Outrunning the storm

Another trip to Canberra! Well it is over 6 months since my last flight down there for work and again it was work that called me back. My original intention was to get a lift by car and catch the train back, but a change in meeting times scotched that plan. So last Tuesday it was another day trip by plane.

This time I caught the QantasLink Dash8 Q400 turboprop to Canberra and the 737-400 jet on the way back. The flight to Canberra was wonderfully smooth and scenic. I spotted our house, the Alfords Point bridge duplication, ANSTO site and much more below. I had been told that Lake George held water again, but all I saw was a rather large puddle.

The flight back was much more dramatic. The Bureau of Meteorology had predicted an afternoon storm for Canberra and they were spot on. I watched it approach the city as I was returning to the airport, hoping that I would escape before it struck. Unfortunately, my plane took off directly towards the storm (against the wind, as is normal) and we flew right through the front as we curved our way back towards Sydney.

I was clinging on to my seat willing myself to cope with the bumps and drops. Thankfully I had booked a seat over the wing and I think I did pretty well, especially considering that last flight back from Malaysia. Eventually we escaped the storm and settled back for a far more gentle flight back into Sydney Airport.

I've written up a much more detailed account at airliners.net. Photos are also available.

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One night in Canberra

It's the April school holidays and we are too busy to have a break but need one because of that. And because it's the Easter weekend the options are limited, so we just drive down to Canberra for the night. No, this isn't our first trip for 2023. I wrote about Japan on another site . I refuse to wake up early so we depart after 8.30 AM. There is not much to say about the drive except that the clouds seem so low and Lake George is very full. We stop at a rest area and at the lookout up the hill to take it all in. Everyone is hungry so we first stop in Dickson and then can't think of anything to eat, so I drive us to Civic, where we can't decide and end up eating at the Singaporean Killiney Kopitiam branch. The Canberra Centre has nice shops. I dream of getting an iPad from the Apple Store, we buy a blanket and toothbrushes from Muji and wish that Lego wasn't so expensive. Nothing we can't get in Sydney, but then we rarely go out shopping in the city. It'

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A selection of jams

We're home now. The last two days of our Brisbane trip involved a lot of driving but not always much movement. On Wednesday we arranged to met Sis and her family at Robina Town Centre, a massive shopping mall. That meant a drive down towards the Gold Coast along the same motorway we'd driven up along. What should have taken an hour took twice that due to the holiday traffic along the 3 and 4 lane road. Lots of people taking the turn-offs to three of the "Worlds" (Wet'n'Wild, Movie World and Dreamworld). The Town Centre hosts Artvo , a trick photography gallery where you use perspectives to make subjects look like they are part of the artwork. It was surprisingly fun, despite the aversion of we males to being the subjects of photos. Afterwards we had a long chat over lunch, which was sourced from a variety of eateries. I had roti and chicken curry from Roti and Buns . Passable, though the curry was more laksa like. We later took Sis to Daiso and she and her h

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