Crossing Australia by rail

[nissanneill]

Re: Crossing Australia by rail

David,
back a while ago after my mother died, mu father collected hundreds and hundreds of bottles of wine and fortified wines, keeping them in a separate rumpus room in hexagonal clay pipes.
As he used t spend summertime only in Adelaide and the rest of the time touring the top end and at his second wife's home in Bundaberg, some local louts broke into, drank themselves into a stupor, then set fire to the house.
Many bottles were smashed when the brigade extinguished the fire and I was left to clean up the mess. Dad took a couple of dozen bottles up to Qld, my sister and brother collected a couple of dozen each and guess who had to dispose of the rest.
Well I still have heaps stored in my garage in those clay pipes and took a few ports on a long 4 wheel drive trip to share with fellow workmates around the campfire even though I don't drink.They weren't impressed with the smoked label and didn't want anything to do with it until I tipped it onto the fire! Well, I have never seen such bright fierce bright pink flames when the alcohol burnt which woke the mates up. They devoured it and wanted more, the best they had tasted.
I used to save some white and red wines but never drank any, had to throw them away after keeping them for up to 30 years and leaking through their corks, so no more waste of money or grog.

Neill

[david s]

Re: Crossing Australia by rail

"I have thrown away a half a trailer of old beer and wine."
Aaaaaaaaahhhhhh???!!!!

[nissanneill]

Re: Crossing Australia by rail

Hi Wiley,
we have a friend who worked (not sure whether she still works on them today though) on both the Indian Pacific and the Ghan trains and can contact her on any questions you may have. Not being a drinker myself, I don't buy alcohol anymore as I don't know what brand of around 50 beers are preferred by our guests as I have thrown away a half a trailer of old beer and wine.
We also have friends who are customs officers here in Adelaide and they told us that if we bought a half full bottle of spirits into the country from overseas, then that doesn't count in your eligibility, so we bought in with some Johnny Walker (which is un openned and still waiting for tasting) a half - 2/3 bottle of Irish Cream which we enjoyed in Singapore some 18 years ago.

Neill

[david s]

Re: Crossing Australia by rail

We just flew back from Western Australia and I bought a stubby (375 ml bottle of beer) at the airport bar for the outrageous price of $8. If you buy a carton (24) of the same stuff at the bottle shop you pay around $2 ea. it's been some time since I travelled by train, but if memory serves me well, which is becoming increasingly difficult these days, their prices are also outrageous.

[Laurentius]

Re: Crossing Australia by rail

Hi Wiley,

My comment was tongue in cheek or cork in bottle. You right, I don't travel much in the sense of a tourist, my travel approach is not the typical(been there done that style). I've lived in Europe and now in Japan for the last 20 years and have seen quite a bit of both. Truthfully, I'll never heard that type of question before, normally the duty free shopping of alcohol that my friends make are for gift giving, unless its some unattainable treat for Ireland of Scotland, that they get for themselves. I apologize for my tasteless attempt at humor. I do hope that you have wonderful and memorable vacation.

[Wiley]

Re: Crossing Australia by rail

Laurentius,
I will admit I was surprised by your reply but upon further thought figured you simply might not travel much (my question is as common a question as "Can you recommend a place to stay?") or perhaps you don't imbibe or perhaps are wealthy enough cost does not matter.

Knowing whether to bring along; or purchase duty free or once one arrives is not a question of whether or not one will have a drink in a pub with a local. I honestly cannot fathom how you got to that conclusion from my question.

At least half of our time in Australia will be spent on a train and as Brickie pointed out we'll be a captive audience. Most of those on the train will be tourists and having a drink with one is not unlikely in the club car, but with an Australian, such as one would find in a pub, I think less likely. The few days: 2 in Sydney, 1 in Perth, 1 in Darwin and 1 in Adelaide are going to be ones of sightseeing...hanging about in a pub is not high on our agenda (not that we won't perhaps end up in one). The tightness of the schedule is set by the time tables of the trains.

This is a quick trip, something my wife likes to do is ride trains, it is a kind of reward for dealing with my parents their final 8 years. I've ridden trains in Equator, Peru and Bolivia as well as Egypt and of course thruout europe and they're a fun and easy way to see the country even if they are not always the least expensive. She wants to ride the Trans-Siberian Railway but I have bargained for some bicycling in France in the fall first. Maybe next year the Trans-Siberian.
Bests,
Wiley

[Laurentius]

Re: Crossing Australia by rail

Hi Wiley,

Come on, if you're going to travel all them miles to drink from your own bottle, stay home!
Go to a pub, drink with the locals, buy a bloke a brew, have some stories to share with your mates when you return home. Enjoy your trip, it may be your only one there!

