Articles in Australia

Our day started by getting up early. Early bird gets the worm, or so they say. Research we did on what lounge access was available in Cairns was not good – the only lounge, the Reef Lounge, was apparently destined to close on 1 August, days before we arrived. We had a buffet breakfast at the hotel given that we may not have the opportunity to have something substantial at the airport. Your typical Aussie breakfast – bacon, eggs, hash browns, baked beans, juice etc.

Our trip to Dublin started in Brisbane, as you would expect. Rather than the typical route through Dubai, London or Abu Dhabi, we went via Cairns. On Saturday afternoon we departed Brisbane on Qantas, arriving to a wet and cold(ish) Cairns. Flight time was about 2.5 hours, similar to Brisbane to Melbourne.

Prior to our 13.5 hour flight to Dubai (departed around 4pm Sydney time, arrived around 6am Sydney time), we were lucky enough to spend some time in the Qantas International First Class lounge. This was a once in a lifetime opportunity to travel like this, and I was just lucky I could share it with my beautiful wife Ros.

It’s always hard saying goodbye to our puppies, but we know they are in good hands. So there’s that comfort and peace of mind there.

Two days prior and we are getting ready. We need to go and get a few bits and assortments and then start packing. It’s starting to get exciting!