Kilcunda - 1988

Part 2 - a derailment, a sand dune,
and finally - the bridge ...

Some stills from the RT1 video Click on any thumbnail for a larger version
	After hacking our way through the undergrowth, we actually managed a minor derailment. (This didn't faze Dennis or Rex, of course - they've derailed many an elevator in their day, and those things are even more fun to untangle :-)
	This particular part of the line was very close to the beach. Here's the view standing on the track and looking west-sou'-west.
	This next obstacle showed just how close to the beach we really were. The sand dune took us 2 days to clear. We'd actually started on it the previous week, and had warned Dennis what he was in for. Took us just over two hours to dig out the remaining bulk of it. (There's a 25 sec mpeg of this, BTW)
	When we were almost through the dune, Dennis wandered off down the track to do some advance pruning of a rampant tea-tree copse.

	At last the moment arrived, and Dino could finally be driven through. (As Steve Harding would put it, "Heavy sigh ...")
	And it was off again, now within clear sight of the tressle bridge.
	Rex suddenly became uncharacteristically fussy at the entry point to the bridge. (After peering over the side and having a very quick discussion on the matter, we finally decided not to stop him). That small black dot down on the beach is a nice lady riding a horse.
	Anyway, at long bloody last we'd made it through, and Dino got her first little run across that great icon of Kilcunda.
	People having picnics down on the beach had this view ...
	... whereas others fishing on the river had this view.
	The rusty ants and bacteria on the rails had this view ...
	... and the woman riding her horse along the beach had this view ...
	Of course, we were initially concerned as to the safety of the whole structure, so we'd gone downstairs to check out the footings. Surprisingly, in spite of its age and lack of upkeep, it actually looked as though it might take our weight.
	A most beautiful and majestic structure, really. Did I tell you about the little old ladies who came up to us later and told us to be careful. They said the line was open again - they'd heard train whistles late at night.
	What could one say? Rex was about to describe the "missing" sections of track towards Wonthaggi, but we stopped him. Why spoil their fun?
	Several residents had already commented on their disappointment at the line being closed. "The bus service that's replaced it is just so poor compared to the train..." Well, if the rumour was going around, why should we spoil it?
	This shot is of the beach. (Quite irrelevant really - just displaying my autistic talents.)
	Anyway - on the way back the sun actually broke through, and this made the return trip over the bridge even more picturesque.