Review: Adina Sydney Central

For this stay I was hosted by TFE Hotels.

For some reason, my go-to locality when staying in Sydney is Railway Square.

This slightly messy plaza to the west of Central Station is linked to the suburban rail platforms by a seemingly interminable pedestrian tunnel, with a scattering of fast food joints and hotels around its adjacent bus station.

Though it's busy in terms of both vehicles and foot traffic, it's very handy when I'm travelling as it's a short hop on the train line from the airport.

As it's Central Station, of course, it's on the train line (and two tram lines) to everywhere. In addition to suburban trains, I've caught the sleeper train to Melbourne from there twice, and the mighty Indian Pacific train to Perth three times.

I flit between two sets of accommodation at Railway Square: either the YHA Railway Square hostel, or the Adina Sydney Central. On my way to Seoul on my recent South Korea visit, I stayed overnight at the latter.

The Adina, an apartment hotel, sits within the magnificent Parcel Post Office which was constructed in 1912 to serve the railway station. It's a lovely building, with a sandstone and brick facade that appears both functional and attractive:

My room had a simple modern, uncluttered look. I liked the natural light allowed by the big old-fashioned windows, though sadly they didn't open to let in fresh air.

There was a touch of colour and comfort in my room, but mostly it was practical and businesslike, with the sort of big functional desk I really appreciate.

Downstairs there was a pleasant lobby, and out the back a decent-sized swimming pool with a view of the station's fine clock tower.

Off Henry Deane Plaza in the square there's a small supermarket for DIY catering, and a number of informal eateries including a good cafe, Coffee Trails, and an outlet of my favourite Sydney chain, the German bakery Luneburger.

If you're looking for a no-fuss, conveniently-located place to stay in Sydney, the Adina Sydney Central is an excellent choice.

Just the Facts:
Adina Apartment Hotel Sydney Central
2 Lee St, Sydney, Australia
Phone: +61 2 9356 5062
Web: www.adinahotels.com
Rates: Rooms from A$150 per night. 

NSW Summer Series: Sydney Light Rail (Part 2)

Through January, I'm running a series of my previously published print articles about New South Wales. 

Last post, I started on a trip along Sydney's light rail line in 2011. Now the journey continues...

Tram Stop: Fish Market

As I step out of the tram, I can smell the faint aroma of seafood wafting up from the Sydney Fish Market. It’s a fascinating place, still a working market but also a place for visitors to drop by to enjoy a meal.

Its perimeter is dotted with shops both selling seafood to take home, and serving fish meals. On the waterfront, Claudio’s (Bank St) is packed with people browsing large trays of prawns on ice, oysters, and other marine edibles.

A nearby boardwalk runs along Blackwattle Bay, where stubby floating quays serve serious-looking fishing boats decked out with crates and nets.

The boardwalk is set with fixed tables in front of a strip of eateries, and dotted with people eating, and taking in the bay and the industrial relics along the shoreline. I’m struck by the array of dishes they’re sharing, from straightforward fish and chips, to meals best tackled with chopsticks.

The market’s a pleasant spot to visit, but I’m pleased to see it’s not as tarted up as similar precincts throughout the world; there’s still a rough-edged authenticity to the place. 

Tram Stop: Paddy’s Markets

As the name suggests, this stop serves the famous markets which have been located in Haymarket since the early 19th century.

On the other side of the rails, however, is Sydney’s Chinatown, and I’m interested in trying out a regional cuisine I’ve never before encountered.

Following busy Dixon Street through Chinatown to its quieter northern end brings me to Uighur Cuisine (2 Dixon St), a restaurant serving dishes from China’s northwestern Xinjiang province.

Being largely Muslim and connected by cultural ties to Central Asia, this part of China is quite different to the eastern regions that Australians are more familiar with. The Uighurs have produced a cuisine that’s distinctly different from what we usually think of as Chinese food.

The interior of the restaurant is that of a suburban ethnic eatery, down to the stark lighting, plastic vine leaves strung across the ceiling, and a bouquet of artificial flowers on the paper “cloth” across my table.

