The Photos:
- A view of the outback from Cook
- The school from the abandoned and filled in swimming pool
- A water tower commemorating the men who built the railway
- Sign recording the linking of the Trans Australian lines in 1917
- Cook Queen City on the longest stretch of straight track
- If your Crook come to Cook!
It was around 2.00pm that we came to halt in Cook for the train to take on fresh water and for a change of driving crew.
Cook is 1138 kilometres from Adelaide and 1523 from Perth. The closest road is the Eyre Highway, 100 kilometres to the south. The nearest major town is Ceduna, about a five-hour drive south-east and the local doctor is a 12-hour drive away at Port Augusta – have a look at the map of the Eyre Highway in my previous post.
Cook was named after a former Prime Minister, Sir Joseph Cook and was established to support the east-west Trans Australian Railway, which was completed in 1917. To support the maintenance of the line, small settlements 30 kilometres apart were built along the most remote sections of the track on the Nullarbor Plain and prior to 1996 the aptly named 'Tea and Sugar Train' supplied provisions to these settlements.
The families of the workers constructing the Trans-Australian Railway depended on this train, that began in 1915, for every necessity. The provisions were supplied by two single-purpose weekly trains, the eastbound counterpart being known as "The Bomber". Sheep were brought on the train, which had its own butcher. There was a car that allowed railway families to view the latest films while the train was in the siding and it also included a welfare car staffed by a nurse. In fact, each time the train crossed the Nullarbor Plain, it included carriages to suit the different needs of residents throughout the year. On some trains there was a bank car, which allowed residents to make financial transactions and a post office car. In December even Santa brought presents in a Christmas car.
Today, the relationship between Cook and the Indian Pacific remains just as important, in maintaining the supply of food and goods in return for fuel and water.
Cook, therefore, was once a thriving community with a school, swimming pool, golf course, general store and housing to support a 200-strong population but after the privatisation of the railway, the numbers dwindled, leaving the town with only a handful of residents today.
We had an hour-or-so to explore Cook. It was a bright sunny afternoon and warm afternoon as we were left to explore the many abandoned buildings. The few residents remaining in Cook who were only too pleased to 'pass the time of day' with whomever wanted a chat.
