After a few days exploring what the region has to offer, it's all ended with a whimper. Due to a car/train collision somewhere south of Rockhampton - details are sketchy at the moment for me - just about every Queensland Railways' LD trains have major disruptions. The Spirit of the Outback (Brisbane-Longreach) is out if service, so my Monday departure will not happen as it isn't coming west to be turned around. The service after that is also cancelled, meaning there was no way out by train for at least a week.
I have to cut my losses and fly back to Brisbane to reconnect with the arrangements to get home. There is only one flight a day Longreach to Brisbane, and I'm on tomorrow's (Sunday). Monday's is already booked out, and Tuesday is too late for onward travel purposes. It was either that or an overnight Greyhound LD bus, but that was completely unappealing.
It's about an $800 hit to the travel budget, but it had to be done. I'll sort out refunds once I'm back home, but that's an insignificant issue compared to those involved either side of the collision, or passengers in the train at the time (somewhere around 0200h if I'm estimating correctly), and the emergency services attending, and so on.
I'm not sure I'll meet baggage provisions tomorrow - I packed for train travel, not air - but that's an issue for tomorrow
Anyway, I had fun on the ground in Longreach, including tonight when I had a crocodile entree which was really fine: done a bit like salt and pepper calamari, but much more tender. As we are in the lower reaches of croc country, I figured I should fight back. I'd also spent a day at the magnificent dinosaur exhibition near Winton - about 180kms up the road from here - and remembered crocs are very closely-related.
I'm calling it a day now, disappointed I'll miss the 1325k sleeper return, but happy I've had about 3200km on rails to get here, and that I still have another 1980k or so to go.
I have to cut my losses and fly back to Brisbane to reconnect with the arrangements to get home. There is only one flight a day Longreach to Brisbane, and I'm on tomorrow's (Sunday). Monday's is already booked out, and Tuesday is too late for onward travel purposes. It was either that or an overnight Greyhound LD bus, but that was completely unappealing.
It's about an $800 hit to the travel budget, but it had to be done. I'll sort out refunds once I'm back home, but that's an insignificant issue compared to those involved either side of the collision, or passengers in the train at the time (somewhere around 0200h if I'm estimating correctly), and the emergency services attending, and so on.
I'm not sure I'll meet baggage provisions tomorrow - I packed for train travel, not air - but that's an issue for tomorrow
Anyway, I had fun on the ground in Longreach, including tonight when I had a crocodile entree which was really fine: done a bit like salt and pepper calamari, but much more tender. As we are in the lower reaches of croc country, I figured I should fight back. I'd also spent a day at the magnificent dinosaur exhibition near Winton - about 180kms up the road from here - and remembered crocs are very closely-related.
I'm calling it a day now, disappointed I'll miss the 1325k sleeper return, but happy I've had about 3200km on rails to get here, and that I still have another 1980k or so to go.
