In 1953 my soon-to-be parents managed Glenhaughton Station, west of Taroom and adjacent the Robinson Gorge National Park in Queensland. This cattle station was a large one and my Father was unable to get away, so as the time for my birth approached, my Mother, her 8 year old daughter and a 3 year old son journeyed to Adelaide, returning to the station two months later with me in her arms.

It was about three kilometres from the Ponds Gate Guard House to the Village and I followed the dusty beetle at a respectable distance wondering if everyone drove so fast or was he putting on a show for my benefit. We stopped beside a long, narrow wooden hut which had a verandah facing east where half a dozen guys sat enjoying a drink or six. I walked over and introduced myself. 'Hi, I'm Barry Rumble,' he answered. 'How long have you been in the circus?' was his first question. 'Only two years, three months,' I replied, 'How about you?' 'Nearly eight years, mostly here and in Sydney.

My first trip on the Ghan was a long needed holiday, and as a guest of Great Southern Railways I was invited to travel on the Indian Pacific from Sydney to Perth. In the space of two months, I travelled the length and breadth of Australia but you can easily do it in a week or two should you choose to travel by train.

In October 2014, I shouted myself a trip on The Ghan from Adelaide to Darwin and it was a journey full of wonder, excitement, food, and wonderful people to talk to.

My trip began with a sightseeing tour of Adelaide for two days and came with some interesting facts. Did you know that what was once the city of churches has now become the city of pubs and nightclubs? Most of the churches operate as either restaurants, night clubs or Karaoke bars – with one restriction! Owners can renovate inside in whichever way they need to but the facade must remain in its original condition.

This makes the second story in a total of three so far in which I make a point about the weather. So let me say that I'm not normally so preoccupied with it but today is an exception as we are going to the tennis at Memorial Drive and, in taking our seats close to the front of the Northern Grandstand, we are exposing ourselves to a sun which on the local news last night was shown to fry an egg within a few seconds. And it's here, in this egg-frying sun, that we will remain for an entire afternoon.