Ipswich - Queensland Railway Workshops

 Ipswich - The Workshops Rail Museum, Queensland

On another day, we drove to Ipswich (no, not all the way back to Suffolk in England!), to visit The Workshops Rail Museum, Queensland - a very impressive facility, with a wonderful model railway layout to boot. Obviously built with love and care, we appreciated the intricate timetabling and the many different areas of Queensland featured over such a large area; we wished we had a couple of days more to take it all in, but at least Wendy and I had a fine taste of what was on offer. 

Wendy had been here before, and loved it; it was my first visit, and I was thrilled to discoverer what a fantastic place the Railway Workshops are!

Loco 444

Destination: Bowen Hills

Beyer Garratt locomotive and the manufacturer's plates:

This locomotive was commissioned in 1950, and restored in 1995.

This Class 1009 (Works No. 7349) Beyer- Garratt Locomotive was built by Beyer Peacock in in Manchester in 1950, for the Queensland Railways; it was one a batch of ten, but because there was a full order book for work in Manchester, the remaining twenty locos were sub-contracted to Franco-Belge in France. 

This class of locomotive is articulated in three parts; its boiler is mounted on the centre frame, and two steam engines are mounted on separate frames, one on each end of the boiler. This type of arrangement allows larger locomotives to negotiate curves and lighter rails, that could restrict large rigid-frame engines. 

A beautifully refurbished carriage...

and compartment

Some Reflections And Memories Of Brisbane

Some Reflections And Memories Of Brisbane

Once we were at Perth Airport, by which time Wendy and I had started to "wend our way home," I found I was able to think back more happily and objectively about Brisbane. 

Back in February, when we first arrived in Australia, we had hopes, fears and trepidation about what - if anything - we would find out about Uncle John; now, some weeks on, our memories tempered by other sights and sounds, and conversations with good friends, we can look back more pragmatically. 

Brisbane was indeed sad, but interesting. I've already written about dear Uncle John, and how we managed to achieve some closure; we found good and kind people who helped us, and who will, I am sure, remain good friends. After the sad business and investigations concerning Uncle John were all concluded, Wendy and I then felt free and happy to make the most of our grand tour of Australia: seeing dear friends we hadn't met up with for years (some for as long as 23 years!) and a couple of people we had only been in touch with through phone calls, letters and e-mails, both in Brisbane and other cities; We were looking forward to meeting them face to face at last. We also saw some great sights, and re-visited a few more places we had been to before, all of which will be good to think about, and remember in the future in a very positive way.

Walking along the streets in the centre of Brisbane, we saw several birds pecking for any odd crumbs they could find; because it has become a scavenger in the city, the Australian white ibis is now also referred to as a "Bin Chicken." 

Wendy's photos - 25th February 2024 - 11.52 a.m.

They strut along the streets, and can been seen anywhere and everywhere; it made us think of the pigeons in Trafalgar Square, loathed by some people and loved by others, who happily feed them the crumbs from their sandwiches.  

Whilst we were in Brisbane, we met a wonderful lady who owns and runs The Pen Shoppe, in the Brisbane Arcade. A talented calligrapher, she encourages people to create beautiful hand-written letters in elegant script. 

When I was at school, I remember having books in which I could practice my writing, with guide lines to show where the tops and bottoms of looped letters should reach, and a middle section to keep the "tummies" of letters like "a", "c", "e" and "o" to the correct size and spacing; and all this using an old-fashioned "dip in" pen with a nib! At school, I must have been thought to have a steady hand, because I was one of the Ink Monitors, trusted with the task of filling up the little desk ink wells with the large bottles of Quink Ink - it was quite a responsibility.

Occasionally, a blot would fall onto the pages of the copy book; this was considered terrible! but some girls smuggled tiny bottles of Jik (a bleach) into the classroom with them, to erase carefully any such problem. One tiny drop of Jik left you with a clear white page, but of course you could not write over that area afterwards as any new writing would also disappear!

The lady in The Pen Shoppe asked me if I would write something for her, and handed me an extremely elegant fountain pen, and a sheet of paper; I was happy to oblige, and it was a real thrill to hear her say how beautiful my handwriting was. All that practice, all those years ago, has not been in vain! and is still standing me in good stead.     

