鐵路上的慢時光

GREAT RAILWAY JOURNEYS DOWN UNDER

In an era when speed is paramount, it’s reassuring to step into the slow lane to admire the countryside through the panoramic windows of a train. Nihao heads Down Under to travel on several iconic railways in Australia and New Zealand.

Text & Photos by David Bowden Translation by Emma Xu

在快餐文化盛行的時代，來一場悠然的旅行，透過列車車窗領略鄉(xiāng)間美景，享受令人安心的幸福?！禢ihao》深入澳新地區(qū)，帶您一同開啟經典鐵路之旅。

The TranzAlpine travels over the Waimakariri Bridge.阿爾卑斯號列車穿行于懷馬卡里里橋。

Indian Pacific train.印第安大西洋號列車。Lounge car.列車休息室。

The Indian Pacific

Its 28 carriages stretch the length of seven football fields and the train travels 4,352 kilometres on its four-day journey from Perth in Western Australia to Sydney in New South Wales.

This isn't just one of the great railways Down Under but one of the world's epic journeys stretching across the continent of Australia. The Indian Pacific is the world's second longest rail journey after the Trans-Siberian Railway and passes through three time zones.

Completed in 1917, the train is part of the Great Southern Rail network, which also operates The Ghan (Darwin to Adelaide) and The Overland (Adelaide to Melbourne). In October 1917, a team working from the east met another team laying track from the west to complete the railway. However, it still required six train changes to accommodate different rail gauges in place. Gauges were standardised decades later and in 1970, an uninterrupted railway across Australia was completed between the Indian and Pacific Oceans.

The Indian Pacific is luxuriously appointed to accommodate 202 passengers and travel packages include all-inclusive dining, beverages and excursions. Restaurant cars have adjoining lounges and bars serving complimentary beverages. Each evening, cabin seats are converted to beds for a relaxing sleep.

Trains depart from Perth on Sunday morning and arrive in Sydney on Wednesday. Stops on the west to east journey include Kalgoorlie where passengers detrain for an excursion. Formed after gold was discovered in 1893, it's now home to the Super Pit, a huge open mine.

On day two, the train stops at Rawlinna Station and passengers disembark for breakfast in the open. Rawlinna is Australia's largest sheep station of one million hectares and 70,000 sheep. Later, the train travels across the parched Nullarbor Plain along the world's longest straight single-track railway of 478 kilometres.

In the afternoon the train arrives into Cook for passengers to inspect this ghost town with four residents. Cook closed in 1997 with the railway's privatisation and is now just a refuelling stop. However, during the steam train era, it 'boomed' with 300 residents, a school, church, pub, pool and gaol.

On the morning of day three, the train inches into Adelaide and passengers opt for various city tours. Those travelling from east to west enjoy an extended stay in Adelaide with a tour of Barossa Valley wineries offered.

After leaving Adelaide, the train travels to Broken Hill, still 1,207 km west of Sydney. Minerals were discovered in nearby Silverton in 1875 and in Broken Hill in 1893 and the region became the world's richest silver, lead and zinc deposit.

Several movies have been filmed here with the Silverton Hotel being popular as a backdrop for Mad Max 2 (1982) and Mission Impossible 11 (2000).

On the morning of day four, the train passes the vast Blue Mountains National Park before arriving in Sydney.

Indian Pacific crossing the Nullabor Plain. 在納拉伯平原上行駛的印第安大西洋號列車。

印第安大西洋號列車

印第安大西洋號列車從珀斯開往悉尼，全程4352公里，線路長度位居世界第二。列車配置豪華，提供包含各色美食及短途行程的旅游套餐。

周日早晨，列車從珀斯出發(fā)，次日將?？苛_林納站。羅林納是澳大利亞最大的養(yǎng)羊場，有一望無垠的草場和成群的綿羊。下午，列車會在“鬼鎮(zhèn)”庫克暫停，游客可到鎮(zhèn)內觀光。第三日，列車駛入阿德萊德，停車期間，旅客們可去市區(qū)游玩，或前往巴羅莎谷酒莊參觀。第四日，列車路過廣袤的藍山國家公園之后，抵達悉尼。

The Spirit of Queensland

Australia's vast tropical state of Queensland has several iconic train journeys including the Spirit of Queensland, which offers one of the best ways to appreciate the coastal scenery on its 1,680 kilometres journey from Brisbane in the south onto coastal Cairns in the north.

Queensland is considered Australia's holiday state and adventurous travellers can hop on and off the train discovering amazing destinations onshore and offshore at Maryborough (Fraser Island), Rockhampton, Proserpine (Airlie Beach) and Townsville along the way.