[brickie in oz]

Re: Crossing Australia by rail

And: What's the cost of a 75 liter bottle of rum?

Whoa......you must like your rum a lot......


As far as I know there is just the federal tax plus GST of 10% on grog, never heard of individual states having an added tax too.
Most places that have a captive audience usually charge around the $4 mark for a 375 ml (stubbie) bottle of beer.

[Wiley]

Re: Crossing Australia by rail

Thanks everyone who responded to my questions :^)

And so another question to anyone who has ridden the trains in Australia fairly recently:

How much does a beer cost on the train? I'm sure it varies by brand and whether it is imported or domestic but I'm searching for the cost of something like a Foster's.

And: What's the cost of a 750ml liter bottle of rum? Mid-range something like Bacardi. We're trying to work out whether one should pick up a bottle in the duty free sales upon entering. Does the cost of alcoholic beverages vary by state or by city where purchased?

Here in the US we have a crazy mishmash of some states where sale of alcohol is controlled by the state in state run stores, others by commerce (marketplace); the feds always get their share regardless of where it's sold but some states levy taxes beyond that and even then taxes can vary by county where purchased. Remember we were the crazy nation that tried Prohibition, and have never really gotten over that insanity, (duh.... they even have a national beer in Egypt, an Islamic state)

Many thanks in advance,
Wiley

[Wiley]

Re: Crossing Australia by rail

Thank you Niell for the very kind offer. This trip is a fairly quick overview of Australia, and our time is much more limited than I would otherwise like. It is a bit of a reward to my wife for her generousity, endurance and love in helping to deal with the care and needs of my parents for the past 8 years. Since the passing of the last of our collective parents (hers first then mine) we will be free for more travel. I asked her what she would like to do and she said "take the Ghan across Australia" (she had seen a PBS show about the Ghan several years ago and it went on her "bucket list"). I got with a travel agent and between the lower airfare via Emerites airline and the 30% off deal offered by Australian rail I added the Indian Pacific section. We have to be back for a wedding and scheduling that with available berths on the trains made this an interesting puzzle. As we fly back from Adeliade adding more time would have been easy but not possible at this point as we are locked in with our flights.

Thank You,
Wiley

[brickie in oz]

Re: Crossing Australia by rail

So true Brickie! The few times I've been to Melbourne the old adage has proved true. If you don't like Melbourne's weather, wait an hour - it'll change.
Four seasons in one day is definitely possible in Melbourne.

Yesterday it dropped from 35 to 20 in 5 minutes and then started raining.....

[brickie in oz]

Re: Crossing Australia by rail

Melbourne as it is one of our sparring cities.

Huh?, never heard that one before?

[nissanneill]

Re: Crossing Australia by rail

Hi Wiley,
you are certainly going to travel some many thousands of km and get to see.feel and experience everything that Australia has to offer.
You are certainly welcome to visit and we have a spare, in fact several spare beds should you be looking for one. That is a great time to visit as it is not too hot, nor too cold anywhere, Darwin is over it's wet season, Adelaide is very pleasant and cannot be predicted but we don't get the extreme weather that some of the other states get.We send all our bad weather onto Victoria and in particular Melbourne as it is one of our sparring cities.You will need all types of clothing but nothing for the very cold! Shorts, T's, a jumper, sunscreen and mainly neat casual gear will get you anywhere, especially when you have an accent to push your presence.
How much time are you planning on visiting Adelaide as we have a huge range of sightseeing, some of the biggest and best wine growing areas, great beaches, and anything else you want is here. Drop me an email for further detail.

Cheers.

Neill

[david s]

Re: Crossing Australia by rail

Sydney should be beautiful then. Adelaide and Pert you could get anything. Darwin is always hot so tshirts and shorts all year round, footwear optional. Try to travel light, you can always pick up clothing mementos along the way.

[brickie in oz]

Re: Crossing Australia by rail

[QUOTE=Wiley;142812That late in the season should we be looking at shorts and tees or trousers and long sleeves? Sun screen or rain gear? Shoes or sandals? [/QUOTE]

Yes to all if you come to Melbourne, and that is just for 1 day......