The Railway Siding

A memory of an industrial past buried deep in the forest

Wordless Wednesday

The Challenge of Challenges

Sometimes it’s convenient to rely on the various challenges to get direction for a new post. As I do not really have a coherent theme for my blog, weekly challenges are very convenient. This week there’s wordpress weekly challenge: zigzag. Then we’ve got Ailsa’s travel theme: simplify. Sue’s word a week challenge is transport. See if I can get all this together in one post. To do so, lets go back to Cook in South Australia:

Hmm – difficult to pass as zigzag. In particular as the stretch of rail passing Cook is the longest straight stretch of rail in the world – 478 kilometers. I’m sure the railway engineers had ‘simplify’ in mind when they constructed this stretch. Transport any one?

But hey – there’s a bit of a zig here (alas no zag) in what looks as preparation for a new subdivision in Cook? Seriously, how many subdivisions do 5 people need??

 

I suppose that rail is merely the prerequisite for transport, so here it is, the Indian Pacific on the stop in Cook.

Not only transport, but superior transport. Ever so nice to walk to the Outback Explorer Lounge to get a glass of one’s favorite tipple

and then while away some time in congenial company.

Ah, the zigzag, well here it is. As well as being documentary evidence that it was not over indulgence in the Lounge that made passing this car feel a bit wobbly. Ha!

Between Perth and Adelaide

The small railway settlement of Cook round abouts mid way between Perth and Adelaide, in the middle of the Nullarbor plain. ‘In the middle of nowhere’ is not an adequate description of the location of this place. The Indian Pacific makes a refuelling stop here and the passengers are let loose to explore the delights of this thriving community, the population of which is 5. On a good day. Once upon a time there were 200 here, a township complete with hospital, school and recreational facilities.

Cook sports ground

Passengers anxiously hovering around the train. Not a good place to be stranded.