I wrote a Sonnet for her, "A Paean to the Pen Shoppe;" I was delighted when she said how much she liked it.

Penmanship - A Paean to the Pen Shoppe

There’s a charming lady in Brisbane

Who encourages people to write

Beautifully calligraphed missives

Each letter a cursive delight.

With a well-balanced pen ’twixt our fingers

The words flow with consummate ease

Imagination’s fired, billet-doux are inspired

With perfect messages certain to please.

For in these days of great rush and e-mails

Modern technology is put up on trial

As quantity overtakes substance

Little thought is given to style.

So just pause: take your time, and write beautiful script

That stems from a nib in flowing ink dipped!

Alexandra Wilde

March, 2024

Perth Airport - Ready For Our Night Flight To Singapore

Perth Airport - Ready For Our Night Flight To Singapore 

Flying back to Singapore from Perth had meant fewer options for flights with Singapore airlines; so that we could maximise the time we had in Perth, Wendy had booked us on a flight leaving at about 1.00 a.m. Although it meant a long wait at the Airport, we thought it would be good to have the chance to enjoy an extra day in Perth, visit Mundaring Weir, look round the Mundaring Weir Hotel, and we were glad it had all gone according to plan.

Sunset at Perth Airport

Nightfall at Perth Airport

Because we had had such a long - although very enjoyable - morning and afternoon at Mundaring Weir, after arriving at the Airport we still had many hours to wait before the Singapore flight departed. With this in mind, after checking in, we thought it would be a good idea to book some time in the "Aspire" Premier airport lounge, where we'd be able to relax, have a cup of tea, and some rather nice refreshments, including things even I like to eat!

Well, it certainly was a good idea, but when we first checked into the lounge, I was so weary, and - (I will admit it!) - quite tetchy; I'd already had enough of waiting for our flight, and there were still hours to go before we could get on board.  Where we first sat down, the air-conditioning was blowing really strongly; I don't like such a cold air blowing on my head, and I said so, quite firmly. We tried a couple of other double booth positions, but it seemed all the vents were on full blast, and I really wasn't in the mood to put up with it. After about four moves of trial and error in different places in the lounge, we finally landed in a position deep into the lounge, at the back, where there were sofas (not just chairs) and tables and, thank goodness, we were out of range of the chill.

Soothed by a gentle piece of wall art behind us, at last I could settle down happily, whilst Wendy went off to get us the complimentary teas, etc. to which we were entitled. Whilst she was choosing the food and something to drink, the hostess who was still on desk duty checking people in and out of the lounge saw Wendy and came over to talk to her. I think she probably thought I was a virago of a mother - (I could almost hear her unspoken words to Wendy: "You poor thing, having to cope with her!") - because she was extremely sympathetic to Wendy, and said reassuringly: "Have a drink on us...!" And she did not mean tea, but something much stronger! Well, we all know what a sweet, diplomatic, patient old dear I am... (DON'T WE?!) but Wendy certainly didn't turn the offer down, and thoroughly enjoyed a complimentary pink gin for all her pains.

In the end, we were both settled, with delicious food: there was soup, and rolls, with extra butter for me; chicken and rice (and I could have everything plain!) - it was very nice indeed, followed by a lovely selection of cakes, and tea. We both had our fill, and then - oh, the bliss - somewhere to curl up and doze on the sofas! AND we also ended up being allowed to stay there for about 4 hours, which I am sure was much longer than usual; but I also think that, apart from me being tetchy, we unwittingly flashed the age card as well, which brought kindness and understanding for the pair of us.

Thank you, Aspire Lounge!

Wendy In The Metro Blu Apartment - And A Friendly Lizard

Wendy In The Metro Blu Apartment - And A Friendly Lizard

Before checking out of our Metro Blue Apartment, we had taken a couple of photographs. Apart from one or two interesting moments at the outset, when access to the apartment proved problematic, discovering the lock to the front door had been fitted upside down, it turned out to be a very comfortable choice of accommodation. 

Being so close to the Airport was also a big plus, and the large Woolworths nearby meant getting shopping was quick and easy. 

