Not so great railway journeys...but still OK...

Inspired by Andrew's Great railway journeys and with no ideas about what to do today other than use my Seniors Card to travel around the state all day for the princely sum of $2.50 I made an impromptu journey to Gosford and back. Gosford is approximately 80 kilometres north of Sydney on the Central Coast of New South Wales. It is a region that is a mix of low key resorts and homes of the retired. In the late 1990s, quite a number of organisations moved their operations to the region to take advantage of cheaper rents and services. The rail journey takes 80 minutes each way. The expected main attraction of the journey for me was to be that part of the rail line that runs along the edge of the Hawkesbury River.

It was another grey morning and not ideal for photographing the scenery. Indeed capturing any photos from the train was a hit and miss matter given the speed at which the train travelled and that all photos had to be taken through scratched and dirty carriage windows. The following are the best of a poor lot and do scant justice to a vista that is more splendid to the naked eye.

The first good sighting of the river as the train made its way down the escarpment north of Sydney.

Looking down river as the train raced along it's edge.

Hawkesbury River Marina seen from the train as we arrived at the nearby station.

The township of Woy Woy, just south of Gosford.

Brisbane Waters, the inlet on the southern edge of Gosford.

Gosford is obviously experiencing difficult times. Although it was a Friday morning, albeit grey and wet, there were few people in the business precinct when I arrived. Numbers did increase during the day but there was still the feel of a small country town. I went into the Gosford Town Centre, a shopping mall and found it virtually deserted.

A very modern looking food court with more than twenty outlets that obviously were previously operational sat closed. A large Coles supermarket can just be seen to the rear left in the photograph. It was late morning on a Friday but not a single customer was passing through its numerous checkout lanes.