It was just after 7.00am local time that we pulled into Adelaide Parklands Terminal the home of the Indian Pacific, The Ghan, The Great Southern and The Overland trains operated by Journey Beyond. Today the crew would change, having completed their week aboard and the train would be cleaned and serviced ready for our departure on the last leg of our journey to Sydney. Whilst these activities were taking place, we had a choice of five Off Train Experiences to choose from, all of which included breakfast!
The choices were:
- The Central Market
- City Sights
- Adelaide Oval
- Adelaide Hills Scenic Drive
- City and River Precinct Walk
Since I will be returning to Australia at the end of March 2025 to ride The Ghan from Darwin to Adelaide and my itinerary includes some days in Adelaide, I chose to join the Adelaide Hills Scenic Drive, figuring that I can visit the more central city sights on my return.
My destination this morning was the Mount Lofty Summit Café, 710 metres above sea level and Adelaide's highest peak. So, the promise of a glass of sparkling wine and the chance to sample a range of local produce from local seasonal fruits - the strawberries were delicious – to ham & cheese croissants and vanilla bean yoghurt all taken against the backdrop of spectacular views, was tempting. There was only one snag – there was a biting cold wind and no sunshine, so venturing out from the Café to take some photos, was brief affair, to say the least.
Mount Lofty, elevation 2,330 ft is the highest point in the southern Mount Lofty Ranges. It is located 15 km (9.3 miles) east of the city centre, within the Adelaide Hills. The summit did indeed offer panoramic views of the city although this morning the view was slightly obscured by mist.
Mount Lofty was named by Captain Mathew Flinders on 23 March 1802 during his circumnavigation of the Australian continent. Flinders (16 March 1774 – 19 July 1814) was a British navigator and cartographer who led the first inshore circumnavigation of mainland Australia, then called New Holland. He is credited as being the first person to utilise the name Australia to describe the entirety of that continent including Van Diemen's Land (now Tasmania), a title he regarded as being "more agreeable to the ear" than previous names such as Terra Australis.
A stone cairn at the summit was originally erected as a 'trig point' but in 1885 this was replaced by an obelisk (See photo) which served as the central reference point for surveying purposes across Adelaide. In 1902 the obelisk was renamed the "Flinders Column".
After a fulfilling and enjoyable breakfast, we took the coach back down the mountain to Adelaide. In a previous post, now some 4 weeks ago, I mentioned that our route was through a forested area with a healthy population of Koalas. You may recall the photo I attached of a 'grey furry blob' in the trees! Luckily, as you will have seen I took some rather better photos of Koalas at Taronga Zoo and at the Sydney Wildlife Centre.
Back on the train by midmorning we were soon on our way and as we departed the 'sister train' the Ghan was pulling into the Parklands Terminal at the end of its journey from Darwin.
