DOWN UNDER with TT-ONR-NRN (+ other overseas ventures)

[TT-ONR-NRN]

Bonus: A bit of an evening trainspot at Sydney Central, Friday March 10th

Now, I'm really not one for standing on the edge of a platform for hours and taking down numbers of the trains that pass by. Effectively, I don't spot. I do record trains (strictly those with British TOPS numbers and NIR only) for haulage, mind you, but no - I don't see a train and write it's number down.

However, after finishing uni early and walking to Redfern station in the glorious weather, I did take an incoming OSCAR bound for Wyong via Chatswood one stop to Sydney Central and it was very pleasant to stand in the midst of this vast, largely outside 25-platform station (15 terminus, 10 through) and watch the big variety of double-decker multiple units all pass through at great frequency. I thought maybe some of you might be interested - if not, no worries, just skip this and await the next report due soon (Tasmania) - in seeing all of the units that Sydney sees, and what they're called. It might mean you know which type of train I'm talking about in reports when I refer to travelling on certain sets too! Most are Electric trains, and Opal valid aboard them on any route, unless stated. The V Sets and the XPlorer/XPT are the only trains in the state to have 2+2 seating rather than 3+2.

Anyway, within an hour I managed to get a photo all of the (non-charter/luxury) passenger trains that serve Sydney Central, Australia's biggest and busiest railway station, other than sadly the XPT which was not in the station at the time. That's a loco though, so shall we say I spotted all of the UNIT types I have included the routes one can find each set type on, with the routes where they're the most dominant class type emboldened.

A Set / Waratah - found on:
T1 Berowra/Hornsby - Penrith/Emu Plains/Richmond via Central - most common stock on route
T2 City Circle - Homebush/Parramatta/Leppington via Central and Strathfield. This route is served most by B Sets.
T3 City Circle - Liverpool/Lidcombe via Central and Bankstown. This route is served most by B Sets.
T5 Richmond - Leppington via Parramatta - exclusively this stock on route on weekends. On weekdays, this route is served most by M Sets.
T7 Lidcombe - Olympic Park (Weekends only) - exclusively this stock on route on weekends. On weekdays, this route is served exclusively by M Sets.
T8 City Circle - Campbelltown/Macarthur via Revesby/East Hills. This route is served most by B Sets.
T9 Gordon - Hornsby via Central and Strathfield - most common stock on route
These all wear ex-CityRail yellow/grey livery - with added Sydney Trains orange vinyls at the front
When departing, they sound VERY similar to Alstom/Bombardier Aventras

B Set / Waratah 2 - found on:
T1 Berowra/Hornsby - Penrith/Emu Plains/Richmond via Central (peak only) This route is served most by A Sets.
T2 City Circle - Homebush/Parramatta/Leppington via Central and Strathfield - most common stock on route
T3 City Circle - Liverpool/Lidcombe via Central and Bankstown - most common stock on route
T5 Richmond - Leppington via Parramatta (Very rare but does happen occasionally) This route is served most by M Sets (weekdays)/A Sets (weekends)
T7 Lidcombe - Olympic Park (Event days only) This route is served most by M Sets (weekdays)/A Sets (weekends)
T8 City Circle - Campbelltown/Macarthur via Revesby/East Hills - most common stock on route
T9 Gordon - Hornsby via Central and Strathfield (peak only) This route is served most by A Sets.
These all wear Transport Sydney Trains/NSW Trainlink orange/black livery
Again, when departing, they sound VERY similar to Alstom/Bombardier Aventras


H Set / OSCAR - found on:
T1 Berowra/Hornsby - Penrith/Emu Plains/Richmond via Central (peak only) This route is served most by A Sets.
T4 Bondi Junction - Hurstville/Waterfall (peak only) This route, including all Cronulla services, is served most by T Sets.
T9 Gordon - Hornsby via Central and Strathfield (peak only) This route is served most by A Sets.
IC Bondi Junction/Sydney - Kiama via Wollongong/Bombo - exclusively this stock on route
IC Sydney - Newcastle Interchange via Strathfield/Wyong - most common stock on semi-fast services, exclusively this stock on route on weekends
IC Sydney - Wyong via Gordon (peak only) - exclusively this stock on route
IC Waterfall - Port Kembla via Wollongong. This route is served most by A Sets.
These all wear ex-CityRail yellow/grey livery
When departing, they sound similar to Bombardier S Stock - London Underground. Arguably NSW's quietest stock when departing, or is that the K Set? Hmm...

K Set - found on:
T2 City Circle - Homebush/Parramatta/Leppington via Central and Strathfield (peak only) This route is served most by B Sets.
T3 City Circle - Liverpool/Lidcombe via Central and Bankstown (peak only) This route is served most by B Sets.
T8 City Circle - Campbelltown/Macarthur via Revesby/East Hills (peak only) This route is served most by B Sets.
These all wear ex-CityRail yellow/grey livery
When departing, they sound similar to 1972 Stock - London Underground, or an unretractioned 455.

M Set / Millennium - found on:
T2 City Circle - Homebush/Parramatta/Leppington via Central and Strathfield (Weekdays only) This route is served most by B Sets.
T3 City Circle - Liverpool/Lidcombe via Central and Bankstown (Weekdays only) This route is served most by B Sets.
T5 Richmond - Leppington via Parramatta (Weekdays only) - most common stock on route on weekdays. On weekends, this route is served exclusively by A Sets.
T7 Lidcombe - Olympic Park (Weekdays only) - exclusively this stock on route on weekdays, special events excluded. On weekends, this route is served exclusively by A Sets.
T8 City Circle - Campbelltown/Macarthur via Revesby/East Hills (Weekdays only) This route is served most by B Sets.
These all wear ex-CityRail yellow/grey livery
When departing, they sound similar to Bombardier CR4000 Croydon Tram, or a bit like Alstom 1996 Stock London Underground


N Set/Endeavour (Diesel) - found on:
IC Sydney/Lithgow - Bathurst - exclusively this stock on route
IC Campbelltown/Macarthur - Moss Vale/Goulburn - exclusively this stock on route
IC Kiama - Bomaderry - exclusively this stock on route
IC Scone/Dungog/Telarah - Newcastle Interchange. This route is served most by J Sets/Hunter, which do not run to Sydney.
Twelve wear ex-CityRail yellow/grey livery.
Two wear Transport Sydney Trains/NSW Trainlink orange/black livery but aren't seen in Sydney as they're allocated to the Hunter lines.

T Set/Tangara - found on:
T1 Berowra/Hornsby - Penrith/Emu Plains/Richmond via Central. This route is served most by A Sets.
T2 City Circle - Homebush/Parramatta/Leppington via Central and Strathfield (Rare, one diagram on weekends only) This route is served most by B Sets.
T3 City Circle - Liverpool/Lidcombe via Central and Bankstown (Rare, one diagram on weekends only) This route is served most by B Sets.
T4 Bondi Junction - Hurstville/Cronulla/Waterfall - most common stock on route
T8 City Circle - Campbelltown/Macarthur via Revesby/East Hills (Rare, one diagram on weekends only) This route is served most by B Sets.
T9 Gordon - Hornsby via Central and Strathfield. This route is served most by A Sets.
IC Waterfall - Port Kembla via Wollongong - most common stock on route
These all wear ex-CityRail yellow/grey livery. Some are converted G Sets, with folded under front skirts and door buttons.
When departing, they sound a weeny bit like 319s but with a much higher pitched whine on a similar pitch to a 800.


V Set - found on:
IC Sydney - Lithgow/Mount Victoria via Springwood/Katoomba - exclusively this stock on route, excluding twice-daily limited-stop Bathurst bullet
IC Sydney - Newcastle Interchange via Strathfield/Wyong (weekdays only) - most common stock on weekday Express services, operates limited-semi fasts.
On weekends, this route is served exclusively by H Sets.
These all wear ex-CityRail yellow/grey livery.
Again, when departing, they sound a weeny bit like 319s but with a much higher pitched whine on a similar pitch to a 800.

XPlorer (Diesel) - found on:
RE Sydney - Armidale/Moree via Hunter Valley - exclusively this stock on route
RE Sydney - Broken Hill via Orange - exclusively this stock on route
RE Sydney - Canberra/Griffith - exclusively this stock on route
OPAL NOT VALID/BOOKED SEAT ONLY
These all wear ex-Countrylink navy/baby-blue/yellow livery.

And then the XPT (Diesel) runs:
RE Sydney - Brisbane/Casino/Grafton via Hunter Valley - exclusively this stock on route
RE Sydney - Melbourne via Wagga Wagga - exclusively this stock on route
RE Sydney - Dubbo via Orange - exclusively this stock on route
OPAL NOT VALID/BOOKED SEAT ONLY
These all wear ex-Countrylink navy/baby-blue/yellow livery.

The D Sets/Marijung (long-distance versions of the Waratahs) will replace the H Sets/OSCAR, T Sets and V Sets on all electrified Intercity routes this year. V Sets will be scrapped. H Sets will be reconfigured for suburban use and transferred to suburban Sydney services, replacing the K Sets which will be scrapped.

XPT and XPlorer/Endeavour DMUs are to be replaced in coming years by CAF-built DMUs.

The Indian Pacific (Diesel) also visits weekly with a train to Perth via Adelaide, taking approximately three days. This is a privately owned charter/luxury train.

