 Our
journey begins on Platform 10 at
Roma Street Station, the main
intrastate station in Brisbane
(bottom city on the map to the
right), where the Sunlander (photo
below) awaits its 8.55 am departure
for Cairns, about 1050 miles north.
The Sunlander today is 18 cars plus
2 automobile carriers on the rear.
On the platform near the front of
the train is a podium announcing
“Registration for Queenslander Class
Passengers”.
Queenslander Class is a premium
product offered on 2 weekly
departures of the Sunlander and
replaces a weekly train of the same
name that used to run on the same
route. Today, this class consists of
2 sleepers, a lounge car and a
diner.
A
pleasant Queenslander Class Manager
shows us to our two compartments in
Car A, the “W. Saville Kent”,
adjacent to the lounge. The sleepers
are from the original 1954 Sunlander
but have been extensively
refurbished in recent years with new
fittings, finishes and retention
toilets. As these narrow gauge (3'
6") cars are only about 55 feet
long, they have only 7 compartments,
each fitted with a convertible sofa,
a folding upper berth, 2 closets and
a folding sink and toiletry cabinet.
Male and female toilets and a large
shower room are provided at the car
ends. In our cabins we find 2
towels, a package of toiletries, a
glossy brochure explaining on-board
services and amenities, personalised
letters of introduction,
complementary slippers, and a
bathrobe embroidered with the
Queenslander Class Cooktown orchid
logo. A fresh orchid in a small
wall-mounted vase is a pleasant
detail.
 A
few minutes before departure, we
proceed to the lounge car, “Daintree”,
to stake out a couple of seats for
the morning. Daintree is also a
1950s car, but it has been totally
refitted with a decorative theme
based on the elaborate timberwork
popular on better Queensland houses
in the early part of the last
century. There is a central cocktail
bar and, at each end, very
comfortable freestanding tub
armchairs and small tables. At the
end adjoining the sleepers, there
are external access doors, a tea and
coffee bar and a shelf groaning with
current magazines, games and the
weekend papers. If one is to be
critical, it might be said that the
decor is starting to look just a bit
tired.
Departure is on time behind diesel
power as, although the line is
electrified as far as Rockhampton
(about 380 miles) the electric locos
are reserved for the booming freight
business. About half an hour out. an
announcement is made inviting us to
morning tea or coffee with hot fruit
scones, jam and whipped cream. Not
strictly necessary for us as we have
only recently breakfasted very well
but, as this and all other meals are
included in the fare, we head off to
the “Coral Cay” diner.
“Coral Cay” is a newer, stainless
steel-sided car, dating from the mid
to late 1970s. It has a similar
decorative theme to “Daintree” and
seats 32 at 8 tables for 4. As there
are 25 passengers in this section of
the train (all 14 compartments are
occupied as some passengers have
chosen to pay a surcharge for sole
use of a room), we manage to secure
a table near the kitchen that has
only been set for 2, and we retain
this for the journey.
After morning tea there is a brief
stop at Caboolture at the northern
end of Brisbane’s sprawling suburbia
before we proceed into pleasant
country forming the hinterland of
the Sunshine Coast. The oddly-shaped
Glasshouse Mountains (actually the
plugs of extinct volcanoes) are a
scenic feature. Speed varies from
100 km/h plus to a seeming crawl as
there are many sharp reverse curves.
A little after noon we prevail upon
David, the bartender and sommelier,
to mix us two very good and very
large dry martinis before returning
to “Coral Cay” for lunch. David is
an affable Englishman who has worked
on the VSOE and its now-defunct
Australian counterpart, the GSPE, so
he brings a wealth of experience to
his job.
Food in Queenslander Class used to
be supplied by Qantas (Australia's
national airline), with only final
preparation and plating done on
board. Recently Queensland Rail have
reverted to full “in house” catering
with excellent results. Menus are
completely different for each meal
and comprise a choice of 3 mains and
2 desserts at lunch; 3 starters, 3
mains and 2 desserts or cheeses for
dinner, and a traditional cooked
Anglo-Australian breakfast or a
healthier pancake, fruit and yoghurt
alternative. At lunch we both choose
veal scallopini, served with a
creamy mushroom sauce, a timbale of
savoury saffron rice and a crisp,
fresh salad followed by a
passionfruit bavarois, washed down
with a bottle of chilled local
chardonnay (drinks are an extra
charge but are reasonably priced).
After lunch we return to “Daintree”
to read and observe the scenery and
our fellow passengers. By and large,
they appear to be a prosperous,
middle-aged crowd, smartly but
casually dressed, as befits the
tropical climate. Just under half
appear to be locals, with the rest
international visitors, mainly from
the UK.
After a stop at Bundaberg a little
before 4.00pm, where we stretch our
legs on the platform, we retire to
our compartments for a pre-dinner
nap. Gladstone is the next stop at a
little after 6.00pm and, just after
leaving that station, we are
overtaken by the northbound electric
tilt train which is running to a
temporary expanded schedule since
its Cairns diesel counterpart
derailed earlier in the year. After
this we return to “Daintree” to coax
further martinis from David.
Dinner is again excellent (grilled
barramundi - a local tropical fish,
rack of lamb, or chicken stuffed
with mangos and macadamia nuts) and,
if desired, can be split during the
20 minute stop at Rockhampton with
dessert and coffee being served
after departure.
Hennessey cognacs in “Daintree”
before going to bed for a good
night’s sleep. During the night I
wake up briefly at Proserpine and
note that we are nearly an hour
late, having run early or on time
for most of the day. I don’t
discover the reason for this but by
Townsville, after breakfast next
morning, we are only about 20
minutes late.
North of Townsville the scenery is
dominated by the Great Dividing
Range to the west and endless sugar
plantations and smoke-belching sugar
mills. We glimpse the ocean briefly
at Cardwell at about 11.30 am and,
soon after, it is time for more of
David’s excellent cocktails before
lunch.
Lunch is a highlight of the trip.
Although there are three choices of
mains, the outstanding favourite is
the cold seafood. Served piled high
on a large silver platter it
consists of a whole Moreton Bay bug
(a local crustacean), 7 or 8 large
prawns, 4 or 5 oysters, curls of
smoked salmon and slices of chilled
tropical fruit. Finger bowls and a
large glass bowl for discarded
shells are provided.
All morning we have been making up
time and it appears that we will be
early at our destination. However we
are held to pass a southbound
freight and eventually arrive 7
minutes early at 3.53 pm.
The return journey has different
staff and slightly different
equipment but, overall, it is as
enjoyable as the outbound trip.
Queenslander Class has to be one of
the better long distance journeys of
the world. True, it lacks the
heritage glamour and formality of
the VSOE and the former GSPE, but
this is probably not what most
visitors to Far North Queensland
expect or want. The friendliness of
the well-trained staff, the quality
of the food and beverage service,
and the intimate atmosphere created
by the relatively small number of
passengers all combine to provide a
memorable travel experience.
It
isn’t cheap. At $A725 (about
$US550), it is considerably more
expensive than other rail fares on
the Sunlander or Tilt Train ($A200 -
400) and most air fares. Still, it
is less than a Business Class air
fare ($A822). All in all, an
indulgence but not an extravagance.
I
forgot to mention the live
entertainers. (Obviously too many
martinis!). Steve (guitar and
country and western) and Wendy
(electronic keyboard and a largely
Broadway repertoire). They play/sing
for about an hour before lunch and
dinner and for about an hour after
dinner. |
1.
Where do you live? Can you tell us
the three best things about the area
where you live? How long have you
lived there? Have you moved around
much during your life?
