CountryLink or should it be called CountryStink, is the operator of passenger rail services in country New South Wales, with services through to Brisbane and Melbourne. It is an operating brand of the Rail Corporation New South Wales, a government-owned entity. I tell you all this for a reason as its the back story to my review.

CountryLink operates rail services using two types of rollingstock - the XPT and the Xplorer. CountryLink was formed as a business unit of the State Rail Authority in 1989 to operate all non-metropolitan long distance passenger services. It inherited, yes inherited a fleet of XPT and locomotive hauled passenger trains. They were all mostly built between 1981 and 1984, and the design was based on a British train,designed in 1976. During the Greiner State Government in 1988, the publication of the Booz Allen Hamilton report into NSW rail services recommended closing all country passenger services as they were considered economically unviable, however this was politically not feasible. So no Goverment in 30 years has had the vision, inspiration or desire to replace, renew or build NSW rail.

So in the last year I have taken CountryLink Services to Melbourne and Brisbane ( WOMO Receipts available) I generally love train travel and especially enjoy taking trains around Europe, as it's easier than going out to airports, as stations are generally central, faster than checkin and waiting, as you arrive and board, and relax to the end destination. Usually when you take a train like the European ones it's nicer, faster and more relaxing, and allot more comfortable than flying.

Back to my CountryLink journeys, the words Horrendous, appalling and disgraceful, are a few that come to mind. This is not about the staff they are fabulous and serve very well, they certainly have allot of time to look after you as rail and rolling stock age and disrepair mean the trains rarely get over 80 klms an hour. No high speed here, no luxury seating or tray service as you walk through four cars to get to the canteen.

The rail needs a big vision and 900 million in infrastructure investment. Could you imagine arriving 15 mins before departure at Central station Sydney and getting on an ICE or Thalys style train speeding of on time and getting up to speeds of 350 klms an hour while served a meal tray, the National Pollies get off and board at the Canberra stop and two hours later you arrive in the heart of Melbourne, not 35 klms out or even more if you fly into Avalon. Maybe it's because of the airlines that the rail has been neglected and run down.

What happens now is at times terrifying, when you know that much of the rail is sinking and that sleepers are falling away due to poor placement and subsidence. The rail cars are clunky and shaky, they have been redressed but they are over 30 years old, planes and cars all are retired before this age. It's embarrassing the Governments have kept the trains busy mostly filled with Pensioners on their free travel quota, which I don't have a problem with at all. What I have a problem with is putting these dear old souls on sub standard old trains. Give them a real experince and don't make them sleep in seats, but get them to Brisbane, or Melbourne in around 4 hours, it's all so possible.

I suppose my review is saying that it's time, for a State Government to put new high speed dual carriage modern trains between Melbourne, Canberra, Sydney, Brisbane. To utilize public Private partnerships, get Someone like Richard Branson on board he also owns railroads. It's Time.

IT'S TIME!

I use this site for researching all properties, those for sale and rental, in the areas that I am thinking of moving, buying or renting in. It's a great site and easy to use and will give you a fair price guide as long as you put in a comparable place, which you can do as the site allows for drilling down.

Real estate dot com works well. Eg say you have a place you want to rent out, or that you are looking to rent a place. Pick your state, suburb and type of property and it will bring up all the same ones so that will give you a good idea of the going $ rate. Say your after a two bedroom, two bathroom, two garge apartment in Mascot, if you define your search to that you'll find the average price for these apartments are 550.00 to 600.00 PW so you have an idea of what yours is worth or the going rate to rent in Mascot. You can do the same for buying.

Ensure if your targeting a particular area that you click on the surrounding suburbs tab and un tick it, tick it if your looking for a whole area, a suburb and will consider surrounding suburbs, that gives you even more options.
The site gives good descriptions of property, though that is up to the Realestate offices selling or renting properties, to fill in and is no reflection of the site, allot like womo is not responsible for what we write.

It would be good if they, being real estate offices would include floor plans in their rental ads like they do with for sale it would give renters a better idea of space and size.

This is a fabulous site my agency, that is mine, in the one I use to buy,sell and rent properties uses this as their main advertising resource.