All images taken by myself on 10/3/2023. Hope you find this interesting. Keep an eye out for the upcoming report of my spontaneous Tasmanian adventure in Hobart. If you haven’t already read my recent report published yesterday about my trip to the incredible Port Stephens (including an XPT journey in First Class), you can follow the link here:

Day 32: XPT to paradise Port Stephens: Sand Dunes, up Tomarree Mountain and Wild Kangaroos

 

[railfan99]

If 'the computer' allocates you a poor seat on NSW TrainLink, telephone the call centre, or go to a staffed booked office and have it changed.

When booking a sleeper, insist on a lower berth and try for one in the centre of the car. There's regrettably only 18 berths, so for busier nights, book a few weeks in advance. You may also ask for a forward-facing compartment if you prefer.

If your purchased a NSW TrainLink A$300 discovery pass valid for two weeks at the conclusion of your stay in Australia, you could use it one way (or both ways!) from or also to Brisbane, and to Melbourne, and if you had time away from uni, also do the Mon/Tue Sydney-Broken Hill-Sydney trip to see the outback, completely different country from Australia's east coast bush and (partly down to Melbourne) graingrowing areas.

Then you'd just have to pay the A$88 sleeping berth supplement so all up travel would cost under A$500 even if you went north to Brisbane (and south to Melbourne) in the sleeper. Do this before the XPTs are withdrawn: a bit like travelling on the excellent UK HSTs on the inspiring Penzance route, which I did. XAM2175 makes very sensible suggestions.

 

[TT-ONR-NRN]

If 'the computer' allocates you a poor seat on NSW TrainLink, telephone the call centre, or go to a staffed booked office and have it changed.

When booking a sleeper, insist on a lower berth and try for one in the centre of the car. There's regrettably only 18 berths, so for busier nights, book a few weeks in advance. You may also ask for a forward-facing compartment if you prefer.

Most irritatingly, I tried exactly this and she tried to charge me, because she said I'd booked the cheaper first class fare, and only the most expensive one allows seat changes. I'm honestly just frustrated that they don't let you pick one at booking. What's the benefit of the lower berth?

If your purchased a NSW TrainLink A$300 discovery pass valid for two weeks at the conclusion of your stay in Australia, you could use it one way (or both ways!) from or also to Brisbane, and to Melbourne, and if you had time away from uni, also do the Mon/Tue Sydney-Broken Hill-Sydney trip to see the outback, completely different country from Australia's east coast bush and (partly down to Melbourne) graingrowing areas.

Then you'd just have to pay the A$88 sleeping berth supplement so all up travel would cost under A$500 even if you went north to Brisbane (and south to Melbourne) in the sleeper. Do this before the XPTs are withdrawn: a bit like travelling on the excellent UK HSTs on the inspiring Penzance route, which I did. XAM2175 makes very sensible suggestions.

Brisbane will be April because I don't want to go in Winter, whereas the return to Melbourne will be June, but I may do that and use it in conjunction with the Broken Hill outback, thank you for the suggestion. Both you and XAM2175 are very correct that chances to do a sleeper in Australia are running low nowadays so that is certainly something to consider, and I suppose even if the journey is hellish, it's an experience that I'll be pleased to say I've done.

 

[TT-ONR-NRN]

I usually went with Qantas a first choice, as Virgin were pretty hit-and-miss at the time. I don't know how things have changed since Covid, though.

My Los Angeles - Sydney flight with Qantas was not very pleasant. Their cabin was very cramped compared to the BA one (same aircraft type) I had just flown, entertainment system was broken, worst food I've ever had in the 52 flights I've made with a British passport (can't remember many before ), there was a medical emergency and desperate call for an on-board medic and then I had the cabin crew run into the toilet in front of me with a fire extinguisher. The staff were admittedly some of the friendliest I've ever met. Then on the Qantas flight from Sydney - Melbourne I found the 737's interior comparatively bland and basic to Virgin and service was a rushed trolley shoving a sandwich at me. It's a tiny flight so I'm not bothered per say about that, but I was very impressed with Virgin on return to Sydney and my Jetstar flights to Tasmania and back were really nice this week.

My suggestion with this would be to only consider it for the southbound leg, because the northbound timetable - I kid you not - is depart Sydney 14:41, arrive Brisbane 03:53. The southbound is a more manageable depart 04:55, arrive 20:12, which means you'll cover the better scenery in daylight. You may also considered getting the train only as far as somewhere like Coffs Harbour and flying the rest of the way to Sydney.

Oh I know you're not kidding, because I am currently considering it for my trip believe it or not If the plans work out, I'll actually fly onto New Zealand from there, so I'm not sure southbound can be an option.

 

[railfan99]

Advantages of a lower berth include ease of getting out to go to the toilet during the night (as you're 19, you may not find climbing down at night challenging) and prying open curtains if you want to watch a freight train rushing by, or noting at what station you're stopped if a sign is visible. If you've packed away something you need, it's easier to reach your backpack or suitcase, but hopefully you're so well travelled and a good packer that this won't occur.

I agree everyone ought be able to pick seat(s) when booking: lack thereof is an annoying feature of NSW TrainLink. Some rail operators around the world allow seat selection. Notably, some airlines block off certain seats depending on the fare level or charge extra to choose a seat depending on the 'fare bucket' one has booked, so NSW TL would say it's not alone. That, however, doesn't make it 'correct' or 'passenger-friendly'.

Southbound from Brisbane by rail is a most attractive journey so like XAM2175 I'd urge you to see if you can fit it in. I'd do the whole trip: flying Coffs to Sydney is expensive and you'd miss more great scnery as the train follows from Taree south to Telerah (just north of Maitland NSW) a steam age curvaceous route, and perhaps crosses a couple of freights like the Qube loaded steel train from Port Kembla, NSW to Acacia Ridge, Queensland or Pacific National/SCT Melbourne or Sydney to Brisbane intermodals, plus an XPT. There's some riverside running: see Google maps.

Qantas and Jetstar are on my no-fly list: terrible.

If you must fly, have you considered Regional Express (Rex)? Limited frequencies but as more become aware of it, is carrying larger numbers on 'golden triangle' (BNE-SYD-MEL), so named as it's a moneymaker (even more so recently with Qantas' outrageous fares). Qantas has underinvested in aircraft. Staff can be arrogant, and it often doesn't run on time.

 

[TT-ONR-NRN]

Day 34: Random trip to Kelly's Falls, failure, weeny bit of a panic attack and a very nice temple full of cockatoos

I did say that Tasmania would be the next report but I guess I forgot about last Monday. My lecture on Rhetoric Arguments That Change The World (fairly interesting with a lovely lecturer but oh boy can it drag) ended at 2pm, and that left me with six hours of sun-warmed daylight. Here was my lovely university’s Quadrangle building on this day:






Today was the hottest day it had been in a very long time, at 36ºC, and all I could think about was how nice it'd be to cool off in a waterfall. I was bored of beaches by then.

So it was a five minute walk to Redfern and then, as luck would have it, only five minutes wait for the hourly South Coast Express bound for Kiama, which came in the shape of H31+H32 OSCARS that took me down to Helensburgh. Helensburgh has a very foresty, rural sort of feel to it. I had a fifteen minute wait there for the bus to the falls, and while waiting for this, a pair of Tangaras came in with an all stations service from Bondi Junction, which terminated and went off to the sidings.



The bus driver kindly told me that the bus stop was a long walk from the entrance to the bush where the falls are, and that he would just drop me off at the entrance so that I could get there much easier. He told me not to bother tapping on. (Eight drivers have done that since I moved to Sydney, it's great! ) So it was a free, very noisy - school kids - bus ride the three-ish miles to the bush, and then a walk down a dark path to a car park, where a rather confusing map tells you the different paths. It told me I should have some bushwalking experience to enter this part (I have none), and warned that snakes are often sunning themselves on a rock, and the thought just filled me with dread, but I thought, you know what - stick to the path, and all will be fine.

Well, this is where I realised it had been stupid to just see a picture of a place and spontaneously go there without having any knowledge of where I was going: There is no path to the falls. You walk randomly straight on until you reach two metal poles, then in between the poles you look for a ROPE and abseil down the cliff clinging to the rope until you reach the bottom of the falls.

I went in anyway...

Absolutely terrified at the thought of seeing a slithery thing, I finally got myself enough courage to run into the bush, watched the path disappear once I'd gone down a few steps, and then I somehow found the metal poles. But there was no rope, just a drop. Very far down. So I edged round the pole and walked along and tried to find the rope, walking further into the bush until I saw a load of boulders and rocks, so somehow I scrambled down the rocks and oh dear.

I was suddenly standing on the middle ledge of the waterfall.


One slip and I'd topple over the edge. To scramble back up would be very hard, I'd have to get exceptionally close to the floor and if a snake slithered out of the rocks it'd be inches from my nose. I'd either get bitten or I'd panic and fall over the cliff trying to get away from it.



And so ensued the first panic attack of 2023 and I made a delightfully pricey international call in the middle of the night to my father and shrieked down the phone to him. Somehow I got the courage to climb back up the rocks and boulders - but note what I just said about what'd have happened if a snake had decided to pop out - and then I rushed back the way I came, found the poles, found the steps, got back to the path, ran back out to the car park and then decided to give up on getting to the bottom of Kelly's Falls after all. Standing on the middle shelf of it was quite enough, thanks.