Passengers can travel in style on railbeds (seat/bed) with in-seat dining included or in sit-up seats while enjoying food and beverages from the club car.

Once in Cairns, an essential trip is to catch the Kuranda Scenic Railway up the escarpment to Kuranda village 330 metres above Cairns to admire the cool air and the alternate and quirky markets here. The other 'must do' marine trip is to explore the Great Barrier Reef.

West Coast Wilderness Railway

Many railways began as a means to extract resources such as minerals and timber from remote areas and there are few places as remote as Tasmania's rugged West Coast blanketed in ancient rainforests.

The West Coast Wilderness Railway carries tourists through pristine rainforests and beside rivers but began as a railway to transport minerals from Queenstown to the port of Strahan for export.

This heritage steam train also uses a rack and pinion system to climb steep gradients. Passengers can travel in the Wilderness Carriage to enjoy delicious Tasmanian produce including craft beers and ciders and premium wines on this full-day experience.

The Spirit of Queensland.昆士蘭精神之旅。The West Coast Wilderness Train refuelling.正在補給燃料的西岸荒野列車。

The TranzAlpine

The TranzAlpine is New Zealand's most picturesque rail journey and one of the world's best. It was gold that spurred interest in charting a route across the Southern Alps of the South Island and now the TranzAlpine tourist train is the big attraction. It heads west from Christchurch to Arthur's Pass, Otira and Moana before terminating in Greymouth on the Tasman Sea, a journey of 224 kilometres taking five hours. Wide glacier-fed rivers dissect the plains with the best views from the open-sided observation car as the train skirts the southern floodplain of the braided Waimakariri River. The train ascends the Southern Alps to Arthur's Pass at an altitude of 740 metres. West Coast topography and vegetation on the descent from the Southern Alps is markedly different to the Alps with lush rainforest thriving in deep river valleys.

TranzAlpine in winter. 阿爾卑斯號列車。

昆士蘭擁有幾條頗負盛名的火車路線，其中就有“昆士蘭精神”?！袄ナ刻m精神”起于布里斯班，止于凱恩斯，愛獵奇的旅客可飽覽海岸動人風光。

除了分外清涼的空氣，凱恩斯的庫蘭達小鎮(zhèn)還有值得一逛的特色集市。此外，去大堡礁探險一番，也是不可多得的趣事。

西岸荒野鐵路

塔斯馬尼亞西岸隱匿于古老的原始雨林中，此前負責運礦的西岸荒野鐵路列車變身觀光列車，為旅客們揭開原始雨林的神秘面紗。

列車的荒野車廂全天供應精釀啤酒、蘋果酒、葡萄酒等塔斯馬尼亞特色飲品。

阿爾卑斯號列車

馬克思的勞動概念不應該僅僅被理解為一種謀生性質的物質生產，我們應該看到在人類物質生產勞動之中，馬克思對人類勞動的理解蘊含的人類自由發(fā)展和自我實現的維度。胚胎在母體中生長為完全體之前就具備完全體的所有特征。種子在土壤中吸收養(yǎng)分成長為參天大樹前就具備大樹的所有特點。在《資本論》中，馬克思一起手談人類勞動時便賦予了人類勞動一種人類解放與自由的力量。

新西蘭阿爾卑斯號列車所經之路的風光冠絕世間。南阿爾卑斯山脈的旅游路線規(guī)劃一經問世便備受矚目，如今有機會乘坐列車穿越南島壯麗的南阿爾卑斯山，委實令人神往。

列車將繞過縱橫交錯的澇原，沿著懷馬卡里里河前行，途中有冰川河縱貫平原的奇景。

The Northern Explorer

Unlike Australia, New Zealand is a small country and while sleeper beds once existed on some New Zealand trains, current journeys are day trains. Most of these journeys make maximum advantage of the country's stunning scenery with The Northern Explorer from the capital Wellington to Auckland (and vice versa) being New Zealand's longest rail journey.

It departs from Wellington's grand station located near the picturesque harbour and heads up the rugged West Coast of the North Island before making its way through rolling farming land and past the volcanic peaks of Mount Ruapehu and Ngauruhoe located in Tongariro National Park in the middle of the island. Understandably, some passengers alight from the train here to enjoy summer and winter adventures such as skiing, rafting, mountain biking and hiking. Others are content to relax in the comfort of the train with its expansive panoramic windows to admire the everchanging landscape.

