It felt like a broken night's sleep with the rattle and roll of the train but I felt refreshed by morning. There were nice big showers on board!
Even though today's journey across the Null-abor (no trees) was pretty much what I had imagined, it was great to see the vast open treeless plain and the train was a very relaxing way to travel. The only stop during the day was at Cook where the train picked up more water, and there was an airstrip for emergencies at Forrest, both towns being named after Australian Prime Ministers. I noticed a dirt road running alongside the train track all of the way. The options for travelling on the train include seat only, Red, Gold and Platinum Sleeper cabins with dining cars and lounge cars so plenty of room to move around.
I met lots of people on board, including a young guitarist who was the onboard entertainment for the Gold and Platinum sections.
At about 7pm we stopped at Kalgoorlie for a few hours and enough time for a 45 minute tour which included the Super Pit, the large working gold mine at nearby Boulder and a look around Kalgoorlie town, then back on board to sleep and continue our journey to Perth through the night.
