Australia 2025

Day 20 - The Big Pit

Up at the ridiculous early time of 5.30 in the a.m. for this trip to look at a gold mine in Kalgoorlie which we had reached earlier. good reason too as it was already hot!

We are taken on a coach driven by Alan, an ex-miner, to one of the 30 gold mines that are in his area - a surprise to me as I was under the impression there was only one!

It's a massive place and Alan explains the process of mining rock with gold attached to it which is then sent through cyanide to separate it form the parent rock having been crushed a few times along the way. It's all industrial chemistry writ large. 10 toms makes 10 oz so there's lots of digging for the stuff. There is also lots of expensive and massive machinery around as well as some hard-bitten chaps who are always dressed in high-viz and dust. The plant makes $A20m per day, so they do get their money back.

We return to the train and to brunch. We get sat opposite an ex-Aussie para called Craig who has been retired sometimes and suffers with his shoulders due to parachuting too many times. He's been a trucker for 30 years and takes his holidays on the trains. He did the Indo-Pacific from Melbourne to Sydney, so this is a filling in exercise for him.

The train resumes and starts to cross the Nullabor Plain , which includes the longest stretch of straight track on the planet - 297 miles or 478 km.

I spent the afternoon catching up on some sleep and then returned to the lounge to look at the scenery, or lack of it a it's a Martian landscape of red sand with a few bushes.

Dinner was again a pleasant affair and we again hooked up with the Dundee couple, Grant and Isla. They told us they were on their way to New Zealand to see one of their daughters who moved there a few years back having been stitched up by some cad who had deserted her there upon arrival, but she had decided to stay. This couple have a great sense of humour and we enjoy some good gags with them.

I also find, of all things 10,000 miles away from Blighty, a Ph.D from Bradley, Bilston - Dr Alan Dent. Makes a change to find somebody from The Black Country rather than Yorkshire. We talk about the memories and places of Bilston and establish that we weren't that far from each other, my Grandparents living near Bradley in the 1940's after the war. Turns out, Alan helps BAE makes missiles and frequently visits Adelaide. He's also a big cricket lover.

Another chap we talk to is Greg from Melbourne, one time mayor of a district but now runs a "Mens mental health" project. Bit worried that he's got a different agenda, but it turns out he's got a wife and kids, so he checks out okay.

Later in the trip, we stop off at Cook for a highlight I've been looking forward to, a bit of stargazing. The train manager, Yazmin, is quite good looking and this evening has surpassed herself but putting a bit of slap on.

We disembark and are given some port and try and find The Southern Cross - that's the stars that adorn the Aussie and Kiwi flags. It isn't there, which a disappointment, but we do see Orion which is weirdly upside down. That takes a bit of getting your head around and you definitely know you are on the opposite side of the planet! We also spot The Pleiades - easily spotted at they for a small frying pan and consists of seven stars and are also known as the seven sisters. All well seen as the light pollution is low.

All done, we return the train for a nightcap and then spend the evening being thrown about as the train rocks and rolls it's way across the desert.