April 22, 2016. Best laid plans....

After I wrote the last blog, our kind homeowner drove us to the railway station to catch the Indian Pacific to Perth.   It was a bit frantic as it is a different train station, and the GPS led us astray.  We arrived with minutes to spare, only to find that the train ride had been canceled.  There had been a derailment somewhere in the Outback.  

The railroad people were very kind.  They escorted us to our private cabin and invited us to the lounge, then dinner.  (Second dinner of the night).  We slept in our bunk beds on the train.  

After a nice breakfast on the train, we started figuring out our options.  To complicate matters, Monday is ANZAC  Day, Australia's Memorial Day.  So, it is a public holiday, school vacation with everyone traveling.  Flights to Perth that are normally $125 or so one way were $2000+!!!!  The railway staff kindly helped us find a reasonable fare for a late afternoon flight.  

We decided we would fly to Perth, then after a week, fly to Darwin, then take the sister train called The Ghan from Darwin.  They don't know when the Perth-Adelaide track will be repaired from the derailment.  This way, we will still get the train experience across the Outback.  They gave us a 20% discount.  We were able to book an additional hotel night in Perth.

After making all those arrangements, we stored our bags, and went in to Adelaide.  We visited some museums and a Japanese garden.

 It was a beautiful day for walking.  Then, back to the train station, then to the airport, and a 3-hour flight to Perth.

DINNER:  Airplane snack. :(