Another advantage was the price. Wendy had checked other apartments in the City Centre, and they were all extremely expensive; we weren't sure why this should be so in Perth, unless it is because Western Australia is more remote than other states, but Metro Blu was comfortable, and the reception staff had been charming, kind and helpful; and Eddie the Maintenance Man deserved top marks for solving that problem with the front door!

A photo of Wendy in the Apartment - and you can see me in the mirror!

Our little lizard 

Our friendly lizard - still basking!

The Mundaring Weir Hotel

The Mundaring Weir Hotel

After our visit to Mundaring Weir, Wendy and I also recalled her Dad telling me about the Mundaring Weir Hotel, where he and his friends had stopped off for some refreshment; fairly basic at that time, it was run by an older gentleman who, upon hearing the English accents at the bar, said: 

"Oh, you're from England! You must meet the wife... she's a POM! (Prisoner of Mother England - referring to the time when felons and other so-called "undesirable" citizens in England had been sentenced to deportation to Australia!) and he called out, "Come and meet some of your fellow countrymen!"

A minute or two later, a dear old lady came in to the bar, greeting them with a very pronounced Australian accent: 

"I came out to Australia when I was a baby of 6 months... but I'll always be a POM to him!"

She remembered nothing of England! but Wendy and I remembered the story her Dad had told us, so when we took the opportunity to revisit Mundaring Weir, we also found the Mundaring Weir Hotel.

A trifle more elegant now, perhaps, than back in the 1960s, it was good to see it; and maybe the ghosts of people who have been there before us, and who had all those conversations, are still there, and pleased to be remembered: Forever relevant to modern times. 

The sign to Mundaring Weir Hotel

Look carefully, and spot the birdie!

Well, now I've enlarged the picture a bit - is that better now?

Pipeline to Kalgoorlie

And now, a little digression about the origin of the word "POM," used to describe people coming to Australia from England:

I had always thought POM - or POMMIE - was a shorthand way of describing former felons sentenced to deportation from England to Australia; it was considered a slur. 

In the 1800's, men and women faced severe penalties for what we may now consider fairly trifling misdemeanours, and could be sentenced for deportation lasting 7 years - or for life. Poor people who were starving might steal a loaf of bread and, if caught, no account was taken of their dire circumstances: the stocks, prison, or deportation was the order of the day. 

A sign on the Town Bridge over the River Stour in Sturminster Newton in Dorset threateningly proclaims: 

"Any person wilfully injuring any part of this COUNTY BRIDGE will be guilty of FELONY and upon conviction liable to be TRANSPORTED FOR LIFE. By the Court  T FOOKS"

Well, I suppose no-could say they weren't warned!

In hindsight, such a sentence might be considered a "light" punishment, as execution faced those having committed more serious crimes, for example stealing a sheep. From this era comes the expression, "You may as well be hanged for a sheep as for a lamb:" If you are going to face the death penalty, at least go for a bigger animal, rather than a smaller one! 

A less violent explanation comes from an idea that people fresh out from England disembarked from the ships looking pale and pasty-faced. They then faced the hot Australian sun and high ultra-violet rays, and soon turned a bright shade of red - there were no Factor 50 sun-protection creams available in those days! - and resembled fully ripe, red pomegranates. 

Pomegranates could be loosely rhymed with "immigrants," which was further rhymed with "Jimmy Grants," and used to describe the new citizens of Australia. Pomegranates were then shorted to "POMS," and there you have another, more palatable, idea about the origin of the word POM. Take your pick! and if anyone has more ideas, I would love to hear about them. 

Driving back to Perth in the dusk

After spending an hour or so at the Mundaring Weir Hotel, and having had a little walk in the area around it, marvelling at the length of pipeline exposed at the start of its journey to Kalgoorlie, and disappearing into the distance, we left the Hotel and drove back to Perth. We had already checked out of the Metro Blu Apartment earlier in the morning; it had been lovely to make full use of the extra hours available before we had to check in for our flight to Singapore. This was a good day!

                                   

                             

 

Mundaring Weir

Mundaring Weir

When I first met Wendy's dad, Bob, in Durban in the 1960s, I mentioned I had met a lady who lived in a town about half an hour's drive from Perth - and to my surprise, he knew of it!  He told me how, many years before in the early days of his career in the Royal Navy, his ship had called in at the port of Freemantle, south of Perth. 

