Pichi Richi Railway

Nearly all of the Roadies boarded the 1920's rail carriage for the trip north through the Flinders Ranges to Quorn. Anita elected to have a people free day and look after the critters. We stopped at Woolshed Flat for refreshments and to allow the southbound multi carriage steam train to pass on the single track railway. The whole Pichi Richi experience is run by volunteers from the engine drivers to the people who sell teas and coffees, or replace the old sleepers on the track.

Kellie Menhutnett provided entertainment along the route, singing a couple of the well known country 'train' songs. She was joined by Roadie Ron on his harmonica. We stopped at Quorn for lunch before returning to Port Augusta.


Location: Port Augusta West, Australia

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Whanganui Waters

Image
Virginia Lake is only a kilometre from our motor lodge. It used to be the town's water supply, but after a better water storage facility was built the local council held a competition for a design for gardens around the lake. The Winter Garden has lots of colouful foliage in a glasshouse. At the mouth of the river there are two old breakwaters. The sea rolls onto a black sand beach covered with driftwood. There is a seaside holiday park for motorhomes and campers. Near the park there is yet another art deco style toilet block.
Read more

Drive Napier to Whanganui

Image
Our first stop was at the Hastings Farmers' Market, which is so popular it is held every Sunday - sun, rain or hail. The queues for coffee were too long for us to wait, but we bought two lovely croissants from a French baker's stall. We picked up coffees in town at the cinema cafe. Something we don't see at home is milk being sold in reusable bottles. It is decanted from a bulk container so is labour intensive. We stopped for lunch at Palmerston North. There are several wall murals in the city but none were very good. The art deco style "Ladies Rest" was built in 1937. Inside there are arm chairs in a lounge area, original tiles and some original plumbing. When first built it was just rendered, but the current colours work really well.
Read more

Ahuriri and Hastings

Image
The historic village of Ahuriri is 5 minutes from Napier. It was the original port before the earthquake. These days it is home to the commercial fishing fleet and recreational boats. Restaurants and bars have taken over some of the old warehouses. My favorite art deco building is the National Tobacco Company building at Ahuriri. We walked around the nearby town of Hastings, which also boasts numerous art deco and Spanish mission style buildings. These grasses by the point grow in interesting swirly patterns.
Read more