{"id":70856,"date":"2021-08-08T15:55:40","date_gmt":"2021-08-08T15:55:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/?p=70856"},"modified":"2021-08-08T15:57:22","modified_gmt":"2021-08-08T15:57:22","slug":"australia-by-rail-by-des-kelly","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/australia-by-rail-by-des-kelly\/","title":{"rendered":"“AUSTRALIA-BY RAIL” \u2013 by Des Kelly"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0“AUSTRALIA-BY RAIL” \u2013 by Des Kelly<\/span><\/strong><\/h1>\n

Although I tend to reminisce at times, on the wonderful twenty six years I spent in Ceylon, migrating to Melbourne was possibly the best thing I ever did, for the sake of my young family. That said, the “train-ride” I enjoyed most, in my lovely Island Home was when Fred de Kretser, an uncle of mine, God bless his soul, told my mum that he would take me on a trip to New-Railya (Nuwara Eliya) aboard his Railway Engine, (he was an Engine-driver for the C.G.R.), at the time, and what boy of around ten would not jump at the chance of this nature ?. For the first time in my life, I was able to watch the scenic beauty of Ceylon, as we chugged past, on the old red rattler, for the few hours it took to reach the amazingly beautiful hills of Ceylon. Uncle Fred was a superb train driver and he even let me help his fireman (2nd in command), to throw in bits of wood and coal into the furnace of the engine, to keep us going, plus even giving me the chance to personally sound the shrill whistle of the train, as it was rounding a bend or starting off, out of some stations en-route. That was a journey I will never forget.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Coming to Australia, I did not get the chance to travel too much, by rail.<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Dandenong to Melbourne for a while, on their red rattlers, was the only journeys I ever did, when I started work at the G.P.O. in Melbourne, as a mail- sorter. There was not much scenic grandeur available on these rides, BUT, as huge as this Land (my Stepmother Country is), Australia IS also a beautiful<\/span><\/p>\n

place, especially in what is termed Country-areas. This post, sent in by our friend Charles Schokman, gives us a fairly good idea on whst I am talking about. Australia too, is an extremely beautiful Country, on a much larger scale, of course. Thank you Charles, for the story, now going out to many thousands of e’Lanka Members around the world.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Desmond<\/p>\n

\u00a0Desmond Kelly.
\n<\/span>\u00a0(Editor-in-Chief) e’Lanka.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Gulflander \u2013 an unusual rail journey through Queensland\u2019s Gulf Savannah-BY\u00a0TIM RICHARDS<\/span><\/span><\/h1>\n

\"rail<\/p>\n

From the time of the 19th century gold rush, the Gulflander train has carried passengers between the remote towns of Normanton and Croydon.<\/span><\/h2>\n

Still going strong, the \u2018train from nowhere to nowhere\u2019 now treats visitors to a memorable savannah rail journey. The Gulflander rail journey is a living embodiment of the phrase; \u201cIt\u2019s about the journey, not the destination.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The quirky history of Normanton in Queensland\u2019s Gulf Country<\/span><\/h3>\n

I\u2019m walking to Normanton\u2019s railway station, when my eye is caught by Krys the croc. It\u2019s a life-size fibreglass model of the largest crocodile ever to be shot in Australia. It\u2019s hard to ignore at 8.63 metres in length. As well as being terrifying, it tells a story about the frontier nature of this town in the Gulf Savannah region of north-west\u00a0Queensland<\/strong><\/a>. The original Krys was taken down in 1957 by Krystyna Pawlowski. She would later come to regret that fatal shot and became a conservationist in partnership with her husband Ron. In the 1970s they helped convince the Australian Government to ban the hunting of crocodiles.<\/span><\/p>\n

There\u2019s always been a tension between nature and development here in Normanton. It was this remote town that inspired Nevil Shute\u2019s novel\u00a0A Town Like Alice<\/em>. At one point it was expected that Normanton would become the next big tropical city, another Darwin. Instead, it remains a sleepy settlement of about 1200 people. It has good historical bones though, with some impressive colonial buildings along with the Purple Pub (painted that lurid colour all over) and the Big Barra, a statue of the famous local catch.<\/span><\/p>\n

I\u2019m in town to catch a train from the attractive station that\u2019s set within gardens like an old farmhouse. Here I find the Gulflander waiting beneath a corrugated canopy. Its engine is running and frame vibrating as the crew ready it for departure.<\/span><\/p>\n

A life for the Gulfander after the gold rush<\/span><\/h3>\n

Remarkably, this remote railway has been in operation since the late 19th century. Originally laid south toward Cloncurry, it was diverted to inland Croydon after the start of that town\u2019s 1885 gold rush. Having survived a major flood in 1974, the Gulflander hung on to become a quirky tourist train.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"rail<\/p>\n

What helped it last so long was the railway\u2019s unusual track, whose arched steel sleepers allowed the rails to sink solidly into the ground. This innovation meant the train could keep going in up to 15 centimetres of water. This was a huge benefit in a region often hit by heavy wet season rains.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cGold is long gone, but the train survived because it could still get through floods,\u201d says stationmaster and driver Ken. He eases our maroon and gold engine, with its attached passenger carriage, out of the station.<\/span><\/p>\n

