This spot is up in the far north of South Australia, about 800kms north west of Adelaide. This is a crossing along the the train line stretching across 5000 km's of Australia. You can travel this line from Sydney on the East coast and go to Perth on the West coast. The train that traverses this largely isolated and vast interior desert of Australia every week is called the Indian Pacific. It is one of the great train journey's of the world, I am told.
As a born and raised Western Australian I like it that they put the name, Indian, first in the title. "Indian" refers to the Indian Ocean, which of course is lapping up against the great state of Western Australia!
At the moment this is a line to nowhere for Australians outside of Western Australia. That border is firmly closed under the tight COVID 19 restrictions. At this time I could not catch this train, drive my car, ride my motorbike or catch a plane to where this line leads so I could be there for my sister's 60th birthday celebrations. That was a disappointing.
Now there that old talk of the great state of Western Australia being an island within an island. This story of WA seceding from the rest of Australia has come up quite often in or history. Perth is the most isolated capital city in the world. WA is 1/3 of the continent of Australia that happens to have vast mineral resources (among other things). It is like California in the USA. It could probably operate as a small nation in and of itself. It is fiercely independent in mindset and intensely dislikes the "Easter states' domination the story in news, current affairs, politics, sport and etc.....
This often wheeled out story usually fades into the sensible background when the emotions finish their run. I hope this happens again! Australia is better as one country than two!
I also hope this train line opens up soon.
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