Take a leap of faith……nothing ventured, nothing gained…... What
have you got to lose?
Despite these encouraging clichés ringing in my ears, I feel
a tinge of terror at the idea of embarking on this adventure. It’s ironic that
having lost mobility due to MS and now confined to a wheelchair, I am planning
to embark on an epic journey on the iconic Indian Pacific Railway to travel
4,352km from one side of our vast Australian continent to the other. From
Sydney in New South Wales, I will be travelling to Perth in Western Australia. This
is, reputedly, one of the world's great train journeys.
I have not taken a long train journey before. For
information and insight, I trawled the internet to find an account of the
journey undertaken by someone in a similar situation; confined to a wheelchair.
I have multiple sclerosis and although I cannot walk at all, I can stand with
strong support. This enables me to transfer, in some situations unassisted and
in others, requiring assistance. I haven’t found any information on this trip
from a wheelchair user’s perspective, other than an account by a person who
uses a wheelchair for assistance but is ambulatory. I may not be the first MS wheelchair
traveller to travel on the Indian Pacific, but as it’s the first time I’ve taken
this ambitious journey, I’m sharing my experience via this blog.
My intention
is to provide an honest account of the trip from my perspective. I’m not sure
whether my experience will encourage or discourage others to consider the
possibility of venturing into unchartered territory. Past experience has taught
that travelling with a disability isn’t always a smooth ride. But I’m hoping
the gamble will be worthwhile.
Let the adventure begin ………….
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