But once we were down in the basement there were constant reminders of those logistical issues involving the parade. Significant numbers of people from varying demographics in uniform or bedecked with medals were making their way to and fro, some apparently in transit towards an assembly point, others, I assumed, heading back home (or to their local RSL observance) having already marched.
The airport line loops through Wynyard, Circular Quay, St James and Museum en route to Central, Green Square, Mascot and the Domestic Terminal, and at each stop along the way there was significant, obviously Anzac Day-related coming and going.
That stopped once we reached Central, and from the time we debouched at Domestic things were back in the territory where there was nothing, apart from the seemingly inevitable switch in departure lounges, to remark on.
Brunch at one of the multiple options before you get to Departure Lounge Central for your chosen carrier, a spell on the Free WiFi, the switch from the lounge on your boarding pass to the one they're actually using, boarding...
A familiar routine, with nothing of note along the way. The same applied to the two and three-quarter hour flight, which is just the way Hughesy likes it, thank you very much.
Excitement, in these circumstances, is something we can definitely do without.
If we'd left the car with The Golfer the route out of Townsville would have involved Love Lane, but heading out of the long term car park onto Ingham Road the slight unfamiliarity with the route threw me momentarily. I almost had us heading as far as The Causeway, and I'm not totally sure you can turn right from Ingham Road, and we might, heaven forbid, have been forced to go right into town, turning onto Stanly Street and heading out through Railway Estate to Rooney's Bridge which, of course, takes you onto Abbott Street. Definitely don't want to go that way.
But I twigged to it in time and navigated us onto Kings Road and Bayswater Road instead. Stop for fuel near the race track at Cluden and things from there to Bowen were straightforward.
Which, again, is just the way you like it...