03/27/08

Our first night on the train we had the presidential suite or at least the deluxe suite as there were no other berths available.  I know - it's really tough and you should feel sorry for us.  The next two days we spent in very nice accommodations, but a bit more real.
 

Joe in our room the first afternoon	Mary with our complimentary bottle of bubbly!
We woke up the first morning in the hills north of Broken Hill, South Australia
By later that day, we were getting ready to cross the Nullarbor
That night we neared Kalgoorlie and the scrub had increased to something akin to trees
The following day we awoke west of Perth and the scenery had changed dramatically!

Three days of travel aboard a wonderful train full of people who love to travel by train.  We ate our meals in a beautiful dining car with linen tablecloths, a young, enthusiastic and definitely Australian staff and shared a table with a different couple at almost every meal and enjoyed each one of them.  One couple has invited us to come and visit in Melbourne and we hope to take them up on it!  We had breakfast the last day with the chairman of the Australian Tourism Committee and as it turns out, he is a friend of Bill Forrest, our adopted brother from Melbourne!