The Cockatoo Run
22 Dec 2015
It was the 26th August when a carriage load of probarians from Gymea Combined Probus boarded the Cockatoo Run train for a fun day out with an appointment for lunch in Robertson. The weather was foul, cold, wet and windy but we had unexpected company in the shape of Mike Whitney and his team from Channel 7’s Sydney Weekender program on board. Mike and his crew livened us up with the anticipation of becoming TV stars for a short period, our 15 seconds of fame you could say.
Well, that was only the beginning of the fun for as we ascended the mountain towards Hilltop station we came to a shuddering halt only to learn after a considerable delay that a descending freight train had run into a fallen tree and the line was blocked.
Luckily for our newer members the old brigade had come prepared for “Happy Hour” and bottles of red and white liquid along with copious supplies of suitable food appeared out of those ever useful backpacks and everybody settled down to an extended time eating, drinking and being merry in the traditional friendly probus manner.
Eventually the train had to reverse down the hill back to the main South Coast rail line and proceed back to Sydney with Robertson sight unseen. What a great day we had!
On a happy note 3801 Limited offered us a choice of dates for another trip on the house, good for them.