"And how stupid that you'd consider abseiling, maaaaan!" groaned the voice from several thousand miles away. "With a random rope that you have no assurance wouldn't break as well! Jeeeeez, this is why you've gotta research these things, you can't just rush to a random place without any knowledge of it" etc etc

To this day my mother doesn't know I was going to abseil down a cliff, and I think it's best that I keep it that way before she flies out to supervise me Don't lecture me, forumers, I've been nagged enough and I won't do that sh!t again

Anyway, once it had been established I'd been a gorby hoser, I set off trying to find the bus stop, remembering it had been miles away. It was a difficult walk as there was barely any path along the 80km/hour road, meaning I had to walk on the extreme edge of the road (facing oncoming traffic as I've been taught from a young age ) while my dad (still on the phone) looked up where I was on Maps and helpfully told me I was absolutely miles away from the bus stop I was trying to find. I was four miles from Helensburgh station, temperature was in the mid thirties, it was a bit dire. I passed a local and asked for a bus stop, he pointed me in the complete opposite direction so I stumbled back along the road for a mile, narrowly surviving death by speeding truck en-route, and came to a small bus shelter.

The bus from this stop ran twice a week and wasn't due for three days

Part Two below

 

[TT-ONR-NRN]

Day 34: Random trip to Kelly's Falls, failure, weeny bit of a panic attack and a very nice temple full of cockatoos

PART ONE IS ABOVE; THIS IS PART TWO

Once I had cursed the local under my breath for leading me to such a useless bus stop (oh shut up, I KNOW it's not his fault and he probably didn't know, leave me alone

) I actually noticed that I was standing by a beautiful Hindu temple. This, it turned out, was the first ever Hindu temple to be bought in Australia. There were a fair few building works around the side but it was open, and a sign said All faiths welcome, so I, a not-very good Christian who believes but doesn't go to church or pray or anything, took my shoes off out of respect and had a look inside. It was a really lovely building and there were some lovely locals there who had come for a christening earlier. I got many photos.


In the car park was a large sort of built in the ground crate idk, and about twelve (not an exaggerated number) white and yellow wild cockatoos had flown into it, with two or three more on the fence and simply enormous numbers of them in the surrounding trees! Truly, I've never seen so many cockatoos in my life. Many pictures were taken. Oh god, and there was a really knackered looking one which must have been in a fight or developed alopecia or something, bless it, hopping about and being guarded by the other (surprisingly tame) cockatoos. I spent a good half an hour looking at them. They're common things in Australia but to me they're beautiful and fascinating. I'd like to see some of the black ones with red tops that are visible deeper in NSW - I spoke to someone from Dubbo the other day who gets them in his garden.





Unfortunately, I did therefore have to return to Helensburgh by foot (I put my shoes back on first though), but this was actually a fairly nice walk. It was far cooler and breezier out in Helensburgh (halfway to Wollongong) than it was in Sydney, so I wasn't too hot, and it was alongside nice countryside and fields. In Helensburgh town (tbh kinda small and unremarkable) I got some of my favourite massive blackberries from Woolworths and then boarded the incoming ex Port Kembla Tangara at Helensburgh station bound for Waterfall only, where I changed for the all stations pair of Tangaras to Sydenham (about an hour), and then a Waratah took me two stops to Erskineville, ten minutes from where I live.

Anyway, sorry for getting your hopes up last time by saying the next trip report would be on Tasmania, but I genuinely forgot about doing this day and thought it was chaotic enough to report on

This was last Monday. Tuesday I had Uni all day (as I've done today too

) and then Wednesday I DID go to Tasmania, so it really will be the next report, followed by my report of the incredible day in Leura and Katoomba, Blue Mountains.

I hope you enjoyed reading

 

[railfan99]

You are braver than many others in abseiling. Not for me.

Sulphur-crested cockatoos. Was there some food attracting them, or the promise of same?

The cockies in Dubbo may be red-tailed black cockatoos:

http://t3.gstatic.com/licensed-image?q=tbn:ANd9GcQiDUz2wlnanOXvkgKO0cWfvanVMM9UWGolrOnBpf5ii9XrHbk2NKtO-wMXe0ZOMJoFmCCmMgebZfntHPI

Indeed, be wary of trucks, including B-Doubles. They may not always be wholly within their lane.

 

[LowLevel]

At least you managed to get back up. My brother's questionable life choices some years ago saw him having to be picked up by a rescue team when he got stuck on some cliffs outside Aberystwyth

 

[Techniquest]

Kudos where it's due for trying abseiling, especially in such an unforgiving environment! Don't worry, I have no intention of lecturing you about that, your experience will have done enough of that already. I absolutely am not jealous of that day, I couldn't do it that's for sure.

Bit late to the party lately, I've been off-forum for a few days so catching up slowly. I am glad to see you're continuing to have a great time, and that university looks beautiful!

 

[TT-ONR-NRN]

Thanks much for replies will respond very soon, but just have to say:

BIG NEWS
Easter is all planned - flights booked, just need to pay for hotels

XPT from Sydney to Brisbane

Train to Sunshine Coast, 2 days there
Back to Brisbane, 2 days there
Train to Gold Coast, 2 days there

Virgin Aus flight from Gold Coast to Melb, immediately change, Virgin Aus flight to Adelaide

Day and half in Adelaide

Qatar Airways Business Q-SUITE four hour flight to Auckland, two nights in Auckland. It’s supposed to be the world’s nicest airline and nicest business so might as well give it a taste

Scenic train Auckland to Wellington with panoramic windows should be nice

Three nights with my lovely great-aunt in Wellington

Ferry to Picton, scenic train to Christchurch again with panoramic windows

Night and day in Christchurch

Emirates A380 First Class (always wanted to try this) flight from Christchurch

Really hope you’ll join me here for the reports

 

[railfan99]

I hope you have a sleeping berth from Sydney to Brisbane or (second best) a first class seat.

You could catch the train from Brisbane Central or Roma St station to the Gold Coast and then the light rail/tram to Surfers or beyond to close to the airport: there is a connecting suburban bus to the Coolangatta Airport terminal.

In Adelaide you may care to travel on the tram to seaside Glenelg (although trams not nearly as good as when the famous H class were operating) plus if you have time, train up the Hills/Melbourne line to Belair where there's an attractive National Park adjacent to the railway station.

There is a suburban bus from Adelaide's CBD to its airport. Fares are cheap: tourist pass available at the Information Centre at Adelaide's historic railway station on King William St.

In Christchurch a former Melbourne tram may be operating around the city loop.

Will you be able to have a shower on Emirates' A380 despite the short duration flight?

 

[TT-ONR-NRN]

I hope you have a sleeping berth from Sydney to Brisbane or (second best) a first class seat.

You could catch the train from Brisbane Central or Roma St station to the Gold Coast and then the light rail/tram to Surfers or beyond to close to the airport: there is a connecting suburban bus to the Coolangatta Airport terminal.

In Adelaide you may care to travel on the tram to seaside Glenelg (although trams not nearly as good as when the famous H class were operating) plus if you have time, train up the Hills/Melbourne line to Belair where there's an attractive National Park adjacent to the railway station.

There is a suburban bus from Adelaide's CBD to its airport. Fares are cheap: tourist pass available at the Information Centre at Adelaide's historic railway station on King William St.

In Christchurch a former Melbourne tram may be operating around the city loop.

Will you be able to have a shower on Emirates' A380 despite the short duration flight?

A sleeping berth depends on how much money I have by the end of the week, as the Qatar Q-Suite and Emirates First tickets weren’t the cheapest, and neither will be hotels for ten days. I was also thinking of doing that for Melbourne instead. Maybe I will get the early train to Casino and go up via Bryon Bay.

Train to Gold Coast is indeed the plan, and suburban train to Sunshine Coast. Tilt train is sadly bustituted for the duration of my stay in Queensland.

Thanks for the advice on Adelaide, and I’ll look into that, but I should land at 10am and fly off at 5pm the next day (and will want to arrive with time to use the Qatar lounge), so time will be limited. Perhaps I will reduce the Queensland time slightly to allow to arrive in Adelaide earlier. The planned Virgin Australia flights (with hour’s connection at Melbourne Tulla) are not booked yet.

Yes, the shower spa suite is in use for this Kiwi Aus part of the eventual flight to Dubai, but emailing to let them know is advised, so I will do so. Not the classiest idea (very touristy of me) but I might have to ask for a tacky photo behind the on-board bar. Then again, that might give away that I’m not an Emirates First regular
EDIT: I have phoned them and they confirmed that it will be open for the full Christchurch - Dubai via Sydney flight, and that I should tell them at check-in that I wish to shower between Christchurch and Sydney. That's not a problem.

You are braver than many others in abseiling. Not for me.

Sulphur-crested cockatoos. Was there some food attracting them, or the promise of same?

The cockies in Dubbo may be red-tailed black cockatoos:

http://t3.gstatic.com/licensed-image?q=tbn:ANd9GcQiDUz2wlnanOXvkgKO0cWfvanVMM9UWGolrOnBpf5ii9XrHbk2NKtO-wMXe0ZOMJoFmCCmMgebZfntHPI

Indeed, be wary of trucks, including B-Doubles. They may not always be wholly within their lane.

Kudos where it's due for trying abseiling, especially in such an unforgiving environment! Don't worry, I have no intention of lecturing you about that, your experience will have done enough of that already. I absolutely am not jealous of that day, I couldn't do it that's for sure.

Bit late to the party lately, I've been off-forum for a few days so catching up slowly. I am glad to see you're continuing to have a great time, and that university looks beautiful!

I didn’t abseil in the end as I couldn’t find the rope I would have done had I seen it, as you only live once The University of Sydney is indeed exceptionally beautiful and several have referred to it as looking somewhat like Hogwarts.