The images on the menu have an emphasis on lamb dishes, and so I order the goshnan, a kind of lamb mince pie, along with a salad of transparent noodles threaded with capsicum slices and a spicy red sauce. With a dash of vinegar or soy sauce from the bottles on the table, it’s a tasty meal.

As exotic music plays over the restaurant’s speakers, I chew happily while watching spectacular flashes of flame occasionally light up the open kitchen.

Other Attractions

There are many other sights located along the Metro Light Rail line, including the Capitol Theatre (tram stop: Capitol Square); the Powerhouse Museum (tram stop: Paddy’s Markets); the Chinese Garden (tram stop: Exhibition Centre); Darling Harbour restaurants, shops and museums (tram stops: Convention and Pyrmont Bay); and the casino (tram stop: The Star).

For more information about Sydney's light rail service, visit this section of the Transport NSW site.

NSW Summer Series: Sydney Light Rail (Part 1)

Over the rest of January, I'll be running two of my previously published print articles about New South Wales, Australia.

This article was first published in 2011, so some details may have changed. However, as Sydney is currently in the process of expanding its single tram line into a larger network, it seems apt to revisit attractions along the route of the existing light rail service...

“He shot through like a Bondi tram!”

It’s fading now, but this colourful expression was part of the Australian idiom for many decades, meaning to depart at high speed. Whether Sydney trams were ever that fast is another question; but since the city’s tramways were closed in the 1960s, there’s been little chance to find out.

Which is a pity, as around the world trams are back in fashion for their environmental positives. They’re also a tourist attraction in themselves, in cities as diverse as San Francisco, Lisbon and Melbourne.

There is, however, one exception - Sydney’s Light Rail, which opened in 1997 and runs along the route of a disused goods line that once snaked through the industrial suburbs of the inner west.

Though overshadowed by the big-ticket tourist attractions on Sydney Harbour, the tram line is a microcosm of Sydney, taking in restaurants, tourist districts, cultural attractions, neighbourhood shopping strips and suburban parks.

It’d appeal to anyone who’s been to Sydney more than once and is looking for something new - and today, that’s me. Stepping aboard at Central Station, I set out to discover some of the city’s lesser-known attractions at the stops along the way.

Tram Stop: John Street Square

Passing up the restaurants and museums by the tram line’s initial stops, I head onward to Pyrmont, to a cafe I’ve been told is a great place to have breakfast.

At this point the line lies within a deep cutting, and its rough-hewn stone walls add an unexpected dash of grandeur.

At the top of a steep flight of stairs (where I belatedly discover a lift) is Harris Street, an appealing collection of weathered buildings that speak of Pyrmont’s working-class past.

On one corner there’s a dilapidated old shopfront with a pitched roof, and opposite it is the atmospheric facade of the Terminus Hotel, clearly closed for decades and covered with old beer ads and a tracery of ivy.

A few doors down from these relics is Bar Zini (78 Harris St), a symbol of the gentrification of this area. Slotted into a narrow shopfront, it’s a light modern space with dark timber furniture, exposed floorboards and a long counter, a modern Australian take on the classic Italian cafe.

From the short breakfast menu I choose a panino filled with double smoked ham, tomato, fontina cheese, basil and tomato salsa. It’s basically a fancy version of a toasted ham and cheese sandwich - and it’s very tasty.

Tram Stop: Jubilee Park

From this stop I have a great view over a suburban gem that tourists seldom visit - the perfect circle of Jubilee Park, an old-fashioned cricket ground with a white picket fence and dainty pavilion, nestled within the curve of the old railway viaduct which carries the tram line.

Beyond the park is Rozelle Bay, one of the many nooks of Sydney Harbour. It’s a pleasant walk past the cricket ground and through Bicentennial Park, a former industrial space that was redeveloped as waterside parkland in recent years.

