Bart Bear's Blog

I love this country of ours. It really is a land of contrasts and there is always something interesting to see no matter where you travel. One of the trips that I enjoyed most was our trip across the continent from Sydney to Perf on the Indian-Pacific train (note from Dad: Bart just will not call the place Perth). The changing landscapes out the train window were amazing; the cliffs and valleys of the Blue Mountains, the plains of New South Wales, South Australia and Western Australia, the mining towns of Broken Hill, Kalgoorlie and small places that were just a pithead and a mullock heap, and of course the oceans at both ends. Here's a couple of pictures that show one big contrast. The top one is the deserted remains of one of the little railway towns on the Nullarbor Plain. I think it may be Forrest as there are some trees near a house in the background. All that's left are the foundations of the goods sheds, the loading ramp, and the old telegraph line. Nothing for hundreds of miles around but flat, treeless plain and saltbush and sand. The only people are occasional railway repair gangs. The bottom picture is one of the bays at Rottnest Island, in the Indian Ocean near Perf. There are not many buildings near this bay but there are lots and lots of boats, and lots of people as well. People from Perf come over in their boats and anchor in the bays around Rottnest for the weekend, or in some cases for the whole summer. They spend their time swimming, snorkelling, fishing and partying. Desert and sea are both great places for small bears to visit.

Labels: boats, South Australia, train, Western Australia