My long journey is finally over. David and I arrived at the cottage in the Vale of Clywdd yesterday afternoon. It was so very hot and I was feeling exhausted after the excitement and many challenges of reaching Australia only three weeks ago.

I felt such mixed emotions as the ship sailed through the entrance into the harbour. I was excited to be seeing David again, curious about this new country, anxious about how I will cope with my new life and sad about leaving my family. Sailiing into the harbour, the trees looked odd to me, not the soft greens I am used to. They are dull olive green mostly, and look scraggly. They do have a clean, pleasant smell though.

Yesterday morning we boarded the steam train to Lithgow. Our buggy driver delivered us to the main entrance of the new station and my trunks were soon loaded onto the waiting train. The carriage was comfortable and David insisted that I should sit by the window.

At first, I could see a mixture of cottages, vegetable plots, and paddocks with mainly horses, cattle and hens. The countryside soon became less and less inhabited, with some scattered small villages. The engine worked very hard pulling the train up the steep incline to the “Blue Mountains”. I could see uninviting rocky, scrubby, dry country. It all felt so unfamiliar and challenging.

I just hope that I can learn to love this place as much as I do my new husband.