We, the Colorado Traveling Ducks, and humans are going on a train.   Today we will leave Adelaide and stay on the train until we arrive in Perth, Western Australia, on the Indian Ocean.   This sign explains a little about this train.

Explanation of train

We are in the Adelaide train station and we like this eagle with the sign about our train.   Choo Choo’s Cafe is also great.

Statue in Adelaide train station Australian Wedge Tail Eagle

If you take the train, this Adelaide train station has the best amenities.   We loved the Train Shop.

Of course we bought some souvenirs here

The other train stations we visited in Australia were nice, but not as nice as this one.   It is time to get on our train.

The Indian Pacific Railway

We are settling in our seats.   Very big and comfortable.   The seats recline flat, but there is no foot rest.

Our train seat

The humans use their carry on bags as a foot rest.   We do not have a sleeping compartment.   The humans did not want to make early reservations, but these seats are very comfortable.   And all the seats were not sold, so we had plenty of room to move around.      Looking out the window we see the Southern Outback of Australia.

We like looking out the window

The sun is going down, so soon we will sleep.

Sun going down on Nullarbor Plain

Wow!   The sunset and sunrise in the desert on the Nullarbor Plain is really bright.

Vivid sun

Now that morning has arrived, we see the Outback desert with the red ground.

Red ground on the Nullarbor Plain

There are a few trees in some places.

There are a few trees out there

The train is fairly close to the Eyre Highway and there are a few camping places, or caravan parks.

Camping

The Nullarbor Plain, is a limestone plateau, mostly a vast waterless, treeless expanse.   Nullarbor is corrupt Latin for “no trees”.   Our National Geographic travel guide describes the Nullarbor this way.   For sheer size and scale, no place is like it–an 80,000 square mile limestone plateau, scoured by desert winds and scorched by temperatures that can easily exceed 120 degrees F beneath a pitiless summer sun.   The plateau has no surface water at all, although an extensive system of flooded caves lies deep underground.   Out here lies the world’s longest stretch of straight railroad track–more than 300 miles.   From our train window, we saw a variety of landscapes.

Red dirt

Now would be a good time to tell you that although it was cold in Tasmania and cool on Kangaroo Island, we decided to travel to Australia during the Australian winter.   We did not want to be in such extreme heat while trying to see many new places.   But, we are getting hungry, so we go to our dining car.

Our place for food and views

This is the Matilda Cafe.  It is our restaurant and our observation car.   The huge windows are great and it was never crowded.   We spent much of our train time here, looking out the windows and snacking.   This is our breakfast.

Let’s eat!

Time to eat now.   From our windows we saw a few kangaroos and sheep.

Sheep even here

There are a lot of sheep in Australia.   Soon we will be stopping at a very small settlement.   We will show you what we see next time.   This is our first long train ride and it is fascinating.   The scenery is desert, but it changes constantly.