Saturday 26 February 2022
After so many lock downs and lack of getting out and about due to Covid concerns we've now been saddled with rolling train strikes and go slows on the Sydney public train system. Rain has been falling in buckets and promises to continue. Not a good time to go on a train journey.
As I had to be at Central Station at 1:45pm to start my holiday and meet our bus that would take us to the Novotel Darling Harbour for our first night, I decided to give myself plenty of time to allow for delays at each step of the way. I ordered an Uber just after 10am and it came within 2 minutes.
Tick 1 for the day!
When I arrived at Kogarah Station I only had 9 minutes to wait for a train to Central.
Tick 2 for the day!
That gave me enough time to walk to the post box and send off the next piece of fabric to the patchwork group members.
Tick 3 for the day!
I arrived at Central hours early but as I needed some lunch at some stage I decided to eat at the Central eatery. But as this was closed (Covid issues I guess) I left my suitcase at the Baggage Storage and headed for the city via St James as I needed to do some shopping for Mum before I visited her next.
Off to DJs where I easily found the exact things she needed and a lovely lady willing to help with doing so. Shopping done!
Tick 4 for the day!
Town was very busy with lots of people everywhere. I found some takaway lunch and walked to Town Hall Station avoiding the rain by using our lovely underground pedestrian malls.
Tick 5 for the day!
I only had to wait 12 minutes for the next train to Central so was able to eat my lunch on the platform and finished it while waiting at Central for my bus.
Tick 6 for the day!
Ahh but it was a long wait - about an hour - so lots of opportunity to play sudoku and sedecordle on my phone.
Tick 7 for the day!
Eventually I braved the rain to wait at the allocated bus stop (under cover luckily) and was surprised that no-one else was there. The bus arrived about 2 minutes late and I was the only passenger to collect! Just as the driver was on the phone sorting out what to do about one missing passenger she arrived (Joan) having go lost on the way in.
Tick 8 for the day!
Once we had all settled into our rooms and had the air con fixed we met in the lobby and went to dinner at the Pumphouse. I had salmon and pannacotta. Yum! with Judy (our Tour Guide), Ann and Marg.
Tick 9 for the day!
Back to our rooms where the trouble began. I had an awful night's sleep in a lumpy bed. The air con was too noisy so I turned it off, the doona was too hot and I had tired muscles from carrying my heavy backpack all day and standing around on concrete waiting for the final bus.
Failed Tick 10! But in all a successful day and in the end some great company.
Sunday 27 February 2022
Up for breakfast early after a very poor sleep. Eventually we all met at the bus, checked our bags were on, and were driven back to Central ready to board our train on Platform 1. Of course there was the mandatory queue to check in and confirm our Covid RAT results and vaccination status.
Once on board we were greeted with a glass of champagne and a muffin and had time to settle into our tiny cabins before heading south through the Royal National Park and beautiful views through misty dripping forest and snatches of oceans and beaches.
From Wollongong we headed west up the escarpment in rain and mist but did get a few glimpses of the coastal plain as we ascended.
The train stopped at Summit Tank at the tiny station to get out and take in the view. Some intrepid souls did so but as we were in the middle of lunch and it was raining quite heavily with only views of a metre into the mist we decided not to join them. As this was the first weekend for tourist runs we shared the line with the Red Rattler and the Cockatoo Run and many train spotters.
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| Annemarie contemplating the rain. |
On again with a with a brief pause at Robertson and Moss Vale at track cross-overs then a much quicker trip past many stations to Goulburn where we stopped for the night alongside the station.
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| The sewing project I was doing on the train. |
My off-train experience today was to visit the Goulburn Waterworks Museum which the huge steam pumps are still worked on open days. These pumps were installed in the 1800s to supply water to Goulburn from the Wollondilly River.
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| Our train stabled at Goulburn station. |
I would have liked to go to the historic Mandelson's House which is owned by a quilter but unfortunately it was too late by the time I found out about it. Annemarie and I sat in the lounge and enjoyed a Shiraz before dinner then headed to the dining room where I thoroughly enjoyed my lamb shanks and pannacotta.
We then retired to our cabins weary after doing very little all day (only 5000 steps).
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