The view from the waterline is a snapshot of the area’s history, with neatly manicured greenery on one shore and a collection of shipyards and old factories on the other, including huge silos in the direction of the modern ANZAC Bridge. I sit on a bench with a view over the water, enjoying this haven, a quiet space on a weekday morning.

Tram Stop: Glebe

Backtracking, I step out at Glebe, whose tram stop opens onto a fascinating streetscape of sandstone ex-warehouses beneath a narrow park set into a cut, with a row of terrace houses high above.

A short walk away is Glebe Point Road, an attractive shopping strip lined with genteel terrace houses and lush gardens on one side, and shops on the other.

In the 19th century shopfronts there’s both the old and new: retro furniture shops, classy fashion boutiques, sushi outlets, Thai restaurants, discount stores, antiques emporiums and day spas. It has a village atmosphere, but one updated for the 21st century.

I walk along to Gleebooks (49 Glebe Point Rd), a renowned independent bookshop that’s a veteran of the strip and the host to many literary events. Inside, the lofty interior is crammed with volumes, the shelves taking up every part of the shop floor that isn’t necessary for customer access.

Browsing the stock, I’m pleased to spot two novels by my favourite British humorist, PG Wodehouse. In the self-help section in the centre, my eye is drawn to titles such as Hamlet’s Blackberry and Why We Lie; and I can’t help smiling at a copy of Stuff White People Like, a humorous poke at the tastes of people who live in gentrified suburbs just like Glebe.

[Next post: Fish out of water, and dishes of the East...] 

Review: My Fair Lady, Sydney

The rain in Spain
falls mainly
in the plain

The test of a good musical (or perhaps an effective musical) is whether its tunes and lyrics stick in your head after the final curtain.

In the case of My Fair Lady, that's a given. Hours after Narrelle and I filed out of the Sydney Opera House after being hosted by Destination New South Wales, the above number was still on loop in my brain.

This musical is not short of memorable songs. In addition to the one about weather conditions in the Iberian peninsula, other famous numbers include Wouldn't It be Loverly, I Could Have Danced All Night, and Get Me to the Church on Time.

They're performed with skill and confidence by the ensemble of this revival of the 1956 hit musical, which was based on George Bernard Shaw's play about a professor of linguistics attempting to mould a Cockney flower girl into a lady of refinement.

Interestingly, this version directed by Julie Andrews has the feel of a Hollywood movie of the postwar era.

Costume colours brighter and more stylised than anything seen on an Edwardian London street give the production a hint of vivid Technicolor. The the fine performance of Alex Jennings as Professor Higgins also has a hint of Rex Harrison's portrayal in the 1964 film of the musical.

Australian actor Anna O'Byrne plays the feisty Eliza, giving 'Enry 'Iggins as good as she gets with a bold performance full of personality.

The sense of artifice - the reminder that we're watching a story - is reinforced by the set design, with the entire stage enclosed within a giant golden frame that suggests a portrait.

Added to the stylised colour scheme and the distinctive sets, it suggests a production that doesn't want us to take it too seriously.

Is this distancing born of insecurity about whether the story would hold up in the 21st century? If so, the producers needn't have worried.

There's plenty here that contemporary audiences can relate to: Higgins' overwhelming sense of entitlement, the class prejudices symbolised by accents, the objectification of a young woman without regard to her actual needs, and the use of money to justify anything.

This production of My Fair Lady is sharp and snappy, with strong performances by both its stars and supporting actors. It won't change your life, but it has a lot of catchy numbers - and more food for thought than you first expect.

My Fair Lady continues to 5 November 2016 at the Sydney Opera House, then travels to Brisbane (March 2017) and Melbourne (May 2017). For more information and bookings, visit the production's website.

Doctor in the House: Doctor Who Press Conference, Sydney

When I received my invitation to the Sydney instalment of "Doctor Who: The World Tour", a whirlwind series of press conferences promoting the new series of the BBC science fiction TV series, I jumped at the opportunity.