At least you managed to get back up. My brother's questionable life choices some years ago saw him having to be picked up by a rescue team when he got stuck on some cliffs outside Aberystwyth

Ooh er, not good. I definitely don’t want to have to phone for rescue.

 

[TT-ONR-NRN]

Day 36: "Flight 50" - with Jetstar to Hobart, Tasmania, on a random adventure due to cancelled lectures
(This is a long one but one part only)



Industrial action, which I personally see as an outdated practice, and one that I firmly do not usually support, had finally caught up with my host university. It had gripped my home one for quite a while now, and indeed some of my friends back home were missing rather a few classes last month, and now here in Australia I was being told that it would cancel most lectures on Thursday 9th.

"A minority of classes will go ahead, if the teacher is not in the union," explained the lecturer, last Tuesday morning, "But you'll have to cross a picket line to get to them, and it's a very big statement to cross a picket line." I read that as basically: if you go to the class that you pay £9000 a year to attend, strike-supporters from the "picket" will bully you and make your life miserable for not sacrificing your (very expensive) learning. Also, that last statement seemed a bit like an indirect threat, which doesn't seem the most appropriate, but let us move on...

My teacher was in the union, and therefore did not try to provoke the picket line by continuing to teach, rather he cancelled everything on Thursdays. Now it just so happens that Wednesday is my only weekday off, and I do try and make the most of this by exploring somewhere a bit further out of town on Wednesdays, but of course overnight stays and long-distance travel isn't an option due to my early starts on Thursdays. But I had just been told that Thursday was cancelled, so I seized the opportunity, and being the impulsive person I am, had booked return flights to Hobart, the capital of Tasmania before the class was over.

These flights were really rather attractive times indeed - very early outbound that would give me a full day at the destination, and late returns that would mean I could make the most of the second day without sacrificing half of it to travel back - although it did require me to leave Newtown at 3:15am. I don't usually go to sleep until around this time, so I actually didn't sleep at all that night (I was fine), and packed a little bag ready for a night away. Sadly, my power bank is lost somewhere, so I would have to be savvy with phone battery. I had a half-hour walk to Redfern, because Newtown, Erskineville and Macdonaldtown don't start getting served until far later, where Millenniums M15+M27 whisked me one-stop to Central and Waratah 2 B14 took me to Domestic Airport station. Oh god, Opal is brilliant value but the surcharge for alighting at Domestic Airport or International Airport (same airport, different terminals, next to each other) is eye-watering. Had I alighted one stop earlier at Mascot, where I normally go twice a week for ice hockey training, I'd have been charged $1.90. I was charged $14.

Security was SUPREMELY easy, and then I was airside at the Sydney Non-Qantas Domestic Terminal, and unfortunately I'd been far, far too safe with the timings and would now have to sit here for two hours before my plane boarded. Thankfully, at least this terminal looked like an airport (Sydney Qantas Domestic looks like a bus station, I kid you not), and had an alright (not brilliant but it is a domestic terminal) range of shops, so I grabbed a freshly blended juice of some sort: mint, apple, watermelon, strawberry, ice - I think - and relaxed for a bit before going to the gate. Today I would be flying with Jetstar.

Jetstar, as Oceania's main no-frills airline with considerably better fares than parent company Qantas, Air New Zealand, Virgin Australia and even low-cost REX, charge you to pick your seat, and my modest fare had landed me the short straw of a middle seat. Now I have never sat in a middle seat in my life, and nor did I fancy trying it for the first time today, so I was very pleased (and surprised) when upon asking the Jetstar woman at the gate if a window seat was free, she moved me and issued me a new boarding pass for an A seat. It was very close to the back too, which I love as it's always quieter, and many short-haul alight from both ends anyway these days.

I wasn't too happy about being told that they don't allow coffee on-board, as I had JUST bought a mocha from a hilarious woman at a cafe by the gate, so I downed it and went to board. Customers in the front half of the plane were boarded through a jetbridge and the rear half walking to steps. I normally like boarding and alighting through steps if en-route to the destination (on the way home I just want to get the journey done and dusted so a jet bridge is preferred then) as I can get a good pic of the aircraft, but I forgot that Australian airlines are very funny about phones out on the tarmac (never once had a problem in Europe and in fact when I was much younger cabin crew took a pic with me outside the aircraft) so I got ticked off by ground staff.



This original batch Airbus A320 aircraft was very pleasant - obviously not as flashy and premium feeling as I'd found Virgin Australia to be on Melbourne - Sydney - but surprisingly much nicer than the Qantas 737-800 I'd taken from Sydney to Melbourne on February 1st, which had been very plain and shabby indeed. The leather seats were very comfortable, although slim and I'd say they were like a cross between the brilliant short-haul leather seats on British Airways' Airbus A319/original A320, and the slimmer, thinner ones on British Airways' Neos. This Jetstar flight had the seat width of the latter, but larger tables (important for me as a heavy laptop user) and they reclined, to my surprise. (I reckon this is being phased out as the button didn't work on the return flight) Nobody sat next to me in my newly acquired bay of three, which was wonderful, so I got comfy and raised an imaginary glass of champagne to myself. Why?
Well, because this flight would be my 50th flight since acquiring a British passport (of which I'm now on my third, and it's a nice a shade of Boris BLOOOOO), and although it would have been nice to let the upcoming flight in Emirates First Class or Qatar Q-SUITE have that honour, that would involve not going to Tasmania, and I was very excited to be going to Australia's island state, and perfectly satisfied by the comfort on Jetstar. Once we'd taken off, and the initial ascent was exceptionally bumpy but soon subsided, I ordered a very reasonably priced can of ginger ale - the entire menu was about three times cheaper than Ryanair or easyJet's - and watched the attractive sunrise from my seat. I snoozed for a bit, which isn't like me on a plane but I hadn't slept the night before had I - and just took it easy for the short 90 minute flight.




Being the rearmost passenger on the flight, I was naturally very happy by the announcement that stated alighting would take place from both ends of the aircraft, meaning no tedious wait for the entire rest of the cabin to get off, but this is where I got a hilarious shock. The weather in Sydney was forecast for 36ºC that day, and it was indeed this hot; on Instagram I noticed everyone back here had flocked to Manly or Coogee. Well, I stood by the rear door as it was opened, and the ICY AIR HIT ME like a dagger to my bare, shorts-wearing knees. A quick glance at my phone.

Hobart - 8ºC.

Thank god I'd brought a hoodie and some long-sleeved trousers. I had expected Tasmania to be cold - it is Australia's coldest state and not too far from Antarctica, after all - but it's only some 700 miles south of scorching Sydney, who's temperature today wasn't far off the record-breaking one we had in England last summer, and I can't say I expected the difference to be quite so defined. Excited to be here, and drunk on lethargic sleep-deprivation, I found this bizarrely hilarious and cracked up over it. Jesus, I hope no one saw me laughing to myself, or they'd have thought me a right nutter. Unfortunately I'd missed the next SkyBus departure to the city centre (very limited in terms of options unfortunately), so I wandered back into the terminal building, where there was a Tasmanian chocolate shop. Well, I figured a hot chocolate would be most welcome following this sudden change in surrounding air temperature, so I ordered a Dark Chocolate (much nicer and healthier ) version and it was very rich and creamy. No powder of course, but real hand-broken slabs of dark chocolate melted into the milk to create a very authentic, rich taste. It wasn't very hot, more warm, but oh well.

The SkyBus became stuck in traffic for a torturous length of time, and two people behind me thought it would be exceptionally considerate of them to WHISTLE (If you ever whistle on public transport, just know you're the worst person to exist since old fungal foot on the Canberra XPlorer) so it wasn't a fun transfer into town but when we eventually did arrive it was nice to be there. Anyway, although it's usually a rip off $20 fare, when asking for a student fare she must have thought I meant a child ticket and charged me $5. Sweet! An electric scooter owned by Neuron, the same company with whom I had used in Canberra and already had the app for, was sat there, so I happily switched it on and rode to the edge of the city and over the famous Tasman Bridge that connects Hobart to get a good photo. This was about 2 miles, but easily done as the scooter allowed for about 25km/hour.



It looks moody and gloomy somewhat, but according my research, that’s the famous vibe of Tasmania, cold and cloudy, so I’m perfectly fine with that. Or at least, I was until it started to rain, and I was 3 miles from my hotel! A bus did come along but I was told Tasmanian buses take cash or smartcard only, and obviously that smartcard isn’t NSW’s Opal out in Tasmania. The bus driver seemed to take pity on me - I mean, it’s not often a bus will take cash but not card or Apple Pay - and told me to get on anyway, and I was taken practically to my hotel door where shamefully I did waste a couple of my already limited hours having a nap, but what do you expect? One can see the moody-looking Mount Wellington skulking in the back, which people do often go to the summit of but either by walking 3 hours each way or taking a really overpriced bus.

After this, I hopped back on the scooter and had a look round at a relaxed, easy-going pace. The city really does remind me very much of Reykjavik when I went there in October, and also a little of a smaller Gothenburg. It’s got those Icelandic/Scandinavian vibes that you just wouldn’t expect from Australia. I had a lovely relaxing look around, and then stopped for lunch as the sun began to shine down and the place warmed up a little.



This wonderful Tasmanian seafood basket was had at this hotel by the harbour, containing freshly-caught king prawns, scallops, calamari and barramundi fish, alongside some very nice fries and homemade slaw. It was truly incredible fish, and the calamari - which can often be rubbery and chewy - simply melted in the mouth. You hardly needed to bite it. I accompanied this very nice meal with a vodka lemonade and took in the atmosphere. It did feel very much as if I was on holiday Technically you could say I was.



