Adventure

Hi there Looking Glassers, Sorry I’ve was MIA for a couple of weeks. I really thought I’d got myself on top of everything before leaving on our grand across Australia train journey but I didn’t have a post locked in for here. Thought I’d done it but had not. No excuse. Sorry all.

Here’s a few pics and some commentary on our trip. After being locked down, postponing this trip three or four times because the borders to Western Australia remained closed et al. We FINALLY got on the Indian Pacific. It was worth the wait.

Indian Pacific Rail Adventure 2022

First pic is me catching the train to meet everyone at Central Station. Jin had his car at work and it’s so much easier to leave mine at home. Also, I even love riding the suburban trains.

Here we are at Central station. Martin came with us on the trip and his partner Jane stayed home to look after the dogs.

We always like to have a sneaky champagne as the adventure begins.

These pics are all taken from the train as it’s moving. They do no justice to the majesty and fabulous colours of central Australia.

We stopped at Cook, population 4! The boys did photography and I wandered around. It was once a thriving town but now mainly desolate.

The Bar Car and Dining Car were VERY social on this trip. We loved hanging out and getting boozy with everyone.

Once in Perth we met up with my childhood friend Eve and her daughter Lola. We did Rottnest Island together. I don’t know why I took hardly any photos. It was a lovely day. We took the Hop On Hop Off Bus around the island, met Quokkas and saw loads of fauna including dolphins, seals and birdlife. We also wandered around the last km or so on the way back to the jetty. Definitely worth a visit.

Back in Perth we took in the AGWA. They are having a month dedicated to First Nations artists called Blacklight. The guide was less than good, bummer. Upstairs we loved the permanent sculpture garden.
Also art but not at the galleries, the Prickly Pear mosaic mural caught my eye.

Jin, Martin and I drove a couple of hours to see the natural rock formations of the Pinnacles. Left over from a time when the area was sea bed, I think they are the calcified, petrified leavings of coral reefs. We had SPECTACULAR skies to add drama to every photo./ I was driving and the boys jumped out taking incredibly artistic shots. Mine were all taken on my iPhone from the car. None of them have been doctored in any way, that is exactly as the camera saw them.

It was a wonderful adventure and if you ever get the chance, jump at it.

Where will you be holidaying next?
Portia xx

Hey Crew. Jin and I have been trying to get back on this train for over a year. There have been three previous dates, all postponed due to C19. Finally it’s happened. So I thought you might like a few photos and some small commentary. We were away for nine fun filled nights. A few in Darwin, three on the Ghan itself and one in Adelaide. We flew up to Darwin and back from Adelaide. I know your first thought is “What perfumes did you take?”

I thought it might be a good time to wear some of the decants I loved but have lain forgotten in the mad rush for new around here. All these decants (Except Rouge Saray, sent by my beautiful buddy Megan In Sainte Maxime) are quite old in my collection and really need to get worn. It seems my selection is VERY vanilla heavy. No problem. It’s one of my favourite notes. It’s like I’ve picked four vanillas on four very different points of the spectrum. One thing they all have in common though is how beautifully created they are. Also how easy wear and versatile, yet interesting statement pieces as well.
Coeur de Vetiver Sacre by L’Artisan Parfumeur: Vetiver, tea, incense sweetened by vanilla/amber. This was the most worn of the selection in daytime. It’s sheer yet interesting beauty went so well with the trip.
Mon Precieux Nectar by Guerlain: Vanilla heavy white floral with almond & incense.
Rouge Saray by Atelier des Ors: Spiced fruits and fairy floss over a patchouli/vanilla base. Very ra sha sha. I wore this to almost every evening event and had compliments every time. So beautiful and noticeable.
Neroli 36 by Le Labo: White floral citrus backed by a lightweight vanilla.

One of our friends, Martin, was our travelling companion on the journey. He’d always wanted to do The Ghan and when his wife Jane heard we were going she pulled out all stops to get him on ours. It was excellent having him on the trip and it made the whole adventure even more special. The photos below are a mixed bunch taken by all three of us. By this stage I’m not sure who took what.

The class we travelled on this trip was Gold Superior. There were only two of these larger cabins on the train, the rest of the Gold class has less floor space. There is a higher glass, Platinum, but we think the Gold Class bar car is infinitely more fun. Quite pricey for a four day holiday but there is no more comfortable or fun way to see the centre of Australia. My pictures hardly do the whole trip justice and don’t show any of our four night stay up in Darwin. Also, all food and booze are included in the price. VERY dangerous! I drank more alcohol in the four days than I’d drunk for the whole year beforehand.

Jin and I are currently planning our next adventure, also on a train with the same company. This time from Perth to Adelaide ands then up to Brisbane. That’s how much we enjoyed the experience.

As a final aside, how freaking gorgeous is my husband Jin? He’s a bit of a fool in some of the pics but he is so charming and lovely the whole train fell under his spell. Every morning or evening the staff and voyagers would fall over themselves to greet him and he had smiles and chats for everyone. It was like travelling with a celebrity. We had a beautiful time and now we are back home, refreshed and ready for another few months of work and life before the next adventure.