Australia 2010: Train Spotting

That was a cold night in the campervan at 4c outside with no heating inside!
Australia is a cold country :)

We leave Goomeri to drive the 80km to Gympie to arrive just in time for the departure of the Mary Valley Rattler steam train.

Jeremia and Jonah join me to the station to watch the train departure, the rest of the familiy is not interested. The kids are allowed to jump on the steam engine.

There is a group of people who join the train ride and do a show later at Imbil being dressed up as in the Old Victorian times.

Instead of spending a lot of money for the train ride, we decide to follow the train to Imbil where it will arrive at lunchtime.

Imbil is on our way anyway and we will take the very nice Mary Valley tourist drive. So there is something in it for all of us.

First stop on our train spotting tour is a crossing in Gympie before the train leaves the town into the Mary Valley.

In the valley there are several occasions where the train either crosses the road or comes close to it.

The Rattler will need 2 hours for the 45km to Imbil. This includes a 30mins stop in Kandanga.

On arrival in Imbil the train is welcomed by the group of Victorians.

After the passengers left the train, the engine has to be turned around.

Therefor there is a steam driven turntable at Imbil station.

The turntable is driven by the steam from the engine.

The kids follow the whole process with fascination.

There is also historic motorcar in Imbil.

This will leave the station back to Gympie before the steam train. It had been hired for a birthday party.

Near to the Railway Hotel another "historic" piece of technology has been parked. An Australien 70s sportscar.

The Purvis Eureka was a sports car produced in Australia from 1974 to 1991. First exhibited at the 1974 Melbourne Auto Show, the car was based on the British Nova design of 1971. The Eureka, which was manufactured by Purvis Cars at Dandenong in Victoria, utilised a Volkswagen Beetle chassis, a fibreglass body and, most commonly, an air-cooled Volkswagen engine. Examples using 1.6 Litre Ford 4 cylinder engines and others with Mazda rotary powerplants were also produced. The Eureka was offered both as a kit car, to be assembled by the buyer and as a fully assembled vehicle. The coupe body had no doors, entry being made by manually raising a one piece canopy, although a power operated canopy was offered as an option. A Targa top version was also available from the early 1980s. (Wiki)

Enough of sportscars. The rest of the journey is a relaxed drive through beautiful landscape. Next settlememt is Brooloo.

Whit nice tree-lined roads...

and sometimes gravel roads...

The gravel road was due to a detour on Obi Obi road just behind Kenilworth because of a land slip. Later on we get back on Obi Obi road through Kidaman Creek.