Canberra. It turned out that he had been conscripted and sent to Vietnam as a young man. He didn’t give any details about what he had done, but had obviously had the T-shirt. He said that it was almost embarrassing to admit to having been there, particularly with the anti-war sentiment that was going around at the time. Had there been a general conscription, it may have been different but only a small proportion of the eligible men were selected (by ballot) for conscription, and those that stayed behind really didn’t want to know those who were sent. As is often the case, there was insufficient psychiatric support to the returned servicemen, and little practical support. There was a programme of giving land to the returned so that they could start there own settlements, but the land was poor and of inadequate size, so most of them lost everything. Perhaps one day, we will learn how to deal properly with traumatized personnel.
The return journey was a bit of an anticlimax as there were no further incidents, but it was 5.30pm by the time we got back so all the shops at Belgrave were then closed too! There must be something about us and trains – what’s going to happen on the Indian Pacific across the Nullarbor?!?
We heard on the news during our l-o-n-g journey coming back, that the gusts of 120kph winds had downed electricity lines all over, as well as bringing trees down on cars and houses. At least it hadn’t rained while we were on the train – that was waiting for our car journey back to Melbourne!! It was torrential, but stopped before we reached the city – that was when the setting sun dazzled us with reflections from the wet road as we were driving due west! Don’t we have exciting days out? Don’t you just wish you were here with us?
However, we did return safely, and had another kebab for dinner as we couldn’t face going out again – a perfect end to a less-than-perfect day, but all part of the great adventure. It’s moving on day tomorrow and I have no idea where we’re going as we haven’t decided yet – coast or inland – I think it may depend on the weather. You’ll be let into the secret later…. Bye again!
The day started normally enough although the weather was dull and very windy. We left the motel in plenty of time but the traffic was heavy and the maps we had are, not to put too fine a point on it, C**P. So we did make it but only just in time for the 12.20 train. I think Tom put a pic of Puffing Billy on the blog on Sunday, but just to jog your memories, it’s an old steam engine which pulls some closed and some open sided carriages on a 15 mile route from Belgrave to Gembrook and return. You can have lunch every day, and dinner on Friday and Saturday evenings, or simply travel in the open carriages for whatever part of the route you like. Lakeside is just over 8 miles from Belgrave. The route goes through some pretty forest and over at least one very rickety looking wooden bridge
– on a summer’s day with the sunlight dappling through the trees it must be a memorable experience. Today, with the wind howling through the open carriage, bringing with it leaves and bits of branch; the constant stops for the maintenance crew to clear the fallen trees off the line; the lack of hot food or drinks at the station because of the power cuts caused by the trees pulling down the lines – it was certainly memorable but not for the same reasons!A “Trainee” conductor was in our carriage, and was a mine of information about the route, and the history of the train. He also did the Australian Tourist Information bit, giving us advice on where to go in Adelaide, and even drew a little map for us. We naturally got talking about where we had been and what we had seen, and we mentioned the Vietnam War Memorial in Canberra. It turned out that he had been conscripted and sent to Vietnam as a young man. He didn’t give any details about what he had done, but had obviously had the T-shirt. He said that it was almost embarrassing to admit to having been there, particularly with the anti-war sentiment that was going around at the time. Had there been a general conscription, it may have been different but only a small proportion of the eligible men were selected (by ballot) for conscription, and those that stayed behind really didn’t want to know those who were sent. As is often the case, there was insufficient psychiatric support to the returned servicemen, and little practical support. There was a programme of giving land to the returned so that they could start there own settlements, but the land was poor and of inadequate size, so most of them lost everything. Perhaps one day, we will learn how to deal properly with traumatized personnel.
The return journey was a bit of an anticlimax as there were no further incidents, but it was 5.30pm by the time we got back so all the shops at Belgrave were then closed too! There must be something about us and trains – what’s going to happen on the Indian Pacific across the Nullarbor?!?
We heard on the news during our l-o-n-g journey coming back, that the gusts of 120kph winds had downed electricity lines all over, as well as bringing trees down on cars and houses. At least it hadn’t rained while we were on the train – that was waiting for our car journey back to Melbourne!! It was torrential, but stopped before we reached the city – that was when the setting sun dazzled us with reflections from the wet road as we were driving due west! Don’t we have exciting days out? Don’t you just wish you were here with us?
However, we did return safely, and had another kebab for dinner as we couldn’t face going out again – a perfect end to a less-than-perfect day, but all part of the great adventure. It’s moving on day tomorrow and I have no idea where we’re going as we haven’t decided yet – coast or inland – I think it may depend on the weather. You’ll be let into the secret later…. Bye again!
1 comment:
Coast, I hope. Lorna
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