RAIL TRAVEL HELPS MAKE CONNECTIONS

I had been warned that the “silver set” frequenting Australia’s most luxurious train might be miffed to see children infiltrating a club more often reserved for seniors.

But it was quite the opposite, with our fellow passengers delighted – or at least very good pretenders.

My delight, however, was real, as it was for my girls, to be spending time with welltravelled, expert story tellers who thrilled us with recounts of their own paths and lives.

We heard stories of wars and recessions, loves won and lost and a very different time for women who chose to travel to seek work or adventure overseas.

My little one revelled in being the youngest on-board, both for the attention and a constant stream of invitations to share tea and biscuits, play cards and even drawing lessons where she learnt how to sketch a decent kangaroo.

Meanwhile, my eldest daughter and I sat back with our glasses of Barossa shiraz swirling, enjoying rounds of spirited conversation about Australian history and current affairs punctuated by stories traded of our favourite places in the world to visit with passengers that seemed to have been everywhere but here.

It is a lovely way to travel. And something I knew my nan enjoyed, but watching my girls revelling in it also gave me hope that our future travellers might trade their fast track for a slower one – if only to savour the things they would otherwise not see, let alone feel.