Setting up a separate piece of travel writing research and some business meetings in order to justify the journey north, I flew up yesterday. This morning, heading toward the Dendy Cinemas near the Opera House, I suspected I'd found the right location when I saw this:

We would see more of that blue box later, in completed form.

Meanwhile, our miscellaneous group of mainstream media, freelancers, bloggers and fans (well, we were probably all fans of the show), were ushered into a cinema theatre after signing a non-disclosure form which I couldn't actually read in the dim light.

I think it said something along the lines of "If you disclose any spoilers from the following screening, the BBC will arrange for the deletion of your personal timeline."

So I can't tell you anything about what happened after Adam Spencer stood in front of the screen and announced we were about to view episode 1 of Peter Capaldi's first season as The Doctor.

I will say this: it was very good. As foreshadowed, they've given this incarnation of The Doctor a darker, more serious character, a turnabout from the energetic high spirits of The Doctor as played by Matt Smith.

A very welcome development from this change is the deepening of the character of Clara, as played by Jenna Coleman.

Now matched with a Doctor old enough to be her father, it was necessary we see the consequences of that shift in their relationship - and the episode, "Deep Breath", does an excellent job of repositioning her from Doctor's larky playmate to a more substantial companion.

The episode is spoiled a little, in my opinion, by writer Steven Moffat's ever-present need to include emotional button-pushing (please don't tell me what to feel, SM, I can work that out myself). Other than that caveat, it's a solid start to a new era.

After the screening, Capaldi and Coleman took to the stage for the press conference proper, fielding questions from the audience. They were confident and thoughtful in their answers, and clearly have a warm working relationship.

I asked Capaldi about his Doctor speaking in the actor's natural Scottish accent when fellow Scot David Tennant had chosen a standard English accent for the role.

"We did try some other options," he responded. "But I wanted to bring the role to myself, not cover it with layers."

Some other random quotes of interest I jotted down from Capaldi:

"The very first thing i had to do [when filming], was go into the TARDIS for the first time. It's not really bigger on the inside... there's me, Jenna, and a prop guy with a smoke gun."

A joking comment on the period before his ascendance to the role was announced: "I was pleased that no-one mentioned me, but also peeved that no-one mentioned me. A little insulted."

On knowing what lies ahead in the series: "I'm particularly kept in the dark, because I've asked to be kept in the dark."

"I didn't have a lot of input into the character of The Doctor. I trust Steven [Moffat] implicitly as a writer."

Coleman confirmed that the two knew little about the storylines ahead, other than the episode they were working on at the time.

She also commented on how interesting it had been as an actor to adjust to acting opposite a new character who was also an existing character.

Challenged by Spencer to each produce three words to sum up the seaon of episodes ahead, Coleman said "Good versus bad". Capaldi, more cryptically, came up with "tiny / listen / beware."

After the presser, we trooped out to quayside on Sydney Harbour for a photo call, with TARDIS and Sydney Harbour Bridge in the background. I'll leave you with a selection of shots:

As the photo call broke up and Capaldi and his minders headed off in the direction of the Opera House, I said "Good luck, Peter" and he shook my hand.

That makes three Doctors I've met over 20+ years, including Peter Davison in 1983 and Sylvester McCoy when he was in Melbourne a few years ago, playing (of course) the fool in King Lear.

Wonderful chap, all of them.

The eighth season of the 21st century edition of Doctor Who commences on 23/24 August worldwide, with the screening of "Deep Breath" (on ABC1 in Australia).

Disclosure time: On this trip to Sydney I was hosted by Travelodge Wynyard.

The Bed Report 2: Vibe Hotel Sydney Accommodation Review

Last week I attended the Storyology media conference in Sydney.

The venue was in Surry Hills, an easy walk from Sydney's Central Station.

This meant I was able to fly up from Melbourne at 6am, take the ten-minute train journey from SYD to Central, and walk to Reservoir Street in time to grab a coffee from Single Origin and be at the conference centre's doors at 8am.

Then, conference over, I walked five minutes north to my accommodation, the Vibe Hotel Sydney.

