DAY 1 7/1/15

Today we began our 15 day adventure, we were dropped off to our local train station Pendle Hill. We boarded a suburban train to Central Railway Station in Sydney. It was ironic as the Indian Pacific will go past Pendle Hill on our trip to Perth Perth. We left plenty of time and arrived at 1.00pm for a 2.55pm departure.

This is Central Railway Station which is where the Indian Pacific leaves from.

The Station and Clock Tower

The Station Concourse

The train was waiting on platform one and two, over 26 carriages long!

We dropped off our checked luggage to the NSW Trainlink luggage checkin room. We had one big bag that we checked in and one cabin back that we took with us. We then saw the train manager who directed us to the lounge car to have a drink before departure. We enjoyed a nice glass or two of bubbly with other passengers who were all pretty excited to leave.

We then made our way to Carriage J berth 9/10 which was our home on rails for three nights. We were pretty excited at that point as were about to embark on a journey across the continent, on a historic train.

This was our cosy cabin, just as we settled in our cabin steward introduced herself to us and explained the cabin. Followed by our attendant our lounge host (Maitre d') introduced himself and took our dining times, it is anytime and usually you can pick between three times, we tend to eat late at about 7:30pm. The crew onboard would be with us for one night as they change over in Adelaide. We then left at 2:55 passing through the western suburbs till we hit the scenic Blue Mountains. 

At 7:30pm we headed to the Queen Adelaide Restaurant for our first meal aboard the train. All alcoholic beverages are included in the fare and we enjoyed many we started with a nice glass of red.

Meals aboard the train exceeded our expectations, we had a choice of three entrees, six mains, one side and three desserts. Our first meal surprised us and we loved it, the Chefs have sourced fresh produce and have put their love into it. If you had a peek into their galley, its smaller then our kitchen at home and they make so many wonderful meals. 

We both started with a scallop ravioli and cream sauce. It was wonderful and we weren't expecting caviar either. 

Following this for main my brother had a lamb shank served on crushed potatoes, and I ordered the duck which was also served on crushed potatoes. It was served with a plate of Zucchini to share. His lamb was excellent yet my duck was a tad overcooked to my taste but it tasted excellent.

We finished on a sweet tooth having a chocolate and walnut tart. This was also served with coffee or tea.

After we finished our meal, we both decided to retire to our compartment.