On a day when they were off duty, he and a couple of his brother officers had hired a car to visit Mundaring Weir, the dam that had been built across the Helena River, creating a lake to supply water to the Mount Charlotte Reservoir in Kalgoorlie, some 566 km (over 350 miles) away.

Charles Yelverton O'Connor, an Irish/Australian engineer, was instrumental in formulating this scheme; originally built of steel, it was called CY O'Connor's golden pipeline, and constructed between 1898 and 1903.

It was one of the world's great engineering projects at the time, and  when it opened in 1903, it was the world's largest fresh water pipeline, supplying water to the eastern goldfields in Coolgardie and Kalgoorlie.  

The last time it overflowed was in 1996, which gives an indication of how little rain falls in this area; sometimes the water level is so low, old railway tracks lying of at the bottom of the dam become visible. 

It has a storage capacity of about 37179 (ml), and when I last checked, it was around 58.5% full; this can change!

Tragically, after much criticism in the press at the time when the weir was being built, C Y O'Connor felt his reputation and character had been so undermined, he committed suicide on 10th March 1902. A few weeks after his death, pumping trials began at the Number 1 Pump Station; water flowed as each section of the pipeline was laid, until on 16th January 1903, the residents of Kalgoorlie were able to enjoy fresh water pumped from the Helena River. What a difference it made; and what a great pity C Y O'Connor had felt such despair 10 months earlier. 

The pipeline was known as The Golden Pipeline because of the "Golden Fleece" - 6 million sheep rely on it; the "Golden Sheaves of the Wheatbelt," and of course Gold, from Australia's richest goldfields.

After World War II, the wall at Mundaring Weir was raised by 32 feet. Great care had to be taken with this operation; new concrete was placed alongside the old wall, with slots to keep the new section free from the original section. This was to allow time for the new concrete to cure and shrink as it set; if it had been placed directly on top of the old material, a crack would have developed. After the temperature of the old and new sections had equalised, the slots were filled in.

For that group of Naval Officers out on a day's "jolly" away from their Royal Naval vessel, touring the pumping station and seeing the size of the major turbines required to transport the vital water so far away, proved to be a most interesting expedition.

Arriving at Mundaring Dam

Poetic construction?  

Reminiscent of waves cascading down the face of dam...

The water level is rarely high enough for it to overflow the dam wall

Low water; when it has been particularly dry and the levels are very low, 

old railway tracks can be seen lying on the bed of the dam

Panoramic views of the length of the Dam

The view to the park area beside Mundaring Weir; 

home to a great variety of wildlife and birds

In 2004, the Helena River Reservoir was renamed as Lake C.Y. O'Connor

Wendy on the observation bridge, on the concrete weir wall above the Dam

There is a Golden Pipeline Heritage Trail that tracks the pipeline from its source at Mundaring Weir to Kalgoorlie, and it is promoted to motorists with a couple (or more!) days to spare. Apart from the Goldfields Road, it follows the old Eastern Railway reserve where trains steamed, and the maintenance road beside the water supply pipeline; along the way are many interesting places to stop off and explore, and towns to stay en route. 

The water from Mundaring Weir spends at least a week in the pipeline to reach its destination; what an adventure it would be, to allot a few days to follow it from start to finish!

We Revisit the Secret Gnome Garden

We Revisit The Secret Gnome Garden

Wendy and I were so charmed by the Secret Gnome Garden, we just had to make a return visit, and see all the gnomes and bears, fairy-tale creatures and other animals jostling for space in this enchanted place. 

It has a special magic at night, but of course it's harder to see all the inhabitants on display, so we went back during the day, and enjoyed discovering all the creatures - some obvious, some hidden, and I'm sure every visit would reveal other surprises along the way. 

After steeping ourselves in imagination and fairy-tale scenes, we then went for a drive along the road beside Cottesloe Beach; again, the wide expanse of the Indian Ocean reminds us just how great and far apart the continents are. Set sail from Cottesloe Beach, head due west, and your next stop is ... Africa! If you draw a straight line from Perth, and travel as "the crow flies" by plane, you will arrive in Durban, Kwa-Zulu Natal.