Don you are Briiliant, I know I have heard you play, at the Hilton. I'm not a name dropper so I'm not going to say who you were supporting but you were Fantastic and she's a super star.
Thank you, Sydney is a better and luckier place on the music scene for your presence.

Just had dinner and it was nice, OK under normal circumstances I would have given this four stars good for all aspects, but I don't dare not give a perfect review now in case the owners don't like good and want WOW, get Whinny and complain, to WOMO it's me that pays with a retracted review. So peeps, review followers read my reviews for the facts according to Sebastian, as I may just have to give five stars to everything to keep my Rep.
So this place was far too much fun to have in one day, it's like I had died, well ideally a bucket of KFC would have been on the train, but it was all very good. Freshly made and tempura options as well, you all know my penchant for fried food.
So you sit there and it alls just keeps coming options delicious Sushi rolls, sashimi, beans, YUK, and some not so sweet bland desserts, but we had fun.
A special message to the owners, thank you for advertising on here it's a very good resource, we discovered you because of it.
FANTASTIC!!!

I went with my Partner to have a new Ensuite designed, we want a fully glass ensuite which most average builders didnt understand when we got quotes, then a friend told us about TASTE and siad they were sure they could help, and they wernt wrong.
The staff member was Great she imediatley understood what we wanted and showed us a glass wall that could go to smoke or clear and a great dual sink and dual shower head, it was all there, they have a fabulous selection of Bathhrooms and Kitchens with some great Designs.
The new ensuite due in August will be stunning the design team very good and the sales wonderful. Cost well you get what you pay for.

Approximate cost: $18,500

I have had a fantastic service experience.
I have lived in the area for over 7 years and have bought everything between two other large electrical stores, but this one being in the same site, I would always go and compare prices, and I did find them not very good at negoiating or very competative with the other Bads Boys in the Homemaker Centre.
But recently I was looking for some 3D glasses for my Sony TV and a new Fridge for the office and I was drawn to Bing Lee as it was having their mid year sale, I went in as a customer and did my thing expecting to be treated with disdain.
BUT Ahbou who served us was absoloutley brilliant, He was polite, offered advice, and sold me the Fridge, but matched and beat a price and gave me a slightly larger model and assisted with the glasses and gave me a great deal, we also discussed new items coming down the pike and he seemed to by all over the latest TV tech. I was very pleased.
Ahbou is a star performer, at the Homemaker Centre Bing Lee Alexandria and as long as he is there and will serve I will keep going back. Service makes the difference. Its a shame that other businesses dont get that.
The delivery was the very next morning and was done very proffesionally, quickly and politley, the delivery guy was very nice and took away the packaging and set it up. Excellent service.

Good service, petrol available, they don't Honour the the Woolworths discount but they are a franchise. The prices are still better than the other brands in this country area.

This has one of my all time Favourite Coffees, after Schibello, I love the Campos brand. And this lovely cafe sells it.
The lovely staff are friendly and make your coffee just as you like it. Plenty of slices and home made foods it's all really yummy.

This is a very Profesional service, I was under allot of peer pressure from extremely beautiful work colleagues, just looking at them made me want to hide my aging face, the stress lines that can appear at 28 is unbelievable, I went to this service to have some lazer treatment to tighten my face and now I look as pretty/ handsome as my work team and I feel better now.
A pricey way to go for vanity, but well worth it. Clean bright and you have a good sense of trust, that your in good hands.

When I was Super Area Manager at Flight Centre HQ I discovered this fantastic cake shop, Sorry Patisserie if you don't mind. The cakes are superb and I still will order and go and get Birthday cakes as I did this weekend for my Erstwhile Vegetarian Friends Birthday, I gave him a large Four layered Chocolate cake. OMG it was delicious went down a treat with our friends and I'm popular again till next I through my stuff around the house.
They have a great range of cakes none with that boring sickly artificial cream, these cakes have a butter frosting but are not heavy. Excellent quality and will cost a tad more than other stores like M's Patisserie, but it's well worth paying the extra. If for nothing else to keep you out of the dog house.
Happy Birthday Andrè.

Approximate cost: $44.00