Monday, January 3, 2011
It is the last day of the holiday season for most people here.....which means Deb and Scott both have to go back to work tomorrow (yes I do too but I also had to work last week when they didn't). We decided that we would take a short drive down the road to a little place call Adelaide River. They have a small hotel there that is said to have some great burgers and a few World War II historical sights.
The sign at the old train station that would welcome people to town. They say this little train station (now part of the museum) is the last remaining one of it's kind in Australia.
We headed out around 1130 to make the hour long drive.....stopping to pick up Tommi and then headed down the highway. We arrived just in time for lunch and had a few burgers....which were good, but certainly not the best I've ever had. But unlike at lot of things here in the Northern Territory, there were reasonably priced and a great value for your dollar.From there we headed over to the Historic Railway Precinct which is home to a Railway Museum. Of course the museum is not just about the railway but more about the whole history of the area. The railway played a big role in transporting people and cattle and even a hospital to the area and to and from Adelaide River over the years.
One of the buildings and one of the remaining rail cars on the site. Construction on the rail line started in 1886 and the first service between Darwin and Adelaide River commenced in July 1888. The train ran this route until 1976.
This is a wheel lathe. For a moment I couldn't tell you much about it except that it was big and old and now made it's home here at the museum. But then I Googled it and found this great Newsletter. Probably dated from 1888 it weighs 9 tonnes. It was only moved to it's current location in 2005. Anyway, check out the newsletter from 2006. Have I ever mentioned before that I love Google. http://www.atr.org.au/specials/nt_all_aboardapr06.pdf
Maybe this is what we need for the toilet seat.
The W stands for Whistle. This sign served as a reminder to the train conductors that a road crossing was ahead and they needed to sound the train whistle as a warning.
No the dog is not a part of the museum, but he does belong to the couple who look after the place. They are a source of endless information about the history in the area. The dog was very cute and friendly so I had to take a picture of him.
The old tracks that the train would have travelled down. No longer in use, this stretch of tracks is at the 77 mile mark of the 125 mile Palmerston and Pine Creek Railway.
An old crossing.......and some very new storm clouds in the background.
An old cattle car. Not just used to transport livestock, these cars were also used to transport soldiers to and from the area. The boys would be forced to sleep and sit on their (and sometimes their neighbours) duffel bags for the trip since cattle cars obviously contained no seats. The caretaker of the museum claims this is where the saying "sit on your duff" comes from. You might be interested to know that these same cattle cars were used as moving hospitals to transport patients and staff around the area.
Adelaide River. We had to stop because Deb has been told you can almost always spot a croc lazing around in the water. On this day however, the water was moving far too fast so this lone fisher lady was all we saw.
It was then a nice drive back to Darwin. I took a nap (I love that Scott always drives). There are a lot more things in Adelaide River to see. Not sure if I will make it back down there but if you ever drive through, stop for a burger and check out some history.
Julie
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