Day 4 Saturday 22 August 2015

This is the final day of our journey. The passing landscape is captivating. Breakfast and lunch are enjoyable. After packing in preparation for disembarking in Perth this afternoon, we spend the day in the Lounge car eating meals, sampling drinks, chatting with fellow passengers and enjoying the beautiful vistas from the windows. Staff kindly pre-arranges an accessible taxi to meet us at the East Perth Terminal railway station at the completion of the journey.

At journey’s end, I have mixed feelings about this experience. I cannot claim it was easy. That the train’s infrastructure is limiting for those of us with disabilities, is indisputable. That said, climbing Mt Everest is probably not easy, but this doesn’t discourage determined climbers. In my opinion, the train fare was very expensive. Consequently, I held high expectations for my Indian Pacific experience. Regardless of disability, I feel my expectations were not met in some areas. Specifically, I was disappointed with the inconsistency of the meals and the quality of the accommodation. My participation in the off-train experiences in Cook and Rawlinna was unambiguously prevented due to my disability. Moreover, this was particularly disappointing because I believe providing ramp access would not be an impossible exercise. It was provided in Rawlinna for staff, why not for passengers?

Nevertheless, the ability to see parts of our amazing continent from this unique perspective was priceless. I’m satisfied I completed what I set out to do. I travelled 4,352km from one side of our vast Australian continent to the other on the Indian Pacific Railway. It was a rare experience and another challenge faced and conquered. 

I gratefully acknowledge support for this project from a grant awarded by My Choice Matters; the NSW Consumer Development Fund (MCM) and the NSW Government. I also acknowledge and sincerely thank my travel companion. Without her patience, good humour and considerable assistance, my journey may not have been possible.