The Middle of Nowhere

Come with me on a train ride. We’ll travel 4,352 kilometres across Australia from east to west, spending four days and three nights on a train 731 metres long. We’ll start in Sydney and stay in Perth at the end and along the way we’ll traverse deserts, stop in a ghost town and cross the mighty Nullarbor Plain. Come with me on a transcontinental journey aboard the iconic Indian Pacific! 

Indian Pacific Adventure #11 Cook, Nullarbor Plain

Welcome to Cook, a ghost town located on the longest straight stretch of railway track in the world.

This information sign, weathered by the harsh conditions of the desert, tells more about the town and the railway track.

Welcome to Cook, the Queen City of the Nullarbor, postcode 5710, population four.

You are standing alongside the longest stretch of straight railway in the world, spanning 478 kms. According to Australian astronaut Andy Thomas, the rail line can even be spotted from space, looking like a very fine pencil line across the desert. 

You are on the western extreme of South Australia on the edge of the Nullarbor Plain, a barren desert plateau twice the size of England. The nearest major town Ceduna is approximately a five hour drive away and the closest major sealed road, the Eyre Highway, is an hour’s drive away. How remote are you?

Adelaide-1188 km            Perth-1523 km

Port Augusta-826 km       Sydney-1984 km

Kalgoorlie-854 km           Darwin-2017 km 

It would be a long way to walk to anywhere from the Middle of Nowhere!

Joining Becky for November Walking Squares

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