I had a look round the city buildings, which are pleasant but nothing to write home about - I did like the clock though which is reminiscent of that at Melbourne’s Flinders Street - and then went back to my hotel for a few hours to rest a bit and plan my day for tomorrow. Mount Wellington I couldn’t be arzed with, neither the walk or the overpriced bus, due to the poor weather planned for the next day. The famous island that people normally go to also looked overpriced and I didn’t want to go to beaches in the rain, not that I’d have been able to get back for my flight in time. The heritage railway museum would be closed. Eventually, after reading some favourable reviews, I settled on something that I would go on to be very happy that I chose (please try to resist telling me all the things I missed and should have done, @railfan99 , I only had limited time and didn’t fancy rushing things or pushing it with the flights ) and then went down to the harbour as the sun was setting.

Well, this is when Lloyds Bank had the cheek to decide on my behalf that someone had stolen my card and taken it to Australia, without even attempting to ask for verification - even though I’d verified myself hundreds of times by text - and froze my primary bank account and my back up one. And then my emergency Halifax credit card started to play up, and everything flipping declined.

So I wasted many many many of my limited free International minutes talking to Lloyds Bank - thank god they were open or I’d have been f*cked - in my opinion if they’re going to do such unacceptable things as to just assume my card needs to be frozen without my permission, then it is NOT good enough to say “Sorry we’re closed phone Mon-Fri 9-5” when I try and unfreeze it. Anyway, after a very long call that meant I missed taking sunset pictures, it was unfrozen and I took an al fresco seat at a lovely bistro by the night time harbour, and enjoyed a simply fantastic and unquestionably authentic Seafood Chowder, with some wonderful toasted ciabatta bread to dip it in. It was thick, rich and full of giant chunky pieces of all kinds of fish, and it warmed me beautifully in the cold night. I really enjoyed it.



Following this, I just sat there and enjoyed the change of atmosphere for a bit, video called my friend and scootered back to the hotel ready for an exciting day tomorrow - which would probably turn out to be one of the best days I’ve had so far in this country. I hope you can join the thread for that.

Upcoming reports:
1) Tasmania Part 2
2) Katoomba and Leura Blue Mountains, feat. XPT
3) Incredible scenes at “The Entrance,” Central Coast
4) Bonus short little report: Thurroul Beach and Stanwell Tops

and then Easter will see me visit Brisbane, Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast, Adelaide, Auckland, Wellington, Picton and Christchurch, and I’ll be reporting on all of that. Have a great Thursday, it’s 35°C here, lecture finished for the day and I’m off to the beach

 

[TT-ONR-NRN]

More pictures



Oh… and my mum took this in my garden on the same day. Looks like for all Hobart was cold, it wasn’t as cold as Surrey UK that day

 

[railfan99]

(please try to resist telling me all the things I missed and should have done, @railfan99 , I only had limited time and didn’t fancy rushing things or pushing it with the flights ) and then went down to the harbour as the sun was setting.

Well, this is when Lloyds Bank had the cheek to decide on my behalf that someone had stolen my card and taken it to Australia, without even attempting to ask for verification - even though I’d verified myself hundreds of times by text - and froze my primary bank account and my back up one.

No worries, I am resisting - successfully. You achieve an enormous amount.

In Marseilles six months ago, my National Australia Bank credit card was declined at the station for two attempted tiny purchases. The bank's fraud staff unilaterally decided that a Swiss hotel doing one of those annoying, but now standard 'pre authorisations' constituted misuse. It took me 53 minutes on the phone from the Nice, France, hotel's reception desk to fix. When back home, I was compensated for the call plus (after I asked) an additional A$100).

Glad we have something in common, but when one informs banks beforehand to which nations you're travelling, anti-fraud processes need to 'think like a human' not 'an algorithm'.

 

[Techniquest]

Apart from the banking issues (thanks to both of you there for the reminder to inform the bank I'm off to the USA soon) and the unplanned-for cold weather, it looks like a good day was had. I'm not in a rush to try Jetstar after that review though, not allowed to take coffee on board? Oh dear, not even Ryanair used to be like that!

The adventure in New Zealand sounds amazing. I'm guessing their state of emergency is now over then? I was going to visit there myself this month, but it just didn't feel right to do so in such circumstances when I looked at flights.

Not even slightly jealous of the ultra-luxury cabins on those flights that you're doing! No, not at all I'm actually not looking forward to the food on my upcoming flights, I've specified 'vegan vegetarian' on the selection with BA, although why it comes up with both I have no idea. I'll be having a proper big feed before I board I think, just in case. I've not had a meal on a flight, or indeed flown long-haul, since well before I went veggie never mind vegan. So I'm very dubious but also hopeful that BA won't let me down. Quite, it might be fine outward but awful coming back, I'm not really confident that the USA does vegan very well, but we will see!

I think it's fair to say in the coming weeks we will both have some interesting trip reports from the skies coming up! A few people know where I'm going in the USA, hopefully those who don't will be in for a nice surprise when they read the trip report! Indeed, I've got to start thinking of a trip report title, that'll give me something to think about when I'm bored at work later!

Curious right now though about one thing, why didn't you just scooter it all the way to the hotel?

 

[hexagon789]

Day 36: "Flight 50" - with Jetstar to Hobart, Tasmania, on a random adventure due to cancelled lectures
(This is a long one but one part only)

View attachment 131010

Industrial action, which I personally see as an outdated practice, and one that I firmly do not usually support, had finally caught up with my host university. It had gripped my home one for quite a while now, and indeed some of my friends back home were missing rather a few classes last month, and now here in Australia I was being told that it would cancel most lectures on Thursday 9th.

"A minority of classes will go ahead, if the teacher is not in the union," explained the lecturer, last Tuesday morning, "But you'll have to cross a picket line to get to them, and it's a very big statement to cross a picket line." I read that as basically: if you go to the class that you pay £9000 a year to attend, strike-supporters from the "picket" will bully you and make your life miserable for not sacrificing your (very expensive) learning. Also, that last statement seemed a bit like an indirect threat, which doesn't seem the most appropriate, but let us move on...

My teacher was in the union, and therefore did not try to provoke the picket line by continuing to teach, rather he cancelled everything on Thursdays. Now it just so happens that Wednesday is my only weekday off, and I do try and make the most of this by exploring somewhere a bit further out of town on Wednesdays, but of course overnight stays and long-distance travel isn't an option due to my early starts on Thursdays. But I had just been told that Thursday was cancelled, so I seized the opportunity, and being the impulsive person I am, had booked return flights to Hobart, the capital of Tasmania before the class was over.

These flights were really rather attractive times indeed - very early outbound that would give me a full day at the destination, and late returns that would mean I could make the most of the second day without sacrificing half of it to travel back - although it did require me to leave Newtown at 3:15am. I don't usually go to sleep until around this time, so I actually didn't sleep at all that night (I was fine), and packed a little bag ready for a night away. Sadly, my power bank is lost somewhere, so I would have to be savvy with phone battery. I had a half-hour walk to Redfern, because Newtown, Erskineville and Macdonaldtown don't start getting served until far later, where Millenniums M15+M27 whisked me one-stop to Central and Waratah 2 B14 took me to Domestic Airport station. Oh god, Opal is brilliant value but the surcharge for alighting at Domestic Airport or International Airport (same airport, different terminals, next to each other) is eye-watering. Had I alighted one stop earlier at Mascot, where I normally go twice a week for ice hockey training, I'd have been charged $1.90. I was charged $14.

Security was SUPREMELY easy, and then I was airside at the Sydney Non-Qantas Domestic Terminal, and unfortunately I'd been far, far too safe with the timings and would now have to sit here for two hours before my plane boarded. Thankfully, at least this terminal looked like an airport (Sydney Qantas Domestic looks like a bus station, I kid you not), and had an alright (not brilliant but it is a domestic terminal) range of shops, so I grabbed a freshly blended juice of some sort: mint, apple, watermelon, strawberry, ice - I think - and relaxed for a bit before going to the gate. Today I would be flying with Jetstar.

Jetstar, as Oceania's main no-frills airline with considerably better fares than parent company Qantas, Air New Zealand, Virgin Australia and even low-cost REX, charge you to pick your seat, and my modest fare had landed me the short straw of a middle seat. Now I have never sat in a middle seat in my life, and nor did I fancy trying it for the first time today, so I was very pleased (and surprised) when upon asking the Jetstar woman at the gate if a window seat was free, she moved me and issued me a new boarding pass for an A seat. It was very close to the back too, which I love as it's always quieter, and many short-haul alight from both ends anyway these days.

I wasn't too happy about being told that they don't allow coffee on-board, as I had JUST bought a mocha from a hilarious woman at a cafe by the gate, so I downed it and went to board. Customers in the front half of the plane were boarded through a jetbridge and the rear half walking to steps. I normally like boarding and alighting through steps if en-route to the destination (on the way home I just want to get the journey done and dusted so a jet bridge is preferred then) as I can get a good pic of the aircraft, but I forgot that Australian airlines are very funny about phones out on the tarmac (never once had a problem in Europe and in fact when I was much younger cabin crew took a pic with me outside the aircraft) so I got ticked off by ground staff.

