Initiation into Overnight Sleepers

My goodness, it’s dark on the top bunk of a sleeper as you hurtle through the night. 9.30pm. Boarding the Sunlander at Proserpine means the seat is gone and there’s bunk beds instead. Bad luck if your top bunk with a crook leg! Luckily, there’s my trusty little torch and some MacDonalds cookies to munch on during the night. Rather strange to be lying down sideways as you move forward, so for a while I just sat and listened to my audiobook on the trusty ipod. 5am Rockhampton coming up. Time for other passengers to leave. Toilet at the end of the carriage so it’s a good opportunity. Feeling like Long John Silver with a peg leg, I venture out and manage to return safely. No idea how to lock the door of the sleeper. Later, the magic key was discovered on the seat when the beds went back up. Pretty snazzy how the bunks change into seats, quite comfy and much more spacious. First Class is fine, but I wonder what it’s like in Queenslander(=Scone) Class. Breakfast beckons.

 Where on earth am I? No idea even in daylight. Sugarcane and scrub. Ahha! a sign for Bundaberg coming up. Late into Maryborough West but what does it matter? Here’s the bus and there’s still plenty of time for the Ferry to Fraser Island.

Recently, while chatting with a group of scone devotees about my Sunlander journey, they happily regaled me with lots of wonderful stories of their overnight train trips as students and travellers.

Train travel obviously makes people happy, just like scones.