Ash Travels on the Trains in Melbourne. Day 1.

(Originally, I was going to guest post this to Em's blog, but then I thought I might as well put it on my own, even as it will be the only thing here. Like, ever.)

Ash Travels on the Trains in Melbourne.
Day 1 - The Williamstown, Werribee, Sydenham, Broadmeadows, Upfield, Epping and Hurstbridge lines.

8. 29. Seddon. The 8.22-Werribee just arrived. Lovely, delays already! The Williamstown train "is now expected in 8 minutes". Also, it's raining.


8.33. Still Seddon. Listen to music while waiting. The first song of the day (on my mp3-plyer set to 'random'-mode) is Legion by VNV Nation.

8. 38. Leaving Seddon! Finally!

8.49. Arrive Williamstown. Verdict on Williamstown line: Short. Quite nice. Very suburban idyll sort of thing.


8.53. Leaving Williamstown! Only 9 min behind schedule. Listen to Hasta la vista by Olexander (that's Ukraine's 2003 ESC song, for those of you not keeping track of that sort of important information).

8.59. Arr. Newport. Changing trains. My Werribee train is to leave at 9.08 so back on schedule! Beautiful!

9.03. Fuck. Spoke too quickly there. Werribee train now "expected in 13 minutes".

9.15. Leave Newport.

9.43. Arr. Werribee. Verdict: Very 'open' line. Industries, sure, but also open fields and some somewhat rugged looking suburbia, but flat land. Nice to see the horizon! Also, the sea can be glimpsed between Newport and Seaholme.


9.49. Leaving Werribee. Appearently this is supposed to be a "9.46"-train, My schedule says 9.51. Now worried there is something wrong with it. (Morning star / Amorphis)

10.27. Arr. Footscray. Change. 7 min behind schedule now due to wait in Westona. We had to wait for the train fram the other direction as there is just one set of railway track between Westone-Seaholme. Gargh.

10.31. Leaving Footscray, on time! (Song of Toreadors / Bizet)

10.40. Passing Sunshine. I applied for a job (in the liquor department of the supermarket) when I first got here, and everyone was horrified. "You don't want to work in Sunshine! It's scary! You will get stabbed to death!" they said. Bah. It doesn't look particulary scary to me...

10.54. Arr. Sydenham/Watergardens. Line: Quite mixed, not very exciting. Some industries, some suburbanness, some open plain. Nicer the further you go, less industries.



Was sort of planning on having lunch here, but apparently there's a train back to the city at 8 past (my schedule says 28.) Decide to have a look around, I could use some coffee at this point...

10.59. Look around finished. Nothing at all promising by the way of food. Pretty much all I can see is an enourmous parking lot and a costruction site. Also, cold and windy. Thankfully, the cold wind has all the refreshing effect of a cup of coffee.

11.09. Leaving Sydenham/Watergardens! Listen to The Most Radical Thing by The Ark. It's a pretty average The Ark song, not their best by any means, but it's still ten times as effective and catchy as The Worrying Kind that they competed in the ESC with... go figure.

11.37. Arr. North Melbourne. Could have ran for .38 Broadmeadows train, but it's worth it to wait, 11.58-train is still 20 min ahead of schedule. Now, time to find something to eat, really.

11.47. Nothing promising within 5 min walk from station. Buy a pastry and a can of coke from the station vendor. Only $4.40 and surprisingly filling! Now if only I could find a bathroom, too...


11.56. Realize there is a bathroom. Too late! Damn!

12 noon - Leave North Melbourne. Love gun / Kiss.

12.10. Pass Moonee Ponds! This is where I rented an apartment when I was here two years ago! Nostalgia! They appear to still have that cheap pizza place by the station, too! Make plans to visit here soon.

12.26. Arr. Broadmeadows. Huh? That was short! Line: Nice suburbia, growing increasingly rugged though. Trees and greenery, and somewhat hilly, so fairly pretty. Broadmeadows is also supposed to be "scary" and "dangerous". Snort.



12.35. Leave Broadmeadows. Shout it out loud (live) / Kiss.

1.02. Back in North Melbourne. Upfield train leaven in 7 min so time for bathroom! Yay!

1.10. Leave North Melbourne, 40 min ahead of schedule! Yay!! Dead Boy's Poem / Nightwish.

1.36. Upfield! Wow, you actrually get the impression that there's something here, like shops, restaurants, people... instead of the train tracks just stopping in the middle of nowhere. Boring line though, but quite varied: first towny, nothing to see really, then opens up to a more suburban enviroment, flat land.


1.47. Leaving Upfield! To the tune of Pick up the bones / Alice Cooper.

2.16. Arr. Southern Cross. Epping train in 4 minutes. This is really going beautifully! ...And now will go straight to hell, of course, as there is no wood on this station. No coffee machine either, shame; I would have fed it my coins as am getting quite tierd now.

2.23. Epping train arrives! Wow, it's one of the old ones! Haven't seen one of those in years, since I was here last. Comfy seats though! No music, as I turned it off.

(Unfortunately I forgot to take corresponding photos of a new train, despite plenty of opportunities, so that you could compare. Maybe I can fix this at a later point.)

At West Richmond two heavily tattooed rocker-type guys, one ~35 and the other ~25, board the train, both smoking home made cigarettes. The older is speaking on his cell phone, attempting to convince a fried to come out with them that night. "Fuck", he says, suddenly, as the tiny stump that is left of his cigarette goes out, and whips up his lighter. Lights it--- "FUUUCK! AURGH!!" he screams, grabbing his nose. The stench of burned nose hairs fills the carriage.

3.08. Epping. No coffee machine either, and don't dare to go on too much of a hunt, as I can't be sure when the train goes back towards teh city. Line: Not very exciting, residental areas, suburbia a little on the rugged side. Can't see the horizon really, even as it flattens out and the buildnings move away from the train tracks as it goes further.



3.14. Leaving Epping, Wishmaster / Nightwish.

3.40. Clifton Hill in the rain. No facilities by the way of food or toilets, even as I would have had plenty of time. Grumpy.

3.50. Leave Clifton Hill on crowded Hurstbridge train, still get a good window seat, go me! Cheered up by that. Over the rainbow / Freedom Call.

4.39. Hurstbridge! Wow! The Hurstbridge line is really stunningly beautiful! Gets better and better the further you go! Gets hilly at first and then almost monutaneous, little houses and communities hiding under the trees (proper bush, not those trees you have for show in suburban areas), the train windles up and down and between the mountains. I try to take photoes once in Hurstbridge, but they really can't do it justice! Gorgeous!

Spend the 20 mins until the train goes back looking around, and buy a cheese&bacon roll and a 'continental eclair' from a little bakery/cafe. Crush on Hurstbridge. Decide to come back for a better look, soon.
5.01. Leave Hurstbridge. Eat my eclair even as I had intended to save it until after dinner. It's really messy but I'm the only one in the carriage so I can be as messy as I want! Hah!

6.03. Back in the city, Flinders street station.

6.27. Leave Flinders street on a crowded, delayed Williamstown train.

6.43. Seddon/home! That's over an hour ahead of schedule (7.52) so good effort all in all!


Tomorrow: The Sandringham, Frankston, Cranbourne, Pakenham, Alamein, Glen Waverley, Belgrave and Lilydales lines! (=getting up at six am. Yay!)