Trains, trains and more trains

We’re currently in Peterborough, which is another one of those “filler” towns – on the way to somewhere else, but not really on the tourist trail. That doesn’t mean there isn’t anything to do, but it does mean it’s no Adelaide Hills or Barossa and we don’t feel too hard done by as we spend a bit more time working/studying than we normally would.

It is a nice little town though, if a little on the decline. It’s chock-a-block with nice old heritage homes (I’d say 80-90%?) but sadly most of them are “renovator’s delights” as the real estate agents like to say. If there was a bit more happening in the town I’m sure it would attract the right people to buy them and renovate them, but it’s just that little too far from Adelaide and a little too quiet I think.

We’re in the caravan park, which we chose because it was going to be bitterly cold and it’s just nice to have a heater. And it has been very nice indeed (and very cold). It’s an easy walk into town but we’re looking out over the wheat fields so it’s a good compromise.

The main attraction of Peterborough is its previous life as a thriving rail hub and the only spot in the country where three rail gauges meet. Because of that, there is a big old train yard that has a turntable on it, where trains came to the end of their respective lines (with their gauges) and had to be unloaded, turn around and go back again, while other trains took over to move their goods and people further down a different gauge. During its heyday it was dealing with over 100 trains a day – steam trains, then diesel trains. As with most things though, times changed and the need for all this disappeared as lines moved or gauges became standardised, so now there are just a few trains passing through, including the Indian Pacific (from Perth to Sydney) once a week.

If you’re thinking “whoa, this lady knows a lot about trains!”. Well yes I do. Because I did the tour that was supposed to go for 90 minutes but went for TWO AND A HALF HOURS. So I know a lot about trains, carriages, track, engine sheds, repair yards and so much more. I guess I should be glad I got my money’s worth. Surprisingly the kids got through it all without complaint and were actually listening most of the time so they too know a lot about trains.

Another interesting thing about Petersborough worth mentioning is that it used to be called Petersburg, due to the Prussian influence in the region in the early days. The guy behind the growth of the town (not Peter, but Peter’s father-in-law) dedicated his life to getting Petersburg going, and for his trouble received the modern-day equivalent of being “cancelled” during WWI when anything German was a no-go. So streets and buildings named in his or his family’s honour, and the name of the town itself were all anglicised and the early Prussian settlers who had contributed so much were basically sidelined. Just another example of the wide reach of the world wars – we keep coming across things like that in almost every place we visit.

You’d think we’d be all done with the history after the epic train tour, but no, we were up for more, at the nearby town of Burra. Burra is a great example of a town doing their tourism right. They do have the benefit of being that bit closer to Adelaide and the Clare Valley region, but they’ve also come up with a great idea to make it easy and appealing to spend a whole day in the town when you might otherwise only spend about five minutes driving through it.

The concept is pretty simple. You go to the information centre, and for a few $$ and a deposit you’re given a map and a key. That key gets you into 11 historical sites in the town where you are free to roam around and explore as you like. There’s also an app where we had to solve clues along the way, and could read a little summary of each of the sites. We spent a good five or six hours going around these sites, and the few others that are open (most notably being the DOG FRIENDLY town hall where the kids could try on costumes). The sites we went to with the key included the copper mine, the brewery (and its underground cellars), the jail, police cells, an abandoned town of about 30 homes (all ruins now) and the miners’ dugouts which are little caves dug into the side of the hill and where at one point 1,800 people lived.

The first spot (a little museum dedicated to the town tailor) was a bit of a freaky start to the whole thing. It told the story of the tailor and life after he died (suggesting he was a ghost watching it all). Firstly, he died in the room we were standing in, and implied he was sitting in a chair in that room watching us, which got my attention (and the kids too I noticed).

He then went on to say about how after he died his wife hired a seamstress who turned out to be a con artist – sold her services to make garments by taking payment upfront, then bought the fabric on credit, then skipped town with the money and the fabric, and without paying rent to the tailor’s widow. She was tracked down somewhere after being caught running a “baby farm” where she would charge a fee to take babies from women who couldn’t care for them and then “dispose” of the baby. She was eventually charged with murder and various other things and met her rightful demise at the hands of the law.

Bit of a harrowing start to the whole thing, but as it turned out there were no more stories quite that terrible later on, except for the poor bloke who was attacked in his own home by a couple of drunk guys. He defended himself and his pregnant wife by killing the intruders. That led to his arrest, and because it was self-defence, he wasn’t sentenced to death by hanging, but to transportation for seven years to Port Arthur. (I hadn’t actually realised they transported convicts internally as well as from overseas). He got on a ship to go to Tasmania, ship sinks, he dies and that’s the end of that. All for defending his family. Times were tough back in the 1800’s in Australia!

For the rest of our time in Peterborough, we’ve really just been catching up. Jim had a big assignment to finish off and hand in, and I have work coming out both my ears so I’ve been trying to get a bit ahead there too. We’re starting to get a bit excited about what’s next. Everyone we talk to says the Flinders Ranges are well worth the time we’re taking to see them, and then of course beyond that is the outback, and warmer weather! Not a minute too soon!

By the way, if you’re interested in learning a bit more about this area and Burra in particular, rather coincidentally I stumbled across this ABC article this morning.