Cook, South Australia,
Seaduced
John & Jane Craven
Fri 6 Feb 2015 10:44
When we arrived on the train there was leaflet on the desk called, 'Cook - A Self Guided Tour' which showed a map of a small town in the outback. There were all the usual amenities, school hospital, gaol, housing etc of your average town, but one thing was noticeably missing - people. The thing is that the permanent population of Cook is 4. That's right - no typo, just four people living here! What on earth do they do all day you ask - having been there, I haven't got a clue!
Cook is 1138km from Adelaide and 1523km from Perth, the nearest highway is 100km away. There is nothing but dessert stretching as far you can see in both directions. The nearest town is 5 hours drive to the south east and the nearest doctor 12 hours away in Port Augusta, you sure don't want to get crook (poorly) here!
So why would there be a town here at all? When the rail link from East to West was joined in 1917, there were trains but no supplies en route so small settlements were built along the track to support the trains as they crossed the Nullarbor Plains. The name for the plains comes from the Latin for no trees. Cook soon turned into a thriving community making full use of all the amenities I mentioned before. However, following rail privatisation, the community declined until it reached its current state. Today, it is used as a supply stop. Freight trains bring food, water and fuel to be stored here, which the Indian-Pacific collects en route. The town is also used as a place to change drivers, who then wait for the next train - there are 2 a week, I think, so they aren't left here too long!
We only had about a 30 minute stop here to look around and stretch our legs - more than enough time for me. We spent the rest of the day either in our cabin or the lounge, relaxing, eating and drinking - tonight we have another excursion to the gold rush town of Kalgoorlie.
The gaol cells in Cook, one for the boys and one for the girls. It would be hell in here in the heat - like a cooking pot!
Housing - a bit bleak!
An unusual way to get business! The hospital was failing due to lack of patients, not surprisingly!
What is left of the local school
A whole lot of nothing as far as you can see!
Sent from my iPad