Australia Day Seven : A Walk To The Botanical Gardens And On To Perth, The Old Fashioned Way, By Train

Sorry it’s been a few days since I got to my blog but we had no wi fi internet  on the train ride from Sydney to Perth. It was a lovely trip and seems so long since I was in Sydney. But let’s see what I can remember.  I got up early Wednesday morning hoping to get to the botanical gardens.  I walked down George Street, which unlike the crowds of people the day before, it was quite empty at dawn .

George  Street like major streets in most large cities had the usual upscale shops and restaurants,  large office buildings and some historical buildings and churches. I walked past the same sights I saw the day before and turned  onto Market Street so I could see the famous Sydney  Tower. it certainly  stands out in the Sydney skyline.

I didn’t have a lot of time to explore Hyde park and all of it’s splendor, including the impressive St Mary’s Cathedral. There is just so much to see in this wonderful city.

I at least wanted to see the botanical gardens so continued on, much to the dismay of my natural sense of curiosity and exploration. I was glad I did get to , they  the gardens are just beautiful. I hadn’t much time but to just see scenic beauty of the trees, flowers and lawns and to investigate the identity of some of the more exotic ones was heaven for me.

I was most impressed with stumbling upon a species of pine, one of the first to inhabit the earth in the age of the dinosaurs, long thought extinct, and recently discovered by a ranger in a remote canyon not far from Sydney.

I was this close so I continued to the harbour, where I was rewarded with not only the sights of the  trees, flowers and shrubs of Australia but also spectacular views of the Opera House, and Harbour Bridge I even had time to make it to, and sit and rest on the famous Mrs. Macquaries chair, a rock formation that was carved into a chairs for the Governors’s wife when Sydney was first colonized. It was a nice place to rest and take in the wonderful view of the harbor. Here is a link to some more photographs from my visit to the botanical gardens https://keepyoureyespeeled.net/australia/nggallery/australia/australia-day-seven-botanical-gardens-february-10-2016

I headed back to the hotel but did see some birds in the gardens, mainly my friends the parrots,  a few other birds and the Australian miner birds, which is now becoming more of a pest and threat to the native bird species. I walked the three miles back to my hotel, had a delightful breakfast, and began packing for thre next leg of my Australian adventure, a train ride to Perth. Here is a link to some more photographs from my morning walk. https://keepyoureyespeeled.net/australia/nggallery/australia/australia-day-seven-sydney-morning-walk-february-10-2016

I left my hotel and walked with my luggage to the Central Station and found the terminal where my train, the famous Indian Pacific of the Ghan line was waiting for our boarding.

I love trains, always have.  I loved encountering them on my many walks the railroad tracks since I was a child. . I have taken train rides of a few hours before, but I think the longest was my train ride to the Blue mountains last week.  I enjoyed that ride very much. .  But four days and three nights, I wasn’t quite sure what to expect.  We had a nice pre boarding party and than were allowed to board our rooms. They were small.  But I was to excited about the adventure to care much about that now. I immediately took to exploring my home for the next four days. Here is a link to some photographs of the train. https://keepyoureyespeeled.net/australia/nggallery/australia/australia-day-nine-indian-pacific-train-photos-february-12-2016

We left Sydney on time and took the same route that I took over the Blue Mountains a few days earlier. It was a nice ride but unfortunately there are not many good views of the splendor of the Blue Mountains from the train. I still sat by the window and enjoyed all of the sights.

After we passed Katoomba it was all new for me and I was even more glued to the window. We descended the lovely Blue Mountains and were treated with beautiful vistas as we came into farming and sheep raising  country and we could see the mountains through the open fields. The scenery was breathtaking.

I also kept a lookout for any wildlife I may see and was rewarded with my first sighting of a kangaroo in the wild, They were in the brush, appearing  to just watch our passing train. I only managed to get a few photographs, and they weren’t very good. I was still excited  seeing these symbols of Australia living freely in the wild.  Now I need to find a koala bear.

We continued past more farm land, it looked like mainly sheep ranches as the sun neared the horizon. Unfortunately it set while I was seated for dinner and in front of the train so I couldn’t see or photograph it. I had a very nice meal and made new Australian friends. It was a great day in the land down under. I headed to my room, wondering how I would sleep. I found out soon enough. I loved the swaying, rocking, jerking and clanking of the train and had one of my best nights sleep in weeks. I really do love trains. Here is a link to some more photographs from our journey through the Blue Mountains. https://keepyoureyespeeled.net/australia/nggallery/australia/australia-day-seven-indian-pacific-through-the-blue-mountains-february-10-2016

“My heart is warm with the friends I make,
And better friends I’ll not be knowing,
Yet there isn’t a train I wouldn’t take,
No matter where it’s going.”
― Edna St. Vincent Millay,