Day 18: Back to Melbourne

I was woken up early by what I thought was my alarm, but what turned out to be a FaceTime call from my friend, Bernie. Another one of my friends from Toronto was visiting Edmonton and they were all having a gathering. I ended up chatting for about an hour before packing up and getting ready for my flight to Melbourne.

The bus met us at our hotel and brought us to the airport. Ayers Rock Airport is quite small but gets pretty crowded when there’s more than one flight departing. Another flight to Sydney was leaving at the same time, so the terminal got quite full.

I ended up grabbing a seat with Leanne and Georgia, who I had sat with at dinner the previous evening. We chatted while waiting to board, and I watched as the two flights came in to land.

Our flight to Melbourne got called up first, but I waited until the line got shorter before going up. Again we boarded by stairs which provided a great view of the aircraft, although we were told not to take photos.

We were too early for our arrival slot, so we sat on the ground for about 20 minutes before departure. Thankfully the front door was kept open which provided a nice breeze.

About half an hour after takeoff, the service began. Unfortunately the flight attendants skipped our row, and were quite rude when we brought it up.

I had to ask to confirm that I had a $15 credit again, unlike the previous flight where I was told about it. I ended up ordering a pie, sausage roll and a Pepsi but had to ask again for the drink, and then for cutlery. When my food was ready, the flight attendant basically chucked it at me.

I’m pretty empathetic to people working in the service industry, especially those in a customer facing role. Obviously this flight attendant wasn’t having the best day, but it contributed to a negative experience to those who interacted with her. Even her colleague looked stressed and seemed to be working extra hard to make up for this.

After my meal, I had a nap and woke up just before beginning our descent. The sky looked quite different over here, and it was raining as we touched down in Melbourne.

Despite the poor service on the flight, Jetstar did nail down the logistics. Almost immediately after pulling into the stand, the stairs arrived and doors opened. I was one of the first people off, and due to the long walk to the baggage claim, the bags started rolling off as I got there.

My suitcase was one of the first off, so I grabbed it and quickly made my way to the Skybus stop. The bus pulled in less than a minute later, and since I was the first one on, I got to sit at the front on the upper level. Unfortunately it was pouring, so I didn’t have the greatest view.

Less than an hour after landing, I was at Southern Cross Station. My hotel for the next five nights was in the Docklands, which was too far to walk, so I made my way to wait for tram 86.

I had forgotten about the free tram zone: any tram trip within Melbourne’s CBD and the Docklands is free. I had added way more money onto my myki since I figured I’d be hitting the daily cap each day. Oh well, just another excuse to come back!

My hotel was right at the end of the line, just across the street from the terminus. When I checked in, I was told I had been upgraded, and given a room on the 13th floor.

After relaxing for a bit, I decided to look for some dinner. I had a craving for Nando’s, and there was one in the mall across the street. Since it was a Sunday night, it was only open for takeaway, so I brought my meal back to my room.

I started to make some plans for my week in Melbourne and did some writing before heading to bed. I had quite enjoyed my time in Uluru, a lot more than I thought I would, but was looking forward to exploring the city.

Today by the numbers

Steps taken: 5,400

Modes of transport used: 3