Australia & New Zealand 1

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Day 1 - 14th
Our daughter Marie drove us to Glasgow Airport through showery weather, arriving around 11.30. The drop off point is now in the terminal’s multi-story car park opposite because of previous attempts to fire bomb it! Check-in was a doddle because we’d previously booked our seats on-line. No problem with security screening despite David’s walk-on case being full of laptop, cameras, external hard-disc drives, cables, transformers, power adaptors, toiletries ………. and just a few clothes.

Following Emirates chaotic queuing arrangements, we departed late but arrived on time at Dubai Airport. It was a little traumatic en route as we bounced over some spectacular electric storms that lit up brooding and menacing storm clouds over …….. Disembarking at the one end of this extremely long but aesthetically pleasing and modern terminal after eight hours was a pity because our connecting flight was at the other end! It was a little depressing to circumnavigate hand baggage because of further security screening just to get into the huge duty free departure area.

David tried to buy a new electric shaver because, would you believe it the shaver foil on his old one disintegrated during his last shave before departure. There was no time to replace it. Sods Law! However, the Dubai ‘duty-free’ price was too high and the electrical connector incompatible with the UK. We also wanted to buy a new compact camera but they wanted £60 more than Dixon’s no-cheaper-than-normal ‘duty free’ prices at Glasgow Airport. No chance! Our sturdy four year old Konica KD 400 will be our backup again. It’s been dropped, trampled on, doused and blown off the two-story high rampart walls at Brimstone Hill Fortress, St Kitts, yet never fails to produce good pictures, despite the dented zoom lens.

So onward to Singapore Airport, our next stage, where, after about six and a half bum-numbing hours we disembarked with hand luggage again, only to immediately enter a glass-walled departure lounge for re-embarking, with further security screening. This time David had to empty his hand baggage to disclose the laptop for separate screening, no matter that it had all been screened twice before without removal from the case. The whole thing was made farcical by a passenger entering the embarkation door unchallenged in front of a police officer. It would make you weep if you weren’t stoical.

As we approached Australia we experienced our second but most fantastic sunset in less than 24 hours, losing a day as we travel. We wonder what jetlag will induce as we pass above more violent electrical storms over Sumatra and, believe it or not, the Great Sandy Desert of Australia, where we took a significant buffeting. Wow! Scary! A day later we wonder whether these storms moved on to Queensland, especially Brisbane, which experienced its worst storms in over thirty years and significant environmental damage, many people losing their homes.

Day 3 - 16th
Despite giving Trailfinders £30 to enable completion of an online Australia Visa form, just before landing we had to fill in another tiny-but-comprehensive immigration entry form. Our dexterity, patience and competence amazed as we completed the form while rattling around in the storm juddered plane, unable to read the tiny instructions or enter the responses effectively in the yellow digit entry boxes. Try doing that on white paper under an airplane’s reading light, on because the cabin lights were out for night flying. Do these bureaucrats ever think about the conditions experienced by poor, colour blind travellers like David when they devise these forms? Do they ever trial them in real working conditions: from our experience, obviously not. At least they weren’t as bad as the USA forms completed in previous years, with these you couldn’t tell whether the entries had to be put above or below the line, only to get a smug Homeland security officer to throw the card back, telling you it wasn’t filled in correctly!

Anyway, thanks to Emirates Airways, our luggage arrived promptly and in one piece, unlike British Airway on our last trip to Seattle. Australian Immigration staff proved efficient, cheerful and humorous. After facing some difficulty finding our way out of the airport at 2.45, David said to the tall officer at our third security checkpoint, “Is this the way out?” “I certainly hope so mite, or I wouldn’t have a blaady job.”

Trying to get the pre-booked SkyBus to our hotel outside the terminal wasn’t so endearing. As we left the main exit after 24 hours travelling, a SkyBus went past and parked some distance away. We hurtled along to catch it, luggage and trolley swaying as we neared the bus, only for the driver to ignore us and shoot off in his empty bus! Thanks mate! Here we are nearly three in the morning without transport. Never mind, these bus are every 10 minutes according to the online booking website when purchasing the tickets, and the large illuminated scrolling sign at the stance. Hang on! Another sign states the next bus will be 53 minutes, 83 and 113 minutes!! After a few angry minutes, David photographs the two signs as evidence because the ticket states “No refunds”. It’s civic robbery. We end up paying an additional $60 AU for a taxi to our hotel, relieved to crash out after over twenty-four hours of travelling. Melbourne looks good at night with different colours illuminating various buildings and civic monuments.