It\u2019ll take five hours, including a tea break, to cover the 150 kilometre route to Croydon. The journey is a weekly Wednesday run (returning to Normanton on Thursday). As it\u2019s so early in the train\u2019s operating season, there are only four passengers aboard. My fellow travellers are a family group from Sydney who tell me they\u2019ve often travelled together to interesting railway experiences. I\u2019m sensing that this remote rail journey \u2013 dubbed \u2018the train from nowhere to nowhere\u2019 \u2013 is a magnet for rail enthusiasts.<\/span><\/p>\n

The journey from nowhere to nowhere<\/span><\/h3>\n

We passengers spread out, each taking one of the reddish-brown bench-style seats, next to sliding windows framed by maroon curtains. There\u2019s a distinct vibe of 1950s school bus about the interior, especially with Ken in the cabin with us, sitting up front on the right.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"rail<\/p>\n

As we bump along the rails, passing the airport where maintenance workers give us a friendly wave, Ken adds commentary via a hand-held microphone. \u201cYou\u2019re lucky to be here this time of year, as the countryside is still very green. Later in the year it\u2019s brown \u2013 still beautiful, but not as green.\u201d It does look lush and well-watered as we leave town, passing slender gutta-percha trees with dark trunks. Above us is a big sky of light grey cloud, made luminous by hidden sunlight. Suddenly a black-necked stork takes flight in front of us. Then I spot a group of brolgas by the rails, flying off as we approach. Later on, a group of plains turkeys scatter.<\/span><\/p>\n

It seems our fate to scare birds into flight. The unpeopled landscape may be serene, but this is the noisiest train I have ever ridden in. Growling and rattling as it passes along the rails, the track has sunk into the soil in parts.<\/span><\/p>\n

Critters Camp and special Gulflander excursions<\/span><\/h3>\n

In addition to its weekly trip to Croydon, at the height of tourist season there\u2019s a shorter jaunt to the colourfully-named Critters Camp, along with other special excursions. As we pass that location, a small wallaby tears across the front of the train. I also spot a few cattle by the line, mostly Brahman. It reminds me that the cattle industry is a mainstay of the local economy.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"rail<\/p>\n

At Blackbull we stop for tea and blueberry muffins. This site once had a refreshment room, and a camp for rail maintenance workers. Its shed is the first railway building I\u2019ve seen since leaving Normanton.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIn 1943 the station building was destroyed by a storm, and its remains were used to build this shed,\u201d said Ken. Another reminder of the power of nature in the Gulf Savannah country.<\/span><\/p>\n

A rickety arrival into Croydon in Gulf Country, Queensland<\/span><\/h3>\n

Back in motion, we pass paperbark trees, in blossom from recent rains. Ken also points out the bloodwood tree, the tallest in the region. We\u2019re almost to Croydon now, passing an abandoned townsite, Golden Gate. In its gold mining heyday it had 1500 residents, and additional \u2018suburban\u2019 train services to and from Croydon. There\u2019s nothing to be seen now, beyond a scattering of abandoned mining machinery.<\/span><\/p>\n

Nearing the end of our journey we ascend True Blue Hill, named after a former mining company. It\u2019s the steepest point on the route, but we pause to let a couple of cows cross first. Then Ken eases the Gulflander into Croydon\u2019s station, a simple metal structure built in 2005 after termites destroyed its predecessor.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"rail<\/p>\n

Croydon is even smaller than Normanton. Though the railway reached the town in 1891, the gold which prompted its construction quickly ran out. By 1933 Croydon had only 226 residents, and it\u2019s not much bigger than that today. But it\u2019s been lucky in inheriting some interesting architecture from that long-lost golden age. And of course, it still has a weekly train service. Like Croydon, the Gulflander is a happy survivor: a strange little train which has endured, when logic suggested it should not. I\u2019m glad I\u2019ve been able to catch it to nowhere.<\/span><\/p>\n

Tim Richards travelled courtesy of Queensland Rail Travel. For fares and bookings on the Gulflander, see\u00a0gulflander.com.au<\/strong><\/a><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0“AUSTRALIA-BY RAIL” \u2013 by Des Kelly Although I tend to reminisce at times, on the wonderful twenty six years I spent in Ceylon, migrating to Melbourne was possibly the best thing I ever did, for the sake of my young family. That said, the “train-ride” I enjoyed most, in […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":70857,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"aside","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[20,1104],"tags":[36398,36399],"class_list":{"0":"post-70856","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-aside","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-articles","8":"category-desmond-kelly","9":"tag-fred-de-kretser","10":"tag-queensland-rail-travel","11":"post_format-post-format-aside"},"yoast_head":"\n"AUSTRALIA-BY RAIL" \u2013 by Des Kelly<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Although I tend to reminisce at times, on the wonderful twenty six years I spent in Ceylon, migrating to Melbourne was possibly the best\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" 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