View attachment 131015

This original batch Airbus A320 aircraft was very pleasant - obviously not as flashy and premium feeling as I'd found Virgin Australia to be on Melbourne - Sydney - but surprisingly much nicer than the Qantas 737-800 I'd taken from Sydney to Melbourne on February 1st, which had been very plain and shabby indeed. The leather seats were very comfortable, although slim and I'd say they were like a cross between the brilliant short-haul leather seats on British Airways' Airbus A319/original A320, and the slimmer, thinner ones on British Airways' Neos. This Jetstar flight had the seat width of the latter, but larger tables (important for me as a heavy laptop user) and they reclined, to my surprise. (I reckon this is being phased out as the button didn't work on the return flight) Nobody sat next to me in my newly acquired bay of three, which was wonderful, so I got comfy and raised an imaginary glass of champagne to myself. Why?
Well, because this flight would be my 50th flight since acquiring a British passport (of which I'm now on my third, and it's a nice a shade of Boris BLOOOOO), and although it would have been nice to let the upcoming flight in Emirates First Class or Qatar Q-SUITE have that honour, that would involve not going to Tasmania, and I was very excited to be going to Australia's island state, and perfectly satisfied by the comfort on Jetstar. Once we'd taken off, and the initial ascent was exceptionally bumpy but soon subsided, I ordered a very reasonably priced can of ginger ale - the entire menu was about three times cheaper than Ryanair or easyJet's - and watched the attractive sunrise from my seat. I snoozed for a bit, which isn't like me on a plane but I hadn't slept the night before had I - and just took it easy for the short 90 minute flight.

View attachment 131016


View attachment 131013

Being the rearmost passenger on the flight, I was naturally very happy by the announcement that stated alighting would take place from both ends of the aircraft, meaning no tedious wait for the entire rest of the cabin to get off, but this is where I got a hilarious shock. The weather in Sydney was forecast for 36ºC that day, and it was indeed this hot; on Instagram I noticed everyone back here had flocked to Manly or Coogee. Well, I stood by the rear door as it was opened, and the ICY AIR HIT ME like a dagger to my bare, shorts-wearing knees. A quick glance at my phone.

Hobart - 8ºC.

Thank god I'd brought a hoodie and some long-sleeved trousers. I had expected Tasmania to be cold - it is Australia's coldest state and not too far from Antarctica, after all - but it's only some 700 miles south of scorching Sydney, who's temperature today wasn't far off the record-breaking one we had in England last summer, and I can't say I expected the difference to be quite so defined. Excited to be here, and drunk on lethargic sleep-deprivation, I found this bizarrely hilarious and cracked up over it. Jesus, I hope no one saw me laughing to myself, or they'd have thought me a right nutter. Unfortunately I'd missed the next SkyBus departure to the city centre (very limited in terms of options unfortunately), so I wandered back into the terminal building, where there was a Tasmanian chocolate shop. Well, I figured a hot chocolate would be most welcome following this sudden change in surrounding air temperature, so I ordered a Dark Chocolate (much nicer and healthier ) version and it was very rich and creamy. No powder of course, but real hand-broken slabs of dark chocolate melted into the milk to create a very authentic, rich taste. It wasn't very hot, more warm, but oh well.

The SkyBus became stuck in traffic for a torturous length of time, and two people behind me thought it would be exceptionally considerate of them to WHISTLE (If you ever whistle on public transport, just know you're the worst person to exist since old fungal foot on the Canberra XPlorer) so it wasn't a fun transfer into town but when we eventually did arrive it was nice to be there. Anyway, although it's usually a rip off $20 fare, when asking for a student fare she must have thought I meant a child ticket and charged me $5. Sweet! An electric scooter owned by Neuron, the same company with whom I had used in Canberra and already had the app for, was sat there, so I happily switched it on and rode to the edge of the city and over the famous Tasman Bridge that connects Hobart to get a good photo. This was about 2 miles, but easily done as the scooter allowed for about 25km/hour.

View attachment 131010 View attachment 131011

It looks moody and gloomy somewhat, but according my research, that’s the famous vibe of Tasmania, cold and cloudy, so I’m perfectly fine with that. Or at least, I was until it started to rain, and I was 3 miles from my hotel! A bus did come along but I was told Tasmanian buses take cash or smartcard only, and obviously that smartcard isn’t NSW’s Opal out in Tasmania. The bus driver seemed to take pity on me - I mean, it’s not often a bus will take cash but not card or Apple Pay - and told me to get on anyway, and I was taken practically to my hotel door where shamefully I did waste a couple of my already limited hours having a nap, but what do you expect? One can see the moody-looking Mount Wellington skulking in the back, which people do often go to the summit of but either by walking 3 hours each way or taking a really overpriced bus.

After this, I hopped back on the scooter and had a look round at a relaxed, easy-going pace. The city really does remind me very much of Reykjavik when I went there in October, and also a little of a smaller Gothenburg. It’s got those Icelandic/Scandinavian vibes that you just wouldn’t expect from Australia. I had a lovely relaxing look around, and then stopped for lunch as the sun began to shine down and the place warmed up a little.

View attachment 131012

This wonderful Tasmanian seafood basket was had at this hotel by the harbour, containing freshly-caught king prawns, scallops, calamari and barramundi fish, alongside some very nice fries and homemade slaw. It was truly incredible fish, and the calamari - which can often be rubbery and chewy - simply melted in the mouth. You hardly needed to bite it. I accompanied this very nice meal with a vodka lemonade and took in the atmosphere. It did feel very much as if I was on holiday Technically you could say I was.

View attachment 131009

I had a look round the city buildings, which are pleasant but nothing to write home about - I did like the clock though which is reminiscent of that at Melbourne’s Flinders Street - and then went back to my hotel for a few hours to rest a bit and plan my day for tomorrow. Mount Wellington I couldn’t be arzed with, neither the walk or the overpriced bus, due to the poor weather planned for the next day. The famous island that people normally go to also looked overpriced and I didn’t want to go to beaches in the rain, not that I’d have been able to get back for my flight in time. The heritage railway museum would be closed. Eventually, after reading some favourable reviews, I settled on something that I would go on to be very happy that I chose (please try to resist telling me all the things I missed and should have done, @railfan99 , I only had limited time and didn’t fancy rushing things or pushing it with the flights ) and then went down to the harbour as the sun was setting.

Well, this is when Lloyds Bank had the cheek to decide on my behalf that someone had stolen my card and taken it to Australia, without even attempting to ask for verification - even though I’d verified myself hundreds of times by text - and froze my primary bank account and my back up one. And then my emergency Halifax credit card started to play up, and everything flipping declined.

So I wasted many many many of my limited free International minutes talking to Lloyds Bank - thank god they were open or I’d have been f*cked - in my opinion if they’re going to do such unacceptable things as to just assume my card needs to be frozen without my permission, then it is NOT good enough to say “Sorry we’re closed phone Mon-Fri 9-5” when I try and unfreeze it. Anyway, after a very long call that meant I missed taking sunset pictures, it was unfrozen and I took an al fresco seat at a lovely bistro by the night time harbour, and enjoyed a simply fantastic and unquestionably authentic Seafood Chowder, with some wonderful toasted ciabatta bread to dip it in. It was thick, rich and full of giant chunky pieces of all kinds of fish, and it warmed me beautifully in the cold night. I really enjoyed it.

View attachment 131008 View attachment 131007

Following this, I just sat there and enjoyed the change of atmosphere for a bit, video called my friend and scootered back to the hotel ready for an exciting day tomorrow - which would probably turn out to be one of the best days I’ve had so far in this country. I hope you can join the thread for that.

Upcoming reports:
1) Tasmania Part 2
2) Katoomba and Leura Blue Mountains, feat. XPT
3) Incredible scenes at “The Entrance,” Central Coast
4) Bonus short little report: Thurroul Beach and Stanwell Tops

and then Easter will see me visit Brisbane, Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast, Adelaide, Auckland, Wellington, Picton and Christchurch, and I’ll be reporting on all of that. Have a great Thursday, it’s 35°C here, lecture finished for the day and I’m off to the beach

I'm so jealous of the seafood platter... I love my seafood.

And that chowder...

So many of your posts make me hungry!

 

[TT-ONR-NRN]

I'm so jealous of the seafood platter... I love my seafood.

And that chowder...

So many of your posts make me hungry!

Currently on a diet of dry crackers, bread and water. Day 45 won’t make you hungry

Apart from the banking issues (thanks to both of you there for the reminder to inform the bank I'm off to the USA soon) and the unplanned-for cold weather, it looks like a good day was had. I'm not in a rush to try Jetstar after that review though, not allowed to take coffee on board? Oh dear, not even Ryanair used to be like that!

The adventure in New Zealand sounds amazing. I'm guessing their state of emergency is now over then? I was going to visit there myself this month, but it just didn't feel right to do so in such circumstances when I looked at flights.

Not even slightly jealous of the ultra-luxury cabins on those flights that you're doing! No, not at all I'm actually not looking forward to the food on my upcoming flights, I've specified 'vegan vegetarian' on the selection with BA, although why it comes up with both I have no idea. I'll be having a proper big feed before I board I think, just in case. I've not had a meal on a flight, or indeed flown long-haul, since well before I went veggie never mind vegan. So I'm very dubious but also hopeful that BA won't let me down. Quite, it might be fine outward but awful coming back, I'm not really confident that the USA does vegan very well, but we will see!

I think it's fair to say in the coming weeks we will both have some interesting trip reports from the skies coming up! A few people know where I'm going in the USA, hopefully those who don't will be in for a nice surprise when they read the trip report! Indeed, I've got to start thinking of a trip report title, that'll give me something to think about when I'm bored at work later!

