Day 55 Wednesday July 30th 2014 Normanton Croydon Normanton We assemble at the Normanton railway station at 8:00am to board the Gulflander train to go to Croydon 150kms away. Yeah, I know that’s where we just came from but this … Continue reading It’s a long way to the top, Day 55 – The Gulflander
Charlie Honey was a Gulflander train driver of yesteryear. The Gulflander runs between Normanton and Croydon in the Gulf country of outback Queensland. It leaves Normanton every Wednesday at 8:30am. It then makes the return journey leaving Croydon at 8:30am on Thursday. Weather permitting the train has been running since 1891. The journey takes five hours because the track is meant to be travelled slowly but Charlie liked to work hard on improving his times. One morning he left Croydon at 8:30am and at Normanton at 11:30am he answered the telephone to be greeted by his superior. Charlie was sternly … Continue reading The Gulflander
As the wet season begins once more in northern Australia, I’m reminded of our visit to the Gulf of Carpentaria in the dry season of 2014. We assemble at the Normanton railway station in Far North Queensland at 8:00am to board the Gulflander train to go to Croydon 150kms away. The Gulflander is also known as the train that goes from nowhere to nowhere. The pretty little wooden station is all gussied up with flowers in pots and railway relics. In Queensland’s colour of maroon the diesel rail motor has three carriages. The 3ft 6inch wide line was opened in … Continue reading The Gulflander
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