In a Sunburned Country #2

The first stop on Bill Bryson's train voyage is the town of Broken Hill, where he and Trevor, the photographer accompanying him on this trip, are to meet their guides. These two guides, named Sonja and Garland, are to take them 250 kilometers north across the outback to the community of White Cliffs. The plan is to then turn around and return to Broken Hill, where Bill and Trevor would rejoin their train.
During the trip, Bryson combines his own experiences with historical information that he has researched. These short history lessons are useful and informative. Not only do they give the reader a better understanding of the area, they also inform the reader about topics that are not general knowledge for most people. For example, in this section Bryson details the numerous early expeditions that were undertaken by Europeans to cross the Australian Continent. Most of the expeditions were shockingly poorly equipped and often ended in tragedy. The most notable of these doomed expeditions was that of Robert O'Hara Burke and William John Wills. Their so-called Great Northern Exploration Expedition set off in on August 19, 1860. The Age newspaper in Melbourne commented on the final result of the expedition, "some are dead, some are on their way back, one has come to Melbourne, and another has made his way back to Adelaide...the whole expedition appears to have been one prolonged blunder throughout."
Finally, Bryson arrives in Perth and spends several days sightseeing in the surrounding area. Unfortunately, this particular trip is nearing its end, but Bryson assures the reader that he will be back for more.