Curious right now though about one thing, why didn't you just scooter it all the way to the hotel?

To be honest, I found Jetstar far, far better than Ryanair or easyJet. I’d say it was Ryanair’s fares, but a cross between easyJet and BA levels of comfort on board, I got a last minute change to a window seat at the gate both directions, and drinks on board are far cheaper than FR/EZY.

New Zealand should be nice and it will be so wonderful to see my great-aunt, who is hilarious and I haven’t seen since 2015. I was exceptionally close with her sister, my nan, who passed away not long before COVID hit, and it will be lovely to talk about her a bit and remember her too. I believe the tsunami warning affected predominantly the coast, but even so its a month away and hopefully everything should be fine. My dad will monitor the situation and advise accordingly.

The Qatar and Emirates flights should indeed be ultra luxurious but they were must-do’s, as they usually fly exclusively from Doha and Dubai on long flights in excess of £6000/£10,000 respectively. I can’t really afford that, nor a trip to Qatar or Dubai at the moment, but the discovery that you can book solely onto the shorter AU/NZ halves of Doha-Auckland via Adelaide and Christchurch-Sydney via Dubai seemed like a brilliant way of trying the voted world’s best business and probably the world’s most famous first class (and the one I’ve always dreamt of flying) respectively.

I shall keep my eye out on World Frenzy to see what the surprise destination stateside is. In the unlikely event that it’s Dallas, I’ll be especially keen to know how you find it as I’ve got a full day there on layover between Melbourne and London Heathrow in June. (God, what a mixture of emotions landing at Heathrow will invoke, probably very overwhelming)

I scootered everywhere I could, but crossing the Tasman Bridge to leave Hobart it stops and tells you it can’t be ridden out of the city, so before taking my initial shots of the bridge from the other side I had to ride off the bridge back onto the city side and park it, then cross by foot and then walk a fair bit to get to a good view. That’s when the rain came, and it would have taken me minimum 15/20 minutes to get back to the scooter by then. They force you by law (sensibly tbh) to wear the helmet attached too, which has holes and obviously I can’t fit my hood over the top, so I’d have had a soggy head and frizz would’ve ensued. Not much is known about my hair as I tend to tuck it under a cap or toque, but it’s curly and can go very wild and frizzy when wet.

No worries, I am resisting - successfully. You achieve an enormous amount.

In Marseilles six months ago, my National Australia Bank credit card was declined at the station for two attempted tiny purchases. The bank's fraud staff unilaterally decided that a Swiss hotel doing one of those annoying, but now standard 'pre authorisations' constituted misuse. It took me 53 minutes on the phone from the Nice, France, hotel's reception desk to fix. When back home, I was compensated for the call plus (after I asked) an additional A$100).

Glad we have something in common, but when one informs banks beforehand to which nations you're travelling, anti-fraud processes need to 'think like a human' not 'an algorithm'.

How annoying for you; I’m glad you were compensated. I’d love to go to Marseilles, and indeed we had Eurostar vouchers and would have used them on the direct London Marseilles via Avignon service had it not been temporarily suspended. I’m a big fan of Switzerland. My sister was once the face of one of their main supermarkets. We still have a couple of bags-for-life with her face on.

Almost ten years ago now. Hahaha. I wonder if you can see the resemblance (although these days she looks far older, while I’m stuck with a baby face)

Lloyds have promised me I won’t be frozen again, but failed to update my phone number to that of the new Australian SIM, which makes online payment somewhat difficult.

 

[Techniquest]

I absolutely agree with you on taking advantage of the chance to try those high-end First Class flights, such an opportunity may never happen again. I've never flown Business Class, never mind First Class, but it always looks inviting on long-haul flights. The food and drink options just never appeal, so I can't justify the expense if I'm then also going to pay for proper food before/after the flights!

I can tell you that it isn't Dallas I'm going to, I've not yet found a good reason to go there. A whole day's layover there doesn't sound like much fun to me, but I seem to recall Dallas Fort Worth airport is one of the USA airlines' hubs, so it could be interesting.

It sounds like you'll enjoy catching up with family in New Zealand, and will be a highlight of the adventure

 

[Pakenhamtrain]

Now that the footy season has started, I would recommend you head off to a game to Australia's Game. Australian Rules Football. Given you're based in Sydney the Sydney Swans play thier games out of the SCG near the city and the Greater Western Sydney Giants play at GIANTS stadium in Homebush.

 

[TT-ONR-NRN]

Now that the footy season has started, I would recommend you head off to a game to Australia's Game. Australian Rules Football. Given you're based in Sydney the Sydney Swans play thier games out of the SCG near the city and the Greater Western Sydney Giants play at GIANTS stadium in Homebush.

How funny I should see this while sat on a train terminating at Homebush.

 

[andy1pom]

Thanks much for replies will respond very soon, but just have to say:

BIG NEWS
Easter is all planned - flights booked, just need to pay for hotels

XPT from Sydney to Brisbane

Train to Sunshine Coast, 2 days there
Back to Brisbane, 2 days there
Train to Gold Coast, 2 days there

Virgin Aus flight from Gold Coast to Melb, immediately change, Virgin Aus flight to Adelaide

Day and half in Adelaide

Qatar Airways Business Q-SUITE four hour flight to Auckland, two nights in Auckland. It’s supposed to be the world’s nicest airline and nicest business so might as well give it a taste

Scenic train Auckland to Wellington with panoramic windows should be nice

Three nights with my lovely great-aunt in Wellington

Ferry to Picton, scenic train to Christchurch again with panoramic windows

Night and day in Christchurch

Emirates A380 First Class (always wanted to try this) flight from Christchurch

Really hope you’ll join me here for the reports

Hi, what have you planned on the Sunshine coast. It will be very busy at Easter...
Recommend: Australia Zoo at Beerwah, you pass it on the train to Landsborough. Seafood on the Spit at Mooloolaba. Gympie Rattler - bit hard to get to unless you have a car. Else lie on the beach
I live close to Landsborough - ex Stockport.

 

[TT-ONR-NRN]

Hi, I’m really overwhelmed with assessments right now, but plenty of write ups to continue very soon

 

[TT-ONR-NRN]

Day 37: Tasmania, LOTS of kangaroos, tassie devils, and a furious snake in Hobart

Hello,
Second day of my random trip to Tasmania, and I was woken by the hotel manager knocking on my door and shyly reminding me that check-out is 10am.

It was quarter-to-midday.

Oh, come on, 10am is practically the middle of the night! @HamworthyGoods knows I'm not a morning person Bless the staff though, so sweet and attentive, and a great size room for the incredible £50 city centre price booked just the night before. I suppose the fact I overslept the 9:30 alarm is testament to the comfort of the bed. Rushing myself to get ready and out of the room ASAP so as to not take advantage any further (though it was a genuine accident), I tapped the QR code on the Neuron scooter that I'd parked outside the hotel yesterday, which was still there, and rode down to the bus station, via two stops: Woolworths for some breakfast blackberries, and to a little coffee shop for a takeaway Mocha, which somehow tasted of Marmite. I don't know why so many drinks I've had recently have tasted so strange. Not long before I'd had a hot chocolate which tasted oddly of mushrooms, genuinely.

Two buses are required to get to where I wanted to be, and the bus driver told me just to pay on the second one. A rather nice bus ride, a mix of plastic and also thicker more comfy seats and it was nice to see moody Mount Wellington glaring over the houses, and the disused stretch of railway going out of Hobart which hasn't been used since the 70s. Part of the railway is now a heritage operation and museum (closed today) but ownership begins about a kilometre away near Brighton, the initial part is disused, complete with "This crossing is not in use" signs. The track goes with the road over this bridge - this part of the railway is in use as the heritage route - and what with the red seats and bus doors, and seeing the tracks alongside me, I felt a little like I were going over the bridge on a 144 Pacer with WYPTE interior, not that I’ve ever travelled on them with anything other than the purple Northern stripes (I’m only a baby innit)



The next bus driver, with me boarding at Brighton Tasmania, also told me not to bother paying, and after a shorter journey I was dropped off in what seemed like in the middle of nowhere. Dusty, dried out fields, grazing animals, barren landscapes, it looked very pretty and quintessentially "outback," even if on Tasmania doesn't really count as the outback.




A few paces down the remote streets, and then I got this photo from a fair distance:
SNAAAAAKE oooooh



And then it did THIS!




I hoped it was just yawning...


Ahhh naahhh, fear not, (or rather if you're not a fan of me, stop grinning with delightful anticipation), as it was in an enclosure Now, I am definitely not one for visiting zoos while abroad. Sure, a trip to Marwell near Winchester was always a family favourite day out growing up, and even at almost twenty I still plan to go back at some point when back in the UK, but I do not understand the appeal abroad. It's just not very notable to say you've gone to Australia seen this animal and that animal if that animal was seen in a zoo. I prefer to see things in the wild. However, I had decided that it really would be a crime to go to Tasmania and not see a Tasmanian devil, and these are really rather hard to see in the wild unless you brave the depths of the Tasmanian woods in the dead of night and chuck about some carrion, and I'm just not going to do that. I still wasn't going to go to a zoo, but after reading extensively on it, I thought the Bonorong Wildlife Sanctuary would be a good trip.

1) All of their animals in enclosures were born in the wild, and taken in due to being discovered injured or next to a mother killed by a car or something, and are returned to the wild as soon as it's all good to do so

2) They have over 100 kangaroos just roaming around - not in enclosures but just wildly hopping around the park - entry includes a bag of kangaroo food. I'd heard Tasmanian kangas are far friendlier than NSW ones too, which you're warned not to approach, so I figured it'd be a good chance to get up close to some.

