Had some time to spend in Adelaide before the train departed at 5:15 pm, so I wandered around Adelaide shopping precinct (mostly Rundle Mall) and then visited the SA Art Gallery and State Museum.

The Art Gallery had an old fashioned feel about it with large, dark paintings hung on tall darkly coloured walls. Actually not very interesting to me. But at the far end of the building was the collection of more modern/contemporary works and there was one aboriginal art piece that grabbed my attention – “Grandmother’s gold country” by Gabriella Possum Nungurray (1991). It was a beautiful, flowing piece with a wonderful collation of colour and shape.

The State Museum was also along classical lines with static displays of stuffed animals and hundreds of aboriginal artefacts displayed as if for sale. Again, frankly, not a very interesting place.

I spent the middle of the afternoon reading in the foyer bar of the hotel, having exhausted my interest in walking around.

Made the train in plenty of time and discovered my cabin. Imagine a conventional household toilet (only) room and you’ve got the entire size of the cabin, in which is a fold-down bed, a fold down toilet, and a seat with a foot rest. The door shuts!

Pre-dinner drinks, then dinner. I was introduced to many of the other “Gold Class” passengers. Very convivial and not (quite) as old as I had imagined. After dinner, off to bed. But sleeping on a moving train proves to be much more difficult than I expected – noisy and constantly shaking. I must have dozed a bit though.

I was up early to watch the just-risen sun light the passing plains. Much more green than I imagined and although it was always scrub, the scrub changes constantly. I saw a pair of wedge-tailed eagles hunting in the early morning.

I wandered around Alice Springs for most of the afternoon, viting the Todd River (dry, of course), a couple of different aboriginal art galleries, and Panorama Guth – a gallery estbalished by the famous landscape painter, Henk Guth.

I had the “Drover’s Blowout” at the Overlander Steakhouse. It is well-named!