BirdDaddy my replies a bit late cause iv been quiet busy an things, ok alright, yeah having a bit of money would help no doubt. When it comes to hitch hiking I didn't even know it was illegal, how does the state tell a person who is allowed in there car or not? wtf?, iv picked up hitch hikers before and things. Last time I done it me an friends went exploring some forest areas for places to camp out, but on our way back to the automobile we were talking and went past a path we were meant to take, an just like that we got lost in the middle of nowhere in this forest, there phones also had no signal an we couldn't look up google maps or anything. So we ended up guessing the way back, Iv got a pritty good sense of direction but all we had was a bag of half eaten grapes an it was getting hot. After a while of walking we came out onto some random road and tried to hitch hike, no one picked us up that time, they just drove past, we didn't try for too long though, eventually someone prob would have. But because we had reached a road now, phones showed us the maps and we got back to the car. But its good not to get distracted if your travelling in places like that, that your unfamiliar with. So as to hitch hiking, people still do it here an there, yes.
With the freight trains, some have done it, it doesn't seem to be as popular here as it may be for you guys in america, from Melbourne near southern cross station theres the Dynon freight yard, theres a wired fence, theres security patrol at night, an cameras, and all the boxcars are locked. Trains from there go all over Australia iv heard. Theres another yard though not to far away from that one, Tottenham yard and theres freight trains there and the setting looks a lot more easier if you wanted to travel by those trains. One story Iv heard there was two guys, climbed up onto the top of the boxcars from Albany station (WA) and where headed for Perth in (WA) they got spotted by the driver who then pulled up an stopped it, then they got caught, they didn't have water and had been drinking alcohol they were a bit of a mess apparently. Yea people travel that way Iv even read a post on here, this website about someone doing it, even across the desert but if anyone wants to do that they should go prepared, the desert is real hot at day an cold at night, an the train might not stop for a while, get water do your research, im not advising it, especially if people don't know what the fuck they are actually doing.
As for the other trains theres metro an V-line, when travelling on metro we have a system called myki so you have a card thing, an you put money on it, an its like your ticket, but you can just walk on the trains without it an get a free ride, however if the ticket inspectors come by an you don't have your myki they will try give you a fine, people general dislike these guys they have been known to beat people up even teenage girls, iv ran from them a few times in the past, one time they did let me off just cause I kinda wasn't answering there questions, and didn't react when they said we'd have to get off the next stop for police to come, they were then like just pay next time and left me alone.. Then theres the V-line trains which go further out across the country side. Theres always a ticket inspector on there but normally its only one not a group like the metro trains, these ones are not known to try fight people, an seem chill, like you can get on with $10 an stay on much longer then you would be allowed with $10 but they don't say anything really once they see you have $ on your myki they are ok with letting you ride the train, they don't ask you where your getting off so if you have enough money on your myki card for a short trip but stay on longer its not an issue, in my experience.