These really nasty looking snakes are the first thing you see in the sanctuary, and then you see the kangaroos. They are EVERYWHERE, extremely friendly, extremely hungry, and extremely soft and fluffy. What then followed was probably one of the best hours of my life immersed among hundreds of kangaroos.



I have so many pictures so onto Part 2 below. (I've chosen to ignore how rough I look in these rather unflattering photos that I can show you the close proximity to the animals, so I beg you ignore the emerging beard and overgrown sideburns I have since shaved and got the fade cut done, don't worry )

 

[TT-ONR-NRN]

Day 37: Tasmania, LOTS of kangaroos, tassie devils, and a furious snake in Hobart

PART TWO:

A sanctuary worker then showed us the Tasmanian devils which look like an odd cross between a pig and a black rat, but they actually are marsupials with pouches like kangaroos. Many of them are dying and unintentionally killing each other as they bite each other on the face to show affection or to be friendly, yet a pandemic of contagious face cancers - from which there is no cure, if one gets it it's days are numbered - is spreading like wildfire as a result of this. These are caged because although they’re made out to be far more aggressive than they are in real life, these funny things do bite a lot, and hard, and with disease.



For about £10, one can meet a wombat. That's certainly not something I'd get the chance to do often, so I forked out for it with pleasure and a staff member brought out "Stella," a lovely baby wombat wrapped in a blanket. She didn't want to stay in the blanket though, and instead went for a wander, sniffing the back of my hoodie, nibbling my trainers and trampling over my lap. That was a great experience. The staff member told me that wombats have cubed-shaped droppings. I actually knew that as it was a question on The Chase back when I used to watch it with my beloved late nan


They also had a very cute echidna, also known as a spiky anteater but smaller and cuter than anteaters are usually - this looked like a hedgehog. I learned from a staff member that apparently hedgehogs, as well as squirrels and badgers, are completely non-existent in Australia and are considered "exotic British animals" which was really funny to me. She also told me they'd had a koala until recently, but it passed away, however, I wasn't fussed about seeing koalas there. They're not native to Tasmania, so what is the point? Again, refer to my point about the zoo. I might as well be in Winchester, UK, looking at animals in Marwell if I'm going to visit captive animals not native to where I am. I have plans for koalas in Queensland, and the reason I say specifically Queensland when there are koalas in NSW you will find out very soon. (I'm sure @railfan99 knows why I'm going to see them in that particular state - if you do keep it a secret until my Brisbane report surfaces )

Oh my god, the bird there. I've seen LOADS of cockatoos in Australia by now, but the enormous cockatoo here asked me my name and then REPEATED MY NAME BACK TO ME as it said hello to me! I was in absolute stitches, and then in even sharper stitches as the bird then imitated my laughter! I thought birds only did that in cartoons, I had no idea they did it in real life.

It was back to the kangaroos for more kanga action, and they were getting extremely hungry so were hopping all over to me. I was told that it's very rare for kangas in Tasmania to kick, especially as these ones are so used to people now, but a trick they've learned is to kick you so that you drop the kangaroo food on the floor, so I made sure to hold it low down and kept it hidden. I fed a couple of Joeys - cautiously, as where there's a Joey there's usually a very protective mother - and then as I became more and more surrounded by kangas I ended up feeding using food in both hands at once!

Double handed feeding. I looked especially rough in this so I’m blurred out. The sleepless nights haven’t done my appearance many favours unfortunately. I model a couple of brands back home and would be sacked if I kept this up back in England hahahaha

KANGAROOOOS


I fed one and began filming it chew, and then it coughed and looked up and started spluttering. Oh god, it’s choking, I thought. Oh no it wasn't (luckily).
The kangaroo instead looked at me and VOMITED AT MY FEET.

Nice snapshot from the video included to put you off your Sunday roasts



I absolutely love kangaroos and a moment I'll always remember possibly most notably of all was how overwhelmingly delighted, excited and almost emotional I felt when I saw two wild kangaroos for the first time in Port Stephens, hopping onto the golf course in front of me, so I had an indescribably wonderful four hours or so in total at the sanctuary, and then to my very sad realisation, I had to go else I would miss the flight back to Sydders.

Onto the two buses back - very cheap they were as well - there was then JUST (and I mean JUST) enough time to grab a very delicious fish taco and surprisingly tasty rice (I usually find rice so boring and overrated) to takeaway from a Hobart Harbourside restaurant, and then I ran to the SkyBus stop. Had I missed this, there's no way I'd have made the flight.

And then I saw the SkyBus wizz past on the OTHER SIDE OF THE ROAD.

Luckily, after a few missed heartbeats, I learned this was as scheduled, and it returned back up the street and stopped by me thirty seconds later. I’m really quite proud of this attractive photo I got of Hobart as we drove away:



At the airport, I had to rush into a quiet area of departures to broadcast my radio bulletin - I have a (since temporarily surrendered as doing it from here became too difficult) 7:30am weekly news bulletin on a British radio station that I continued to do remotely since leaving - I just have to remember it's 6:30pm from Sydney. After this, I charged my phone and boarded the Jetstar flight back.

Again, I was not allocated a window seat by check in and you can get stuffed if you think I'm going to pay for one on a 90 minute flight, but the gate staff kindly swapped me to one. This aircraft was the same as outbound - A320, not Neo - but the seat recline was disabled, and the table was slightly smaller. I was starving, so grabbed some noodles on board, and a Vodka Ginger Ale (weird combination, but I tried it at a Christmas work's do recently and liked it) - the mini came in a really beautiful glass bottle decorated with Australian artwork - the flight was fairly uneventful though my heart did lift to see the Sydney Harbour bridge and the city I've become so in love with, and as we landed and the cabin crew announced "Ladies and gentlemen, Welcome to Sydney," I got the same goosebumps as I did both when landing from Los Angeles with Qantas and when landing from Melbourne with Jetstar. I don't think I'll ever be able to hear that on a plane and not get goosebumps. I love Sydney so much.



Very quick exit from the airport, onto a Waratah B Set to Central (ridiculous price again), onto a Millennium M Set to Newtown, couple of tacos from GyG, and bed for me ahead of 11-5 at uni in the morning!

Such a great little trip and a brilliant way to fill two suddenly free days, which were supposed to be full of lectures!
Thanks for reading

 

[TT-ONR-NRN]

More pictures of the wonderful animals. The spiky thing is the echidna. You can also hold these, but I preferred to meet a wombat




A day I'll certainly remember for the rest of my life! Sorry for the photo spam, and I do try to use thumbnails wherever possible, but I just had to share some of these photos. It was such a wonderful, wonderful day. I'm so glad I chose to go to Bonorong, as I was going to instead use the time to go up Mount Welly - in the pouring rain on a £40 bus!

I absolutely agree with you on taking advantage of the chance to try those high-end First Class flights, such an opportunity may never happen again. I've never flown Business Class, never mind First Class, but it always looks inviting on long-haul flights. The food and drink options just never appeal, so I can't justify the expense if I'm then also going to pay for proper food before/after the flights!

I can tell you that it isn't Dallas I'm going to, I've not yet found a good reason to go there. A whole day's layover there doesn't sound like much fun to me, but I seem to recall Dallas Fort Worth airport is one of the USA airlines' hubs, so it could be interesting.

It sounds like you'll enjoy catching up with family in New Zealand, and will be a highlight of the adventure

Yes, regardless of the fact they're shorter than typical flights in these accommodations, I'm really really excited for both of them. The lounges won't be up to much at all as Qatar have no Adelaide lounge (have to use Qantas Domestic Business lounge) and Emirates have no Christchurch lounge (have to use a third party provider lounge catering for all Business/First flights at the airport) but the flight is what matters.

It'll be my first time landside in the US, so I'm sure I'll enjoy it anyway.

According to my dad, my great-aunt is delighted that I'm coming, so I'm very much looking forward to seeing her.

Hi, what have you planned on the Sunshine coast. It will be very busy at Easter...
Recommend: Australia Zoo at Beerwah, you pass it on the train to Landsborough. Seafood on the Spit at Mooloolaba. Gympie Rattler - bit hard to get to unless you have a car. Else lie on the beach
I live close to Landsborough - ex Stockport.

Lucky you to live somewhere so nice! Can't wait for Queensland. Very sadly only a day and night in the Sunshine Coast as I'm extremely pressed for time (only a week and a half off uni for Easter, and even so I'll still miss some lectures the first few days back), which I will spend in Noosa, but I will try to return and explore other areas in future if I like it (time, uni and money dependant). I'm praying for good weather.

NEXT REPORTS:
Day 39: Breathtaking views at Leura and Katoomba, Blue Mountains - followed by an XPT
Day 43: "The Entrance," a stunning Central Coast day out featuring enormous wild pelicans
Day 44: Thirroul Pool and Stanwell Tops, potentially the most stunning view I'VE EVER SEEN!

 

[Intercity110]

Kangaroos seem like the best and worst pets to have. If you could get one trained it’d be amazing, otherwise they’d be evil beasts who’d destroy your hose.

 

[Techniquest]

That looks like an amazing time with the kangaroos!

 

[rangersac]

Enjoying your travels @TT-ONR-NRN. Just for accuracy, freight trains in Hobart ran up until 2014 to the docks. Also there are no heritage rail operations on the Bridgewater Bridge, only the Tasmanian Transport Museum run shorts trips (~1km) around their museum on some days.