The Ghan 2 & Melbourne

The Ghan 2

We had been told to be back at the station for a 12 o’clock boarding, but when I arrived the train was not there. A quick enquiry and I learnt that it had been delayed ‘by an hour’.

 

 

If you ever go to Venice, and ask directions, the answer is always ‘Just go straight down there...’

 When in Australia or New Zealand the answer is always a ridiculous understatement. ‘A couple of blocks....’ or  ‘Just up the road.....’ normally means that there is at least a half day hike involved. If the answer starts with ‘Strewth mate.... ‘   you had better have your overnight bag.

So, unsurprisingly, the ‘hour’ grew like topsy and eventually we left Alice 4  hours late. The only silver lining, for some, was that the delay occasioned the northbound and southbound trains to be in the yard  at the same time,  which even the stewards were amazed at, and a few lucky ‘anoraks’ had their Xmas and birthday come together, because both Ghans are never seen together.

Dusk, night and dawn passed without incident, and unfortunately, still nothing in the kangaroo department I was beginning to wonder, having traversed half the country, if there were any ...... anywhere!

I learnt the reason for the delay when I overheard a little, chubby steward tell the same ‘joke’ to 8 different people, as I sat in the cafe car. ‘We gotta flat tyre mate’ he parroted and each time followed it with a stupid forced laugh.

The reality, as was explained to me by a supervisor who later sat with me, was that one of the bogeys on a car carrier had flattened off, with a result that every time the wheel turned it ‘slapped’ the track and this impact was capable of breaking the sleepers unless the speed was restricted. Consequently we were getting progressively later and actually ended up arriving in Adelaide 6 ½ hours behind schedule.

There were two memorable highlights of this journey, firstly when a full rainbow arched over the scrubland to the side of the train,

 

 

 and secondly when we passed a very picturesque lake that only appears after it has rained significantly. Sometimes it is not seen for years, but when it is, it is beautiful.

 

Overall the Ghan had been different from what I had expected. Looking at a map and realising how far I had travelled was quite amazing and I suppose the landscapes had been similar to watching the sea, or a fire, nothing much changed, but it held your gaze, for hours. It had been a terrific and memorable experience and I was so glad I had done it.

The next phase was gearing up for the British Lions matches in Melbourne and Sydney, but first I had someone very special to see.

My best mate, Mark, lives in Germany. His sister, Sue, and mum, Mary, live in Adelaide. Mary had kindly offered me to stay with her whilst I was in Adelaide, so that was my next stop.

 A hot shower with clean fluffy towels, a huge chicken dinner with a bottle of red wine, and a big comfy bed with an electric blanket ....... oh boy, it was fantastic to be looked after, and even being told off, when it looked like I wasn’t going to eat all of the meal for three that had been put in front of me, was brilliant!!

Mary’s energy and enthusiasm belies the fact that she is in her mid 80’s and the next morning, armed only with a wheeled shopping trolley and a handbag that weighed as much as a VW Beetle, we set  for my introductory tour.

 

 

Adelaide, the state capital of South Australia, differs from the other state capitals in that it was not convict based in origin, ie it was settled by free men as a British province. It is nowadays regarded as a real ‘des res’ having been voted Australia’s most liveable city for the last three years.

My first impressions were good, a super tram system took us to the lovely, palindromic beach resort of Glenelg, with its elegant walkways, marina, restaurants and a fascinating local museum.

 

The next few days I continued to explore the city and nothing I saw caused me to change my views about it. The buses and trains compliment the tram system to make getting around easy and, with the correct travel pass, quite economical. There are plenty of parks and many quality attractions including museums, botanical gardens, shopping malls, art galleries, a zoo and a very famous central market.

I was going to be in Adelaide for a few weeks when Mark joined me in August and therefore I didn’t rush about too much, preferring to try and give my foot a break. Mary and I did have another day out in Port Adelaide, where there are many very well preserved customs buildings one of which is now the excellent maritime museum, with a realistic exhibit highlighting the hardships of early emigration from the UK.

 

Of increasing importance was the rugby, but, it appeared, only to me. I had watched the first test from Brisbane in the company of just a bar man and a visiting Kiwi, in a huge cavern of a pub, South Australia has no interest in union. Things would be different in Melbourne and I was so looking forward to it.

Melbourne is a 12 hour train journey from Adelaide and again my train pass meant that I was able to travel on The Overlander for $28 return!! I will not try and build any false anticipation ........ there and back, not one sodding kangaroo, this was now becoming a bit of a bore.

The trip was pretty much the same as the Ghan had been south from Alice, wheat and sheep all the way. The carriage and facilities were blue rather than red but otherwise identical. The one stark contrast, and this was much vaunted by the train supervisor over the tannoy, was that we were half an hour early getting into Melbourne!

I had been offered an apartment to use in Melbourne by Mark’s brother, (Thanks Glynn), and as luck would have it a mate of mine, Adam, was also staying in the same area, so getting to St Kilda was my first objective. Melbourne has a transport system that does not accept cash! You need to buy a card, for which they charge you $6, and top it up every few trips, once I worked this out I was off.

It is a far bigger and busier city than Adelaide, over 4 times the population, and the transport rolling stock was much older and noisier, but to me the most noticeable first impression of Melbourne was nothing to do with architecture, culture or infrastructure, it was the incredible number of British Lions supporters. The streets, the pubs, the restaurants, the shops .... everywhere was red, it was staggering.

The search was on for a ticket and they were few and far between, as ever there were stories of ridiculous sums being paid but I was determined to keep to my long time rule of not paying over face value, but by lunchtime it wasn’t looking good.

From the main station to the Ethiad stadium is a breeze, as there is a walkway that links the two and the first thing I saw as I got to the stadium plaza was a ticket booth with a small queue, which I optimistically joined. An hour later me and the 200 plus people that were now queing were told that there were to be no sales......the clock was ticking.

DHL had a few stands offering large placards to kids saying either ‘Go Lions’ or ‘Go Wallabies’ I managed to get one before it was sign written and made my own appeal for a ticket, ending it ‘Diolch’. Twenty minutes later I was going, to what could be a series winning Lions test match, and I still had time for a few beers.

The ticket was a Gold ticket, but was $240, face value, and I got it from a bloke from Barry!! I was staggered by how much it cost but took a view that Gold should be a great seat and this could be an historical game. Unfortunately I was wrong on both counts.

The seat was beyond the try line, in the corner, 6 rows from the back of the huge stand, and the game  .....  well we all remember the heartbreak of that last kick.

The next day I spent a few hours, on an overcast, drizzly day, doing the bus tour of Melbourne, before visiting an exhibition of the works of Monet, - which incidentally was not a patch on what we’ve got in Cardiff - and shopping for provisions for my journey back to Adelaide, and falling for the old ‘ It’s just a couple of blocks mate .....’ gag, after asking for directions to Woolworths (which here is predominantly a food outlet).

Then I was on the return leg to Adelaide but I don’t think I really gave Melbourne a fair chance. The combination of inclement weather, a loss in the rugby, which always makes me a bit negative, and a worsening foot, overshadowed things a bit.

It has a very interesting and multicultural history, a plethora of sporting facilities and events, notably the Ethiad, a Grand Prix circuit and the ever impressive MCG, a huge and prestigious university and all the  architectural trappings of what once was amongst the most wealthy cities in the world, on the back of the Australian gold rush.

On my return journey to Adelaide I thought about maybe having another crack at Melbourne if I had the time, but I thought far more about the Lions in Sydney the following Saturday.......