The Travelodge, Southbank is a pretty good hotel. It’s centrally placed and the staff are friendly and helpful. Our room on the 10th floor was spacious, clean and very quiet. Arriving tired at 4.00 after 24 hours travelling, the bed felt the most comfortable we’d ever slept in. The room had a mini kitchen with fridge, sink unit, cutlery, and dishcloth, washing up liquid, microwave oven and tea making facilities. There was also a nice little work/eating table, settee/bed and coffee table with two chairs. The air conditioning was quiet and effective. Bathroom facilities were good with a huge walk shower cubicle. The curtains blocked out most light, enabling us to sleep until afternoon. The receptionist promised we wouldn’t be disturbed and we weren’t. Brilliant! The only negatives relate to room lighting and the internet connection. Lighting was totally inadequate away from the bed area and even there the light shone in your eyes from the ceiling while we tried to read. Which numpty architect planned this botch up we wonder! Sorry but the fad for all these energy consuming inset halogen lights has got to stop. While not cheap for its no-thrills provision, the extortionate internet connection cost £4.25/hour!
(Here)
Day 4 - 17th
Melbourne centre is a friendly and vibrant, with a real cosmopolitan buzz. It is easy to get around with good bus, tram and train facilities. It’s only a short walk from our hotel. The free City Circle Tram loop around the many attractions on vintage trams enables you to hop on and off at numerous interesting stops. The red-topped and Auzzie-hatted City ambassadors do a great job roaming around offering visitors any help regarding the City’s tourist attractions. Our roams around the city included visiting the old Melbourne Gaol, a really macabre experience but informative, especially the history of its many occupants, including Ned Kelly, whose death mask is displayed at the end of the main hall. We also took a leisurely stroll along the Yarra River past the numerous historic rowing clubs and the Melbourne Cricket stadium, around the Royal Botanic Gardens and back. What a hive of activity, a veritable frenzy of rowing, coaching, cycling, jogging, strolling, BBQing and sun bathing. Yes the Aussies love their sport and leisure. The Botanic Gardens is an oasis of calm beauty. It’s well worth a visit as was the open air pub near our hotel where we enjoyed delicious beer and G&T to round off the day and calm our aching limbs.

Day 5 - 18th
An advert in the Melbourne Tourist book attracted us to Bundooran Park to view live Kangaroos and Emus in their native environment. We fancied an extended tram trip to get there. We shouldn’t have bothered. There’s hardly anything to see. The main park is around 14km from the city centre, requires a car to travel around and isn’t well kept. To see the animals, you must climb into a caged tractor- towed trailer. It lasts only a few minutes, doesn’t allow you to photograph properly, is uncomfortable and you get exhaust fumes to inhale, a complete waste of money. We also lost time to see other important attractions. Even the food looked vile and expensive so we avoided it until we got back to town. Following lunch, we jumped onto the City Circle Tram again and then walked to the lovely Treasury and Fitzroy Gardens where we visited James Cook’s Cottage that was transported brick by brick from Little Ayton, North Yorkshire. One young member staff was passionately enthusiastic and informative about Cook’s life and achievements, especially those regarding Cook’s contribution to the establishment of modern Australia. Back at the hotel we had to use its extortionate internet connection to check in online for our flight to Auckland, New Zealand tomorrow and, what do you know, we had problems getting the Emirates website to accept our check-in. It was supposed to enable check-in up to 24 hours ahead but it didn’t. We got through after about ten minutes. Meanwhile, once the check-in was completed we didn’t have enough time to enter our first blog on this trip. Maybe we will try from Auckland tomorrow!

Day 6 - 19th
We had an early start this morning, up at 5.00 to get organised and onward to the airport for 6.30. Our taxi driver was quietly courteous and efficient. Unfortunately, our high regard for Melbourne Airport immigration officers was completely undermined by their departure security officials; curt, lacking communication skills and unhelpful. The first official reprimands David for touching the person screener as he walks through. The next official demands to weigh our hand luggage. He questions David: “Have you a laptop in the case?” “Yes.” “Take it out and carry it to the X-ray machine, otherwise your case will be overweight!” David: “Sorry but I haven’t seen any notices about weight restrictions for hand luggage. I thought it was the airlines that checked these things?” “No.” We collect our things from the conveyor after passing through the X-ray scanner. Doreen goes to return the laptop to the case and gets the heavy treatment. “Stand over here.” He goes through her case. David tries to pick up his laptop and is told bluntly to stand aside. While one checks the case, the female one frisks Doreen. Nothing found. David’ allowed to pick up his laptop and queries: “What was all that about?” “It’s just a random check.” David’s about to go over the lack of decorum in the whole incident when Doreen grabs him and wrenches him away! Then they all start arguing with each other over some issue. Hmm!

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Photos

Every 10 Minutes
Arriving at Melbourne Airport 2.45am. It's what the online booking said the bus service to city centre would be.

The sign just a few feet away
It was 53 minutes when we got there and the driver left without us in his empty bus!

David near our room
What views!

More Skytower
Our hotel is on the left.

Ned Kelly's Death Mask
Doreens' morbid curiosity in Melbourne Gaol.