Holidays with Kids – The Westlander to Charleville
Tracey Spicer learns that it’s ‘all about the journey’ when she takes her five-year-old son on an overnight train trip to outback Queensland.
“I’m busier than a one-armed bricklayer,” booms a voice from the kitchen.
It belongs to 72-year-old George, a lumbering giant of a man from Charleville in the heart of southwest Queensland.
This rough diamond is one of many characters we meet after catching the Westlander, an overnight train to the heart of ‘mulga country’ 777 kilometres west of Brisbane.
I hear the train a comin’
There’s a romance to train travel that you don’t get on planes or automobiles.
Time stands still; gazing out the window, the worries of the world pass you by.
For a young boy, it’s a dream-come-true. “We’re sleeping on a train? Taj asks, eyes as big as saucers.
Our sleeper is cleverly designed with a foldaway washbasin, clip-on card table and mini-wardrobe.
Like a five-star resort, the bunk beds are turned down for the night
In the dining car, we meet young families, baby boomers and grey nomads, devouring hot meals, fine wine and beer purchased on board.
The adults watch a new release movie while the kids tear around the corridors or colour in the Chuggington travel packs, which are thoughtfully provided.
I’m a tad nervous about going to bed, after watching Murder on the Orient Express.
But the room is secure, quiet and comfortable.
The soporific rhythm puts us to sleep in no time.
We wake at sunrise to cheer on a mob of kangaroos – hundreds of them – racing alongside.
The dust that usually characterises the outback is replaced by greenery, after the biggest floods in more than 100 years.
Stately gum trees and quaint country towns rush by, while we play games and giggle.
It reminds me of Stockholm Syndrome: being trapped together, we have no choice but to enjoy each other’s company.
So this is what ‘quality time’ is all about.
BIG!
Queensland is full of BIG things.
Charleville boomed when Australia took a ride on the sheep’s back.
When the ride ended the population plummeted, but a legacy remains in the form of gorgeous, grand buildings in the town centre.
This is a place that values its history, with a restored steam engine and century-old tractor for kids to climb in Graham Andrews Parkland.
At the Royal Flying Doctor Service, Taj plays on a pedal-operated wireless and does his best “10-4, 10-4” on the CB radio.
The 130-year-old Historic House Museum is crammed full of artifacts, from the first Cobb & Co Coach to vintage wedding gowns and natty collectables.
This is the life’s work of the aforementioned George, who gave up his other passion – guitar playing – after losing several fingers in an industrial accident.
Tourists come to watch this self-taught musician play an autoharp (also known as a zither), a stringed instrument made famous by country star June Carter.
It brings a tear to the eye watching this rough-hewn fellow weave his marvellous melodies.
If you think this is a sight to behold, our next character is naked, in a bath, in the middle of a field!
The Bilby Brothers
The Charleville Bilby Experiences opens with a documentary about conservationists Frank Manthey and Peter McRae.
The first shot is of a heavily bearded McRae bathing au naturel.
(When we later meet him in the souvenir shop, I hardly know where to look!)
Frank puts it this way: “ When I first met Peter, he used to run around the flat chasing frogs, and I thought, oh well, he’s really lost the plot and they’ve sent him out here to recover!”
Known as the Bilby Brothers, they raised $300,000 to build a predator-proof fence around a colony of the endangered creatures, which number less than 1000 in the wild.
After an educational talk, we tiptoe outside to see the results of a breeding program, as dozens of the miniature marsupials race around their specially designed cage.
Cosmic, dude
The highlight of any trip to Charleville is the Cosmos Centre & Observatory, which boasts incomparable views of the Milky Way.
The manager, Jane, is an absolute delight, letting Taj hold a four billion year old meteorite and operate an orrery – a mechanical replica of the solar system.
In the games arcade, you can travel to the nearest star, belt earth with space rocks, or weigh yourself on other planets.
The observatory is a marvel of modern technology.
Standing inside a foil-covered barn, the top half slowly rolls off to reveal a sky salted with stars.
We return the next day to see the sun through one of four powerful telescopes.
“I can see a bright red ball with fire on it,” Taj screams delightedly.
This is a must-do, if your kids are interested in science.
Flying home, it’s heartening to see how well this region is recovering after the devastating floods.
We will return to outback Queensland, to meet many more of its weird and wonderful creatures.
footnotes
More information
Charleville Bilby Experience
www.savethebilby.icemedia.com.au
Cosmos Centre and Observatory
