Things...

This is Petrie Train Station. I ended up here today, through no fault of my own. I went to Caboolture to do my shopping, as Morayfield shops (where I normally go) was flooded in from yesterday's downpour and I couldn't get through. Anyway...having done my shopping, and taken a chance to go to the library quickly, I went back to the train station to come home - not very far by train. The machine at the top of the stairwell told me that the train on Platform two, which was due to leave in less than one minute, was a Brisbane City All Stations train, meaning IT IS SUPPOSED TO STOP AT ALL STATIONS. Grrr. Bloody thing didn't, of course. So I had to wait until it DID stop, which turned out to be Petrie. Nowhere near where I live - in a totally different Shire even (though we don't call them Shires anymore).

When I got there, I ended up on the platform you can see in the photos. What you can't see is that the nice pretty stairwell with the elevator shaft and the sign that says Petrie (look at the top pic) is damn near invisible if you get off on the wrong side of it (the elevator, that is) and the stairwell is still being built.

Last year, a goods train plowed into Petrie Station, taking out one of the overhead walkways, half a platform, and most of the lines going in both directions. They've been rebuilding ever since. I was lucky enough to find a very nice young bloke who worked for Queensland Rail. After I explained my situation, and asked him where I needed to be and how to get there, he was more than willing to walk me to where the elevator was, and even told me when the next train going my way was due to arrive. Good Old QR! :-)

This station, before its little "accident" with the Goods Train, was very similar to Buranda Station before the fire of last Sunday. Although, I think the building at Petrie is probably older. You can see the little seating area fenced off in the last picture. All up and down the Sunshine Coast, the train stations look like that. Old and quaint. The side I had to change to is all new though now. None of the old buildings remain on the northbound side. Shame.

Either way, it made an interesting detour in an otherwise seriously stressy day....

:(