Return to Melbourne

We had a 1 pm flight (yes, the time was influenced by the fare, which  was exceptional value – only a few dollars more than the Uber from the airport to home) so we had a few minutes to occupy having a final coffee at Coogee Pavilion enjoying the sunlit scene before getting Uber to the airport.   

Coogee Pavilion (at night!)

Once again, the airport was almost a pleasant place: no queues and plenty of seating space.    But the flight was full.    It’s all very well for the crew to mention in one of the announcements that “it’s nice to see a full plane!”, but it’s not so great for the passengers (well, for those of us who are looking for  “value” fares).

At Melbourne we were met by a barrage of checkers who wanted to see our Victorian entry permits.    The airline had reminded us in an email the day before departure that a permit was required, so we passed the test.    I was interested to notice  that in fact nearly all our fellow passengers were also properly documented.    Looks though we’ve become a very compliant nation?     But it still “grates” a little to have to have a permit to enter one’s home state – although I know of course that others have had a much tougher time getting home in past months.

For the first time, we caught an Uber at the airport. The ride-share lane is clearly marked, and the drivers are obviously waiting out at the “wait to pick up” car park, so there was a 4 minute wait for him to arrive.   We encountered some traffic congestion on the way home: there was some sort of police operation on Queens Road, and the local arrangements for school pick ups not far way from us were unfamiliar for our driver so we got stuck in the wrong lane for a couple of minutes.    I was glad that I didn’t have to watch a taxi meter ticking over while all this was occurring!

Scenes of emptiness in parts of the airport at Sydney.