Here We Go Again…

For my age, I’m a fairly seasoned traveller. I’m not Michael Palin, but I’ve seen my fair share. However, the trip from Northern Ireland to Tasmania, was my longest continual journey so far. Here’s a little insight into what it was like, just so you know what you’re getting yourself in for if you ever decide to do it yourself.

Preparation

Last weekend was spent making final visits to family, and saying our goodbyes. The Sunday was deliberately relaxed, staying at my mum’s house, enjoying the last few hours there. Last minute checks were made, and we went to sleep around 1am.

Belfast

The flight out of Belfast, was scheduled to leave at 6:45am, so in order to be there in time to check-in, we had to leave the house around 4am. So, after 2 hours of sleep, we set off!

Just by-the-way, if you’re ever getting a flight around 7am on a Monday morning from Belfast City airport, get there fairly sharp, as the queue through security is extremely long and slow!

London Heathrow

Arriving in Heathrow, we had time for coffee at Costa, before preparing to once again board the gigantic A380 with Singapore Airlines. Herein lies another plus with flying via Singapore. This plane is seriously comfortable, and if you like the avail yourself of in-flight entertainment, your greeted with a large (8”?) screen to watch from, as well as good leg room and seats.

This is needed. 12-13 hours on a plane is not the most desirable of experiences, but it helps if you are fairly comfortable. We also had the added benefit of being seated in some of the best economy class seats; right at the back (row 63). Here the toilet is extremely accessible, and no one is behind you (which has many benefits).

Singapore

When we landed in Singapore, it was straight to the Gate for the departure to Perth. This is not ideal at all. For a journey to Tasmania, you want to be travelling Singapore - Melbourne/Adelaide. However, because we had booked return flights beginning in Perth, we had to return to Perth. If we hadn’t spent two weeks in Perth (not that I’m complaining, I just mention it to enlighten you), the return flights would have begun/ended in Adelaide.

Perth

Anyway, the flight to Perth was a sleepy 5 hours. It was interesting to compare the recent aerial images of the luscious, vibrant green fields of Northern Ireland, with the barren, parched plains of Western Australia. Such a difference!

The Perth airport isn’t exactly the most accommodating for international to domestic transfers. Terminal 1 is isolated from Terminal 2/3, and if you need to move between the buildings, it necessitates waiting for a bus, which costs AUS $8/person, and takes about 10-15 minutes. An extremely odd and inefficient layout. By the time we got to Terminal 3, it was about 3:30pm, and we then had to joyfully wait in the uneventful Terminal for our flight, which was departing at 12:05am!

By the time we were getting on the plane in Perth, about 36 hours had past since we left my mums house!

The flights from Perth - Melbourne - Hobart were with Virgin Blue, so if you want entertainment ($4.90 for a short flight, and $9.90 for a long flight) or food/drink, you have to pay. That’s how they keep their prices down, or so they say.

Hobart

We arrived, finally, in Hobart around 9:30am, and got to our ‘new home’ in Kingston for around 11am on the Wednesday, so from home to home took 46 hours (if my calculations are correct).

The result? We went to bed after getting settled in, and slept for 17 hours, waking up fresh around 5am on Thursday morning.

So there you have it. If you’re planning to travel across the world, this I trust, gives you a little insight.

Want to read other articles? Try these...

• Flights, family and friends, fun, and the future…
• Arrival in Oz!
• From Northern Ireland to Singapore…

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