Train journeys can be quite enterntaining. Once you have resigned yourself to the long day ahead you can start enjoying the views outside, and, even more interestingly, the views inside the train, the human zoo.
My 13 hour train journey to Menindee proved to be one of these trips.
It was a really early start, leaving at 6.20am, with 12 long hours to look forward to.
Australian trains are fairly comfortable, and not used by the public very much. The expansion of Virgin Blue or Jet Star has killed what was left of it, and now most people fly. However the little town I was heading to didnt have an airport, so the train was the logical solution.
On our way I managed to see some great landscapes, rugged mountains, eucaliptus forests, and the normally dry plains of the Outback, but as it had just rained they were covered in a carpet of lush green.
Inside the train it was even more interesting in terms of people watching. A lot of elderly people seemed to travel on this train, their traveling heavily discounted.
The couple behind me were just plain odd. He was making notes of each time we passed a kilometer sign and a half kilometer sign, so thats lots and lots of notes this being an 850km journey. His intention was to calculate the speed of the train at each time. His friend, this old dear, had the highest pitch voice I have ever come across, sounding more like a 5 year old child than someone near 70, though she clearly had her wits about her.
Obviously Australians being as they are, everyone had to come and enquiry about the gentleman's strange hobby.
There was a group of short haired, larger than average arse, fleece wearing lesbians, that every so often got off the train and started to do stretches on the platforms, as if they were on a long haul flight and were worried about the pressure.
Things went fine til I got to Menindee and found no one was waiting for me...panic was about to strike as I was in the middle of nowhere, and I didn't have my hosts number...
But eventually Barb came to pick me up and we drove the 50K to the farm.
There was a time that the farm, then called Netley Station, extended over 1 million acres, had 100,000 sheep, and cows and horses on top of that...I can't even imagine the size of this.
The farm was then split into several parts, and Bill and Barb bought Bindara in 1980. The drought has meant that they have had to get rid of most of their animals and there are only 25 cattle and 20 sheep or something like that left. They seem to have found a good source of income with eco tourism, as they have people staying in the cottages at the back of the farm, plus caravans and campers.
So far this thing of woofing has been good, I get up early, have some breakfast, work for a few hours in the vegetable garden, lunch, then work for a few more hours and then enjoy the end of the day with a walk.
If Barb and Bill were from Mars we may have had more things in common. They are a deeply Christian, Labour hating family, with a natural misstrust of anything that comes from the Government or the big cities. Nonetheless, as far as it goes I am enjoying my time here. They are extremely welcoming, friendly, and I am learning about a way of life that I am amazed to discover still exists.
Let's see what happens over the next few days.
It is the most climbed, and probably most photographed peak in NZ. This is Lord of the Rings Country, in front of us is Mount Doom, actually known as Mt Ngauruhoe, if I am not wrong it is where Sauron forged the One Ring.
And a different view of the mountain, didn't get to see that one....
However, covered in snow it looks completely different. Throughout the day we will come across other areas that were used in the movies. Sarah and Collin pushed us a bit as we were behind schedule and if we didn't make up time we might not be able to do the crossing, get to the highest point and come back. 
This seemed to work a treat and we all speeded up a bit. One of the most amazing things of the day was walking through some of the dead craters, which in the summer time are use for camping and playing rugby and cricket. Around midday we reached the highest point and Sarah confirmed that we would be able to the crossing. We had been told to bring our own lunch so I had prepared myself some pasta with eggs and bacon and brought lots of fruit to snack on the way. I was surprised when people starting taking out little sandwiches. It goes beyond me how people can live on one or two sandwiches. It is ok for a mid morning snack, what the hobbits will call elevenser's. So, when I was ready to tackle my huge lunch box a tragedy occurred.......i had forgotten my knife and fork!!!! I had brought extra salt and pepper, but nothing to eat my meal with......I soon realized that no one else would have a spare fork, they did not even have one that I could use after they had finished, so I decided to eat my dinner Indian style.
I loved the place where we stopped for lunch. The ground was warm, all snow had melted away, and steam was rising. The geothermal heat from the volcanoes comes through the soil and warms you up. As we needed to speed up Sarah decided that the best way to descend was to slide down the slope of the mountain . It was not a great look for me as I was instructed to tuck my fleece and jacket into my tracksuit bottoms and to slide on my arse - it was great fun if a bit undignified.
As I am sliding the small of rotten eggs hits me in the face. Initially I wondered how someone could fart so badly that I would notice it in this open space but as I got to the bottom I realized it could not be someone's wind. I eventually asked and someone explained it was the sulphur coming from the volcano. At the bottom of the slope we walked for a while through another snow-filled crater but now we had to set the tracks. At this time of the year there are hardly any trampers and the snow is pristine from the previous night, making walking a bit harder, but all that more scenic. Once we get across the mountains, and rest for a bit in the last hut/toiltet, the descent seems to be taking forever. The adrenaline kick you get from the views and the sliding wears off and now I am just dying to get to the end. I just want to get out of my wet socks......The team that took us there has the bus waiting for us, with some beers, how very thoughtful.
All in all it has been a great day, an amazing experience, and I am glad that I have been sensible and done it with a group, sometimes it is good to know your limitations. I am shattered and, although Andy invited me to go out with him and his snowboarding mates, I think I am just going to hit the sack.....
Volcanoes standing in the not too distanct bring back memories of hobbits, elfs and Aragon, and I am expecting to find Gandalf at some point while I am here.
