Rawlinna Station

Our last stop on the train was the Rawlinna Station. It is leased property and a sheep station. It is the largest sheep station in Australia and is serviced by The Trans-Australian Railway which is situated along the boundary of the station.

We arrived at Rawlinna just after dusk, the sky was cloudy but we could still see the colors of sunset. When we stepped off the train lanterns lined the railway track with the light reflecting off the silver carriages. We made our way to long, rustic wooden tables and bench seats. Fire pits helped to keep us warm and the resident musician entertained us.

We enjoyed talking with our fellow passengers while drinking under the stars. In the spring and summer months of October to May dinner is served under the stars. Since we are traveling during the Australian winter and the temperature is cooler (although 50 degrees isn’t cold to us Chicago folks!) we only had drinks and snacks.

Standing under the stars we decided to look for the southern cross. None of our new Aussie friends could find it. They told us that the stars above us was the Big Dipper. I told them that the big Dipper points to the North Star and they told me that their Big Dipper points to the South Star. Realizing that these were not the astronomy class graduates we gave up. As we moved away from the lights and fire pits more stars became visible in the night sky. With the help of one of the crew members, we were able to finally find the southern cross!

The next day we traveled through the Avon Valley to our final destination of Perth. The journey was a true adventure that we enjoyed so much. The staff on the train were so friendly and helpful and did all they could to make our trip great. We met several wonderful people and enjoyed great food and entertainment! We were sorry to say goodbye bye to the great staff but were anxiously awaiting the next leg of our journey!