Whoa. What a lot of walking we did yesterday. Both Jess and Mr Smart had really sore feet by the end of the day and this little penguin was glad that they had been kind enough to carry me everywhere. Thankfully, today was going to involve far less walking. Instead, it was going to involve a trip on a choo choo train! One of the things Jess had been looking forward to showing us on this trip was the Cockle train that still ran between Victor Harbor and Goolwa.
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We had time for stop in at the Anchorage to enjoy our complimentary breakfast, and Mr Smart was particularly happy to enjoy another one of their marvelous coffees.
After finishing the delicious meal, we made our way to the station though it seemed that we arrived too early and had to wait for the train to arrive.
It wasn’t too long a wait before we heard the toot toot of the approaching train. We looked down the line to see the stationmaster performing the old job of manually closing the boom gates. He then held up the flags to signal the train driver that it was safe to enter the station.
Once the train came to a complete stop, Jess decided that she wanted to sit in the red carriage, so I hurried inside and secured some seats for us. While waiting, we learned that a group was running late so the train would wait for them to arrive before departing. While I was eager to get underway, I was glad that the driver was being so considerate and making sure the other group didn’t miss out.
Thankfully it wasn’t too long a wait and we were soon underway. It was soo exiting to be zooming along and I was quite amazed to see how close to the beach we travelled. So close in fact that we were able to spot whales that people were looking at. Sadly, we couldn’t take any photos of them, despite the driver stopping to allow the passengers a view, since they were still far out to see. I didn’t mind so much because whales make me nervous. I know they mostly eat krill and small fish, but it’s hard to remember that when a great big one is swimming past a little penguin like me!
The driver was such a nice man, not only had he waited for the group and stopped to let us see whales, but he even allowed us all to come to the front of the train and look out the window. It was soo exciting to watch us zoom along as fast as could be. It was even faster than a penguin swimming through the see.
We also learned where the train got its name from. People would travel to Goolwa to collect cockles from the Murray River and it became such a regular occurrence that they started to call it the Cockle train, and the name stuck. The train line itself was built to transport goods from the Murray to the port at Victor Harbor. When it was no longer used for that purpose, it was turned into a tourist attraction for little penguins like me. And for humans as well I guess.
All too soon we arrived at Goolwa and started our sightseeing of the town. First up was a walk up to the top of the bridge crossing the Murray River. Wow, what a great view it was, and it was amazing to see how big the Murray was. No wonder Adelaide used it to get its drinking water.
We then ventured back into the main area of the town, stopping to fuel up on coffee and a baby honey log. We also marvelled at the street art spreading throughout. It seems that someone had decided that the usual stobie poles were far too plain and decided to brighten them up according to various themes.We were slowly making our way to the sadder part of our trip. Last year, Jess lost her beloved Granny Jean, and one of the purposes for our visit today was to see her house again. It held so many fond memories for Jess and she regaled us with many tales from her childhood. There was so many funny stories that this little penguin couldn’t help but smile and laugh at them, but I knew how sad Jess was that she was gone. I gave her a hug which I hoped helped. This little penguin suggests you all hug the people you love right now!
After the somberness of visiting Granny Jean’s house, we made our way back to the wharf area. There we decided that we would share a lunch together and when Jess saw that they had pie floaters on the menu, she insisted we try one since it was a South Australian tradition. Mr Smart and I had grave misgivings about the idea but we always like to try everything at least once, so we agreed. It was just as well that we did since it turned out to be quite delicious. Even Jess was impressed by the quality of it and decided that it was one of the best she had ever had.
After finishing our meal, we ventured over to the nearby Steam Exchange micro-brewery to acquire some presents for Jess’s brother. They had a fine selection on offer and Mr Smart would have probably enjoyed having a schooner or two to taste, but sadly our train ride back wasn’t too far away.
Jess and Mr Smart decided on the beers that they would be purchasing and we made our way back to the station in plenty of time to catch the last train back to Victor Harbor. The ride back was just as fun as the ride in, and also included a stop along the way to spot some more whales.
After arriving back at Victor Harbor, we returned to our room for a rest break before heading to the hotel’s restaurant for dinner. They had many tasty options and I had to consider the menu carefully before deciding on what we would have for dinner.
It seemed that I chose wisely, as the food they served up was quite divine. I was quite partial to the school prawns, though Mr Smart didn’t seem too fond of them. The only thing that remained was a dessert and coffee to cap off a wonderful and memorable day.
Time for this little penguin to get some sleep!
Love from Pengi.
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