Taieri Gorge Railway

It's been billed as one of the world's great rail journeys and few passengers disagree as they enjoy the picturesque scenery from the tourist train travelling from the gracious Dunedin Railway Station on New Zealand's South Island through the rugged Taieri Gorge to either Pukerangi (four hours) or Middlemarch (six hours).

Dunedin Railway Station opened in 1906 is New Zealand's most photographed building. It was designed as the jewel in the New Zealand Railway's crown in the city that was then the nation's commercial centre.

This trip appeals because of the variety of landscapes it passes in a short time. In four hours the Dunedin to Pukerangi train passes through urban Dunedin, across lush farmlands and then through the rugged gorge carved out by the Taieri River. Pukerangi is the terminus for the shorter journey and here passengers are able to admire the countryside located at just 250 metres above sea level.

Glenbrook Vintage Railway

Located just 45 minutes from Auckland International Airport this railway offers the steam train experience that everybody longs for. Steam trains of the Glenbrook Vintage Railway capture the excitement of a bygone era when the shrill of the train whistle and the huffing and puffing of coal-powered trainsbelching black smoke out into the atmosphere were an everyday affair.

Porirua Harbour from the Northern Explorer train.在北部探索者列車欣賞到的沿途美景。

Staff dressed in period uniforms and heritage carriages add to the authenticity of a day in the countryside for the journey that links Glenbrook to the village of Waiuku where passengers can alight to explore its heritage buildings. Special 'A Day Out with Thomas' weekends are organised in March and November especially for children to enjoy a trip with a train decorated as 'Thomas the Tank Engine'.

Bay of Islands Vintage Railway

Up in the small town of Kawakawa in New Zealand's Bay of Islands another steam train injects a little magic into the lives of the locals and tourists who ride on the Bay of Islands Vintage Railway.

'Gabriel', the Class 4-4-0 steam locomotive number 1730 built by Thomas Peckett in Bristol, is the only one of its kind and is also unique in that it passes down the main street of Kawakawa before travelling through rolling pasturelands to the banks of the Kawakawa River and the historic Long Bridge.

Many trains in Australia and New Zealand are dependent upon volunteers who give up their free time so that everyone can enjoy the excitement of a bygone era. Choosing to ride on these trains while on holidays helps contribute to keeping these old railways alive so that we can all enjoy the thrill of railway travel.

Taieri Gorge Railway on a viaduct.

高架橋上的泰伊里峽谷鐵路

Vintage diesel loco Glenbrook Vintage Railway.

格蘭布魯克復古柴油機車。

Kawakawa Station Bay of Islands Vintage Railway.

島嶼灣復古鐵路的卡瓦卡瓦站。

China Southern Airlines flies to Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide, Perth, Brisbane, Auckland and Christchurch.

中國南方航空已開通飛往悉尼、墨爾本、阿德萊德、珀斯、布里斯班、奧克蘭及基督城的航線。

北部探索者之旅

北部探索者之旅是新西蘭最長的火車線路，往返于奧克蘭與惠靈頓之間，沿途的美景絕對讓旅客不虛此行。

路上，列車會深入崎嶇的北島西岸，駛過綿延起伏的農田，跨越蒼茫的火山高原。旅客可以下車開啟冒險之旅，去滑雪、漂流或騎行，也可以繼續(xù)待在車廂內，怡然自得地觀賞窗外的風景。

泰伊里峽谷鐵路

泰伊里峽谷鐵路之旅從但尼丁火車站出發(fā)，途經壯觀的泰伊里峽谷，最后抵達普克蘭吉或米德爾馬契。一路的風景猶如一幅幅精致的卷軸，在眼前徐徐展開，旅客們無不稱賞不已。

格蘭布魯克復古鐵路

格蘭布魯克復古鐵路距奧克蘭機場僅45分鐘，蒸汽火車滿含復古趣味：悅耳的鳴笛聲、噗噗作響的蒸汽吞吐聲、滾滾冒出的濃煙。乘務員身著具有年代感的制服在古老的車廂中穿梭，令游客仿佛回到了舊時光。

島嶼灣復古鐵路

在島嶼灣的小鎮(zhèn)卡瓦卡瓦，有一輛蒸汽火車為當地居民和游客的生活注入了絲絲魔法。它沿著小鎮(zhèn)的大街下行，穿過高低起伏的牧場，在卡瓦卡瓦河畔和著名的長橋邊停下腳步。

澳新地區(qū)的很多列車都靠志愿者運營，他們犧牲休閑時間，只為讓每一位游客身臨其境地體味蒸汽時代的樂趣。假期來乘坐蒸汽火車可使古老鐵路常葆生機，如此，人們才能繼續(xù)享受鐵路旅游帶來的愉悅。