Day Two

Well we arrived in Kalgoorlie late last night and the entire town was completely dead. The only pub we wandered into had already called last drinks. Kalgoorlie is primarily a mining town so I’m not sure what we were expecting but I don’t think we expected to be as disappointed. Interestingly enough we saw three brothels and one was actually disguised as a museum. I have no moral objection to brothels or the service they provide but I can’t say I liked seeing a ‘specials’ board displaying the girls like they were dishes to order.

The first night of sleep was actually pretty easy, the constant rocking motion making it easy to nod off, and we didn’t pick up nearly enough people at Kalgoorlie to make it noisy. The seats were not the most comfortable beds but they were miles better than airline seats for getting a good rest in and although I woke up a bit sore the pain quickly faded away. The Indian Pacific is equipped with showers that actually have decent water pressure and fairly hot water. You strip down and lather up which is when the trouble begins. The first problem is that the train is still moving at a fairly good pace while you are standing in what is essentially a slippery cubicle so the slightest bump or jolt sends you flying around the place. The second problem is that the water pressure will drop without any real warning, going from a gentle mist to a stinging spray in less than a second. By the end of my first shower I felt like I had been gently water-boarded and had the bruises to prove it.

It also transpired that we had somehow lost time while we were travelling. The track is big but it can still only support on train at a time so there were frequent points in the night where we’d apparently had to stop and allow a freight train to pass. This put us about forty five minutes behind schedule which meant that we could only make a short stop in Cook, a semi-ghost town.

Cook is described as Australia’s “loneliest” town as the population stays static at 2. The only visitors the town ever sees are the passengers from the Indian Pacific and they only stay long enough to take photos of the abandoned hospital and school. It is a bit of a stark reminder of how empty Australia can be and how the tiniest change to a train route can mean the difference between life and death to a small town community.

Tomorrow we arrive in Adelaide and bid farewell to most of the people we’ve been sharing our carriage with.