Friday, 30 November 2007
Arriving at the airport we discovered, unsurprisingly, that those involved with the check-in procedure were learning the ropes, and, once boarding had commenced I was somewhat bemused to notice that the luggage was being loaded the old “conveyor belt” way rather than being slotted into place stowed in one of those handy containers which slot neatly into the underbelly of the modern airliner.
Maybe delays associated with the baggage handling procedures created a need to fill in time, or perhaps it was a general policy on the part of a fledgling airline to reassure wary travellers that they were in the hands of seasonal professionals, but whatever the reason we were treated to a lengthy address from the flight deck before the aircraft finally departed.
A combination of all those factors meant that touchdown in Melbourne some three hours later was fashionably late, and, arriving in the baggage claim area we found ourselves in an area that bore more resemblance to a zoo enclosure than the arrivals area of a contemporary airport. Still, for $9.95 you don’t go ‘round expecting the Palazzo Versace.
Once we’d located the luggage it was time to board the Skybus in search of our overnight accommodation. Melbourne’s arrangement where the Skybus takes you to Southern Cross which in turn links you to tram, rail, coach and shuttle bus options provides, at least as far as I’m concerned, something close to the optimum means of transferring arrivals from the airport to their eventual destinations with minimal fuss.
At this point I should indicate that despite the relatively spur-of-the-moment decision to head towards Launceston, the remainder of the travel and accommodation arrangements were the result of extensive and detailed research on the party of ‘Er Indoors.
While our accommodation at the Atlantis may not have been exactly two hundred metres from Southern Cross, it was within comfortable walking distance, and, once settled into a room with a scenic outlook across the Telstra Dome it was time to consider the dinner options.
Fashionably late as our arrival had been, our initial plan to head into the city for dinner went out the window and inquiries at the front desk indicated the presence of a reasonable Italian eatery on a nearby corner. An hour or so later, having demolished a couple of plates of quite reasonable risotto, it was time to think about a little post-prandial refreshment.
Further inquiries resulted in a flying visit to a Coles outlet about a hundred metres from the hotel, and a reasonable bottle of Coonawarra Cabernet provided a suitable opportunity to reflect on the day’s adventures and ponder future travel plans.