I'm fond of Vibe. It's a niche brand of the Toga Group, which also operates Travelodge hotels in Australia, and Adina apartment hotels worldwide.

Vibe is designed to be the opposite of the stuffy conservative business hotel, incorporating decor with a cool retro feel. There's a sense of fun about the design which I appreciate, especially when coming from a mind-bending conference about the future of journalism.

The Vibe Sydney lobby didn't disappoint. Near the colourful chairs and curvy urn-shaped lamps was a Happy Buddha statue, arms upraised in the sheer joy of being alive. Or perhaps, the sheer joy of being ceramic.

Upstairs, my room was a large space with plentiful windows looking down upon the gritty streetscape around Central Station. Chinatown and Darling Harbour are easy walking distance from here, as is Hyde Park.

This part of Sydney is never going to win awards for its lyrical beauty, but there's a energetic hum about its streets which is appealing. Standing at the glass, I could see the traffic below snaking away in the dark at the end of working day, with the brightly lit railway station in the background.

The living room's decor followed Vibe's trademark vaguely '60s retro look. The comfortable sofas were long and lime green with reddish-brown cushions, standing on a dark brown chocolate brown carpet. There were bright prints on the wall, with orange and brown tones.

The benchtop above the mini bar had plenty of space. I was particularly impressed to see the kettle standing right next to a handy power point. This shouldn't really have been so impressive, but it's amazing how many hotels make it awkward to plug in the kettle anywhere convenient and/or safe.

The bedroom was relatively plain but comfortably furnished, its green walls matching the colour of the sofa out in the living room. The shiny black-tiled bathroom had a bath in addition to the shower.

A negative in the bedroom: the pillows were too firm for my liking, a common hotel issue. But a big positive: the bedroom windows blessedly opened to allow in some fresh air.

Because of my conference commitments, I didn't have much time to explore the rest of the hotel. The breakfast room was open and pleasant, and I was informed of the existence of a pool and fitness room somewhere within the premises.

There was also a rooftop terrace, apparently. Next time I stay, I'm checking it out [work commitments permitting].

Just the Facts:
Vibe Hotel Sydney
111 Goulburn St, Sydney NSW 2000, Australia
Phone: 02 8272 3300 (International +61 2 8272 3300)
Web: www.vibehotels.com.au/hotels/new-south-wales/sydney/cbd/vibe-sydney
Rates: From $135 per night

Disclosure time... I received complimentary accommodation at this property. To read previous accommodation reviews, click on The Bed Report label below.

Parramatta Dreaming

I'm in Sydney this weekend - more specifically in Parramatta, researching a travel article about the western suburb. Almost everyone I've mentioned this to says something like "Parramatta! Good god. Why?".

It seems that Parra has a bad reputation, and people know it only as bland or dangerous. Having lobbed in yesterday from Melbourne by plane and train, however, I've been pleasantly surprised.

It's true that there's still a bit of, ahem, edginess about the place, complete with - how shall I put this? - colourful characters idling on park benches or complaining to invisible strangers.

But there's also a lot of colour in the streetscapes and the random art, new and old, found along them. Here are a few examples I spotted on a sunny Friday...

1. Three Ropes Espresso. In an alley off a slightly dodgy street running parallel to the railway line is this new cafe, borrowing a leaf from Melbourne's alleyway cool. The graffiti-esque bird is by a Sydney artist, and the two guys running the place are entertainment in themselves. 

If you drop into the cafe in Darcy Lane, ask Andy to tell you the gruesome story behind the place's name, involving a convict they tried to hang three times...

 2. Church of the Ages. This is the remarkable St John's Church, in a broad square off the Church Street shopping strip. I say remarkable because of its interesting chronology. The original brick church building was constructed in 1803, with its twin towers and steeples not completed until 1819.

A few decades on, however, the original building was demolished and replaced with a stone church completed in 1855. The new church, however, retained the 1819 towers, as you can see here. Reminds me of the axe which had its handle replaced, then its head; was it still the same axe?

