Where are we going?

Old Farina

I probably should say "When are we going?"

We are not going anytime soon, but we have been to Farina a few times and I will show some of my photos from the ghost town of Farina in South Australia.  As you have probably noticed, I love anything old, even my husband although he is not much older than me, and I'm not saying how old I am, but I think I qualify as "old" and I actually quite like being old apart from the aches and pains and a few other unmentionables 😉😂

I have previously shown photos from our trips to other States in Australia, so thought I would showcase a very interesting place in my home State.  We have been here a few times and always enjoy our stay in Farina, approximately 600 km from Adelaide.  It was an old railway town and was settled in 1878,  In the 1880's it was felt that it would be a good area for growing barley and wheat, but it was soon discovered that the rainfall was not sufficient to grow these crops.  The name Farina means flour, because this area was  originally thought would be the granary of the north.  The narrow gauge railway was important to Farina and was the railhead  for the towns of Birdsville and Oodnadatta.

Farina is a Ghost Town but in 2008 a Restoration Group was started up and volunteers work for about 8 weeks a year restoring the site and maintaining it.

When we first visited Farina there were no facilities and we had to be self contained but over the years the Restoration Group have installed toilets and showers and now there is an Underground Bakery which operates for a few weeks every year and sells fresh baked items for the campers which is very popular.  The downside for us is that it might become too popular, and for me it will lose some of the very essence of why we loved it - the remoteness, the adventure getting there and exploring the  area. To keep the town from being destroyed by the elements and some tourists, it is necessary to keep improving and controlling what is left of the town and the Restoration Group have definitely made some major improvements and it is good to see the old town come to life again.

An old Ford Consul Mk 1

Cattle/sheep wagon

Relaxing

Relaxing while dinner cooks

Flock of Galahs

A Bustard

 We originally thought this bird was an eagle but once we got closer it was a bustard.  Eagles are more handsome!

 

The Marquee was for the Bakery shop and has now been replaced with a permanent building 

Patterson House almost completed

The Marquee was set up as a temporary shop for the Bakery

View of our van from the Anzac Memorial

Anzac Memorial

 The War Memorial was erected in 2015 to commemorate 70 service personnel from Farina who served in World War 1 & 2.

The old Railway Bridge

NZ Cruise

Dunedin (Port Chalmers) - our first port

We put our alarm on for an early start as we had booked  the Taieri Gorge train trip which was a 5 1/2 hr trip.  We ordered room service breakfast which saved us a bit of time and was a good way to start a busy day.  

The ship berthed in Port Chalmers at 8 am and we were ready to disembark at 8.15 am for our trip.  As we had booked this trip through Princess  we were able to board the train right at the port and only had to walk about 50  metres. I'm not sure how many carriages were on the train, possibly 20, but we were directed to a carriage near the back so had an extra walk but once on we didn't have long to wait before we were chugging along.  The seating was arranged with a table between  each set of 4 seats, so we found some empty seats and before long  we had an American couple who took the remaining seats.  We enjoyed their company as it was interesting to hear the stories of their travels.

 At first the scenery was through suburbia but soon we were into more rural areas but because of our seating arrangement my photos were all through the window so there are a few reflections.

We were treated very well on the trip with the stewards bringing snacks and drinks and a commentary which was often difficult to hear as most passengers around us were having conversations, but it was all very friendly and enjoyable.

For lunch we were supplied with a boxed lunch including fruit and a dessert which was good and wine was also served and the stewards came around filling up our glasses constantly.  No wonder I didn't want to venture out onto the platform!

The Taieri Gorge is over 40 km long on the Taieri River.

This photo was taken off the brochure advertising the trip as it wasn't possible to get a good photo.

We were able to move about in the carriages but most passengers stayed seated as the views were great from the windows, just not so good for photos.

At some points along the route Ron was able to stand outside on the platform and get some good photos so I have included some of his as they are better than mine.  I didn't go outside as my balance isn't always the best and I didn't want to fall over or worse!  You can see from the photos that the train was very long and as we rounded the bends we got a glimpse of the front carriages.

The Taieri River 

 The train stopped at Pukerangi which was the turnaround point of our trip.  We were able to get off the train here and walk around.  Some of the local people had stalls here selling hand made souvenirs and other art works.

After our stop at Pukerangi the train headed off towards Dunedin where we alighted at the famous Dunedin Railway Station.  We walked around the station and took more photos before going back to the ship.

Inside the station

Dunedin Station platform

A view of the ship as we got off the train

Another great day, but we were happy to be back on the ship, as it was a long day.  This excursion was one of the highlights of our New Zealand holiday as the last time we were in Dunedin we didn't do this trip but saw Larnach Castle and other sightseeing around the city.