Day 2 Thursday 20 August 2015

I wake and rise before dawn to prepare for our early morning off-train excursion. I did not sleep well. It was a noisy, rough and jerky overnight passage. The bed was extremely narrow, restricting sleeping positions. The central air-conditioning temperature was too high for my comfort and the cabin felt stuffy. The public address system speaker in our room could not be turned off and emitted a constant static sound. We arrive at Broken Hill at 6.00am. GSR has arranged an accessible taxi and guide for our off-train excursion to the Miner’s Memorial. Despite my weariness, it is a thoroughly enjoyable and educational tour.

We re-join the train and at around 8.30am leave Broken Hill headed towards our next stop, Adelaide. To avoid the discomfort of feeling conspicuous by having breakfast in the Lounge car, we opt to eat in our cabin. Our food is appetising. However when delivered, draped in aluminium foil, the presentation is below what I expect of a five star experience. And unfortunately, the small but important elements of butter, salt and pepper are missing from our breakfast tray.

The passing landscape is extraordinary and the morning passes quickly. Staff are friendly, relaxed and helpful. Lunch in the Lounge carriage is disappointing again. The lamb I order looks, and is, dry and unappetising. However, the remarkable panoramas we view through the window are captivating and I am mesmerised.

We arrive into Adelaide at approximately 3.15pm. GSR has arranged for an accessible taxi to transport us for an overview of the city before joining a walking tour, culminating at The Wine Centre. There is a delay. The taxi is not there. I understand the delay is not within the control of GSR. We wait some time before the taxi arrives. When it does, we head directly to the city centre to join our walking tour guide and a group of other train passengers participating in the tour. Despite the overcast sky and drizzling rain, our walking tour is great. We enjoyed an informative tour of North Terrace in the city centre and as light faded, we wandered through the Botanic Gardens to the Wine Centre. Inside, we sampled some local wine and took a tour of the Wine Centre. This was followed by a delicious dinner at a communal table with all the Indian Pacific travellers participating on this off-train excursion. The return taxi ride to the Adelaide Parklands Terminal delivered us to the train without a hitch. 

When we re-join the train we note there is a change of staff. The previous contingent is replaced with an entirely new group. Also, an apology from the subcontracted off-train excursion manager, for the taxi transfer delay, accompanied by a bottle of wine awaits us. I am pleasantly surprised and grateful for this gracious gesture. It’s late in the evening as we pull out of Adelaide and head northwest.

Reflecting on the day’s events, for me, the highlights of Day 2 were all off the train….the Broken Hill and Adelaide excursions and the beautiful passing panoramas.