 3. The Statue Aquatic. This curious 1983 work by Richard Goodwin outside the old Town Hall reminded Narrelle and I obscurely of rubber-suited monsters we'd seen in old Doctor Who episodes.

An arts brochure from the Discover Parramatta website takes a more sensible view, describing it as "Three figures represent humanity striving against resistance. They are not completely beaten; one is winning his struggle. The water represents the source of life, the Parramatta River." Gloomy or optimistic? Your call.

 4. From One Hundred to Beyond. I was quite delighted to find this outlandish 19th century folly further along Church Street. It was erected in 1888 to mark the centenary of Parramatta's founding, which happened just months after that of Sydney.

To my (twisted?) mind, these Victorian-era monuments look like steampunk space rockets about to lift off for Queen and Empire...

 5. Horses for Courses. This horse was one of two spotted on a commercial building near the monument. There was no explanatory detail to be spotted, but I wouldn't mind betting it used to be a pub...

 6. Eels Above. Further north along Church Street was this striking piece of art, suspended above the centre of the street. The conical shapes represent the eel traps which the local Aboriginal people, the Burramatta, once used to trap the local eels:

 7. Paint Box. And finally, this was a junction box (I assume) on the side of the street. On it was a simple piece of art, easily overlooked, but it transformed a bland everyday thing into a treat for the eye. Which hopefully is the current trajectory for the much maligned Parramatta...

Disclosure time... on this trip I was hosted by the Mantra Parramatta.

Sydney's Hidden Tank Stream

There's nothing I like more than discovering a completely hidden feature of a city, and the Tank Stream in Sydney is a fine example of that.

When the city was founded in 1788, its fresh water came from this stream, which flowed into Sydney Harbour where Circular Quay is today.

In fact the Tank Stream is the very reason for Sydney's location, as Captain Arthur Phillip decided to build the new town here because of the presence of this fresh water source; following in the footsteps of Aboriginal inhabitants who had camped near the creek for the same reason.

At one point, the new settlers carved water storage tanks out of stone next to the stream, giving it its modern name.

Over the centuries the creek was polluted and covered over by the modern city, which drew its water from other sources. However, if you keep an eye out on Sydney's streets, you can still trace its now-subterranean course.

Here's what I saw when I went looking for the Tank Stream last year (ably assisted by this excellent web page by Jens Korff)...

1. Tank Stream Fountain. Just back from Circular Quay off Alfred Street, I found this 1981 fountain commemorating the stream and its crucial role in Sydney's early life. Aptly, it's a watery oasis among the concrete buildings, decked out with sculptures of plant and animal life:

2. Tankstream installation. The fountain was easy to spot, but the Tankstream art installation was not. Created in 1999 by artist Lynne Roberts-Goodwin, it consists of a series of markers set into the pavement through the city centre, following the original course of the creek. Here's the first one I located, near the fountain on the corner of Alfred and Pitt Streets:

On the long arm of each marker is a quote from Captain Watkin Tench, who in 1788 described the "small stream of fresh water" which would sustain the new settlement. The shorter arm was, I believe, originally fitted with a blue light which would simulate running water - but doesn't do so now.

3. Tank Stream Way. Further south I walked along Tank Stream Way, which contains the Tank Stream Bar. This laneway runs off Bridge Street, named after the bridge which once crossed the stream here. I was delighted to discover three double sets of Tankstream markers embedded in the foyer of the office building at 17 Bridge Street:

4. Following the flow. More markers appeared as I walked south, including one outside a sushi bar and a double set pointing to the General Post Office building in Martin Place:

 

5. Beneath the GPO. Most of the building is now given over to shops and eateries, but tucked away in the basement I entered a small but fascinating museum display about the history of the GPO and the Tank Stream. Exhibits included sections of brick drains which once enclosed the stream, and objects found in its waters:

 

6. Hidden Swamp. The Tankstream installation ran out after a final double marker in the Pitt Street Mall...

... but I continued on to the area just west of Hyde Park where the Tank Stream once sprang from swamps. I wanted to mark their presence so I took a seat at the rather swish Bambini Trust Bar (found via Kate Armstrong's fine Sydney Travel Guide app) and ordered a long macchiato ($4.50) and the hummus and candied orange dip ($11).

