Who'd have thought I would choose to spend 41 hours on a train...but I did, as I realised we tend to just fly everywhere these days but when I had the option of going on one of the World's Greatest Train Journeys I thought why not! The stretch from Perth to Adelaide is 2,659km!!!

It was actually a lot comfier than I imagined, of course on a budget I had opted for the cheapest ticket which was in the Red Service and just a day/nighter seat as opposed to a cabin. I paid $199....people had paid up to $1500 for the same 2 day trip in the Gold Section....God knows what they got for that! Their asses wiped? Haha. Anyway in my steerage area we still got more than twice the space of being on a coach and the chair reclined quite far back so I managed to sleep fine both nights. There are showers and everything on there and I brought lots of my own food to save myself from the dodgy microwaved burgers in the Red Service Diner! I just relaxed, read magazines, listened to my ipod, watched films...and looked out of the window...for hours. We stopped at Kalgoorie which is just a mining city, though the 2nd largest in WA with a population of 35,000, we got there at 9pm and everything was dead. Went for a quick drink with another passenger and I was shocked to find all the girls working in what seemed like a typical country pub, were just wearing their underwear...so weird! And were being all flirty with the old men. I'd expect that from a strip club or maybe one of the crazy nightclubs in a city but not where we there...must be to keep the miners entertained...and funny enough one of the locals said they were mainly English girls trying to make some money on their travels. I definitely would not be able to stay there, there was nothing to do! The next part of the journey took us along the ancient Nullarbor Plain, or 'Nullabore' as some people say as it is literally just scrub...for miles. This is also the World's longest straight track of railway at just under 500k! Crazy distances. Australia is just so huge! We also stopped for an hour in a place called Cook, in the middle of the Nullarbor Plain. Only 4 people live there today...absolute madness. It is LITERALLY in the middle of nowhere and is just a vast open space with little more than a souvenir shop. 100s of KMs from anywhere else and not even by the coast...The only people they get to see is those who pass through on the twice weekly train shop. Such a contrast to city life hmmm.

Really glad I did the trip as it really made you appreciate how big Australia is...I mean 48hours fast travel to get only 2/3s of the way across...and for the most part of the journey for as far as the eye could see....there was not much going on. The landscape really varied and it was weird how it would suddenly change from nothing to red soil to lots of trees. Saw amazing sunsets and colours. Also random cattle and kangaroos on the way. Bonus.

Arrived in Adelaide to be greeted by heavy rain and the coldest feel of weather I'd experience for a long long while. Booked in a good hostel in Adelaide, very clean and central. Needed to sort of lot of planning stuff out for the rest of my trip so got that done and also walked the streets taking what looked like an amazing shopping area (If I had the money) and nice gardens etc. I also printed free passes for Fitness First so got my much needed burst of crazy exercise over 2 days so I feel half normal again, also used their spa etc there. Weathers OK, probably the coolest I have been in for a good few months but its fine. I'll be back in the crazy here again within two weeks when I hit the red centre and outback! Will cycle around the city tomorrow and check out what else there is.

Off on Monday to the Health Retreat in Port Elliot, South Australia!

Also backtracking, before I left Perth, went to the amazing Lady Gaga concert with Amy at Burswood Dome...what a show, it was incredible. She is such an amazing singer, great dancer and the whole thing was like a west end show, and the costumes...wow! I was impressed how many fans made such an effort to dress up too...there were some crazy things! Said my sad goodbyes to Amy as we finally had to part as she leaves to go home, 9 months since we first met in New Zealand!! Then I enjoyed the Easter weekend with Rheann, Eli, Jase and Dom in Perth. Though one of the all day drinking sessions ended up with me peaking too soon and passed out at home by early evening...though I woke up fine and redeemed myself a few hours by going back out to meet them all later haha. Then we went around Perth for a mega Sunday Sessions but I didn't drink, still had fun though. Ryan and Ivarna joined us for that. Noz was down for the weekend too so that was a good laugh. He's crazy!