As I sipped coffee and ate my expensive dip, Sydney's first fresh water gurgled unseen far beneath my feet, making its way to the harbour as it had done for millennia.

This post was sponsored by Accommodation.com. Check out its site for accommodation in Sydney.

Aboard the Santa Train 1: Sydney to Adelaide

Happy New Year!

Those of you with decent memories may remember me taking the Indian Pacific train from Sydney to Perth two years (and about 100 blog posts) ago.

As you may recall, each year the train's operator Great Southern Rail lays on a special Outback Christmas train carrying a pop singer and Santa Claus.

Concerts are staged along the way, raising money for the Royal Flying Doctor Service.

The 2011 call came and I was invited aboard, this time in the company of the talented singer Jessica Mauboy (though I admit I had to look up who she was - my fault, not hers).

As I wrote a lot about the journey last time, this time I thought I'd share images from stops along the way, adding some comments.

1. Sydney (15:00, 7 Dec 2011)

The Indian Pacific is so long that it can't fit a single platform at Sydney's Central Station; it's split over two, then shunted together once everyone's aboard.

A few fast facts about our edition of the train:

• From Sydney to Perth, it would cover 4,352 kilometres;
• It contained 27 carriages;
• The entire train was a vast 639 metres long.

2. Near Bathurst (20:20, 7 Dec 2011)

As we were having dinner, the sun obligingly set in memorable fashion on my side of the restaurant carriage. It's not easy to take photos through glass, but this came out quite well:

3. Bathurst (20:40, 7 Dec 2011)

 

We were an hour late into Bathurst, so these kids had been putting in extra time entertaining the crowd gathered at the station for the free concert. A few speeches quickly delivered, then Jessica Mauboy hit the stage with her backing vocalist and two guitarists. 

The pattern was the same for each concert - Ms Mauboy would sing a few of her own songs, then the kids would join her in Mariah Carey's All I Want for Christmas is You. In this case, with choreographed hand movements.

4. Near Broken Hill (08:30, 8 Dec 2011)

I snapped this shot of the empty Queen Adelaide restaurant carriage just before breakfast. Elegant, isn't it?

Meals were a highlight of the journey; with an interesting gang of media from across the world aboard the train, it was good to mix up the seating regularly to meet someone new.

We were supposed to stop at Broken Hill before breakfast, for another concert and a coach tour around town. Unfortunately, track works on this section of the journey had so slowed the train that we were now running very late and Silver City had to be skipped to catch up time.

However, I later heard that Jess Mauboy had made a point of getting out briefly at the station to say hello to a few fans who'd hung on in the hope of meeting her. Whatta gal. 

5. Adelaide (17:30, 8 Dec 2011)

We pulled into Adelaide over two hours late, so there was little chance of travelling into the nearby city centre. The train was due to pull out again in an hour, hoping to get its schedule back on (ahem) track.

So I hung around the GSR facility at Adelaide Parklands Station to see the next concert. Despite the delay, there was a crowd of 100 or so to see the singer, and to listen to a moving story about how the Royal Flying Doctor Service flew a young man to Melbourne for an organ transplant.

6. Nearing the Great Victoria Desert, South Australia (06:30, 9 Dec 2011)

So far on the journey we'd passed through a variety of landscapes, both urban and bush. Now, back on schedule, we were entering the most fascinating landscape of the journey - desert, including the stark Nullarbor Plain.

This early morning snap from the train (note the Xmas decoration) is still mostly green, but the low scrub and red earth are a hint of what's soon to come...

Join me next week for song and tears on a treeless plain, lively downtown Cook (population 4), studiously cool stockmen, seriously underdressed barmaids, and a shining new ocean.

Disclosure time... on this trip I travelled courtesy of Great Southern Rail.