Planes, Trains & Automobiles
- Ash Collins
- Dec 30, 2019
- 7 min read
Unlike Del Griffith & Neal Page, we did not encounter any travel disasters as we embarked upon our trip home over the Thanksgiving period. It was however over two years since our last visit to Australia; and it 'twas an enforced absence. A cancer diagnosis, followed by a series of very successful treatments prolonged the inevitable visit to the home country. Now, with this nonsense well and truly in the rear vision mirror, it was time for our trip down under.
With my companion securely strapped into her seat, the pre-flight champagne was served by our Qantas cabin crew. Whilst pouring, the flight deck prepared to push back and set us on course across the Pacific for our 14 hour journey to Oz. As an aside, this would be our inaugural flight on the not so new Qantas Dreamliner. According to the First Officer on the flight deck, the major difference with this technologically advanced aircraft is the increase in humidity within the cabin. The older 747's had a humidity factor of ~3% whereas this aircraft operates at ~18% humidity thereby reducing the level of dehydration & fatigue previously experienced by passengers. The result being you can drink copious (more) amounts of alcohol and arrive at your destination feeling refreshed. I'll let you know how that experiment concluded as and when we touchdown in Melbourne.
After some 13.5 hours in the air, a couple of movies coupled with a few hours REM sleep and feeling very hydrated and refreshed, the Captain announced our descent into Tullamarine Airport. Ahead of schedule, we cruised through customs and into our awaiting Mercedes van that would ferry us and our luggage into downtown Melbourne. By comparison to freeway driving in the US, our driver was seemingly crawling along amongst the Friday morning peak hour traffic en route to the Doubletree Hilton on Flinders Street. Despite the snail pace, Trace and I certainly felt a sense of excitement and anticipation knowing what lie ahead over the next 2 weeks.
Arriving at the hotel just before 8am, we knew that our room would not be ready until lunchtime; so we stored our bags and off we went as tourists in our hometown to explore the city of Melbourne. As the sporting and cultural capital of Australia, Melbourne has plenty to offer visitors. From its rooftop bars, a multitude of internationally renowned cafes & restaurants, the designer boutiques, its cosmopolitan feel and an array of historical buildings and landmarks it wasn't long before we transcended from tourists to proud home comers.
With a short trip down memory (and AC/DC) lane complete, it was time to get our skates on for what was the beginning of a very imposing two weeks of travel on the East coast in planes, trains and automobiles. Before I begin, at the risk of being rude, disrespectful and boring, I will not go into the micro detail of all that Trace & I accomplished over the proceeding 12 days. Instead, I will try to summarize the highlights of our travels in prose and images.
Friday night at the Bentleigh RSL was the first highlight of what was to be a very busy day 1. Thank you very much to everyone that made an effort to come out and see us. It was a very special and emotional night for me in particular as I was able to re-unite with some friends from decades past. Saturday would begin with a breakfast with exe-colleagues and friends followed by a lunch with two dear friends of mine. To quote Henry Thoreau: "Nothing makes the world seem so spacious as to have friends at a distance; they make the latitudes and the longitudes."
Sunday morning we found ourselves on a flight up to Sydney to see friends and family. The most noticeable aspect of the flight was the amount of smoke and forestry devastation below.
Having been picked up from Kingsford Smith Airport, Trace & I dropped our bags off and walked up to Norton Street where enjoyed a great lunch in Leichhardt with friends and family. Following lunch, we payed a quick visit to the Royal North Shore hospital to see a family member recovering from major heart surgery. Given the manic schedule we were keeping by day 3, we were not certain that we too might be admitted to hospital for exhaustion.
With our visit to Sydney complete, it was time for the train and car leg of our trip on a sunny & smoky Monday morning. From Central Station we would head South by train to Thirroul where a great friend would pick us up and drive the remaining part of the journey to Bomaderry Station to meet with Trace's dad. We would spend a couple of stress free days in Callala with Trace's folks relaxing and catching up on the local gossip. We both enjoy visiting The Callala Beach area as it is picturesque and littered with beautiful beach walks that we took advantage of despite the residual smoke blowing in from fires to the North.
After a couple of relaxing days on the South Coast it was time to pack our bags, board the train and head back to the big smoke (literally & figuratively) to catch our flight back down to Melbourne. A chance meeting in the Qantas business lounge allowed me to vent and dump our frustrations upon the shoulders of Westpac's COO as we queued for a glass of red. Having (professionally) set the record straight about the issues with our Private Banking team, we set off on our 80 minute flight for a Thursday night catch up with another very close and dear friend. Plenty of beer and jocularity prevailed as we three entertained OR annoyed the patrons of The Exford hotel.
It was now time to prepare mentally for the primary reason for making the trip down under; The event...the long awaited wedding of Brendan Milne to Carla Gilbert. We collected our Avis hire car from Southbank and commenced our drive along the Nepean Highway, via Mornington, to the Lindenderry Estate at Red Hill.
I was bestowed the great honor and privilege of being the Master of Ceremonies for this wonderful event. To borrow a line from my repartees of the evening, being asked to be MC at a wedding is like making love to Prince Charles; it is considered to be a great honor but nobody wants to do it! With that said, I did of course graciously accept the challenge. However, before The Wedding, we would be dining with the wedding party & family on the Friday night at Red Gum BBQ such that Trace & I could meet the troops. 'Twas a great evening that provided me with a casual environment with which to meet those who were on parade the following day.
And now for the day of reckoning....The Wedding Day. The day was perfect for a wedding albeit there was a strong wind warning forecast; I suspect this had more to do with last night's BBQ as opposed to the BoM. The shining sun set the stage for what would be the perfect ceremony.
In addition to my duties as MC, I also offered to buzz around the estate with my camera to take some images of the property prior to the mid-afternoon arrival of the official Paparazzi. The bonus being that I would have the opportunity to photograph the bride & bridesmaids as they were having their hair and makeup completed. I was, of course, perfectly behaved and kept nothing for my private collection.
Here are a select few images of the Lindenderry Estate and the Reception room from the big day...
As Kool and the Gang once sang...."Celebrate Good Times C'mon" and we did. The 110 guests and the Bridal Party had a huge day and night celebrating the newlyweds at both the ceremony and reception...perfectly choreographed. Sarah Valentine (Acoustic vocalist) and DJ Dan were superb as they entertained the guests throughout the evening. Many thanks to the entire Estate team who were all so welcoming by making our stay so enjoyable. And finally, thank you to the newlyweds for entrusting me with such an important role on your most important day.
With the wedding complete, it was back to the grueling and somewhat confusing lifestyle of living in and out of 3 suitcases and God knows how many packing cubes. Back at the Doubletree Hilton for the 3rd time, Trace & I prepared for the decompression and relaxation chapter of the trip...4 nights at The Sheraton Mirage Port Douglas. After 8+ years since our last visit to FNQLD it would be the understatement of 2019 to say we were looking forward to our final phase of the vacation.
We were collected from Cairns airport by two very important people to Trace & I; her uncle Clive and his wife Margo. It was an emotional reunion for Margo and I as we are both recovering cancer patients well and truly in need of some downtime and a huge HUG!! With hugs complete, our bag in the boot, or trunk for our American friends, we headed North to the sanctity the late Christopher Skase's The Sheraton Mirage Port Douglas.
We had a fantastic time together over the 4 days. We wined, dined and imbibed at PD's great restaurants (Nautilus, Watergate, Tin Shed), lounged by the virtually empty pool, walked along the beach and generally just relaxed.
As some SOB once stated all good things must come must to an end because that's what makes them good...without the end there is nothing to deem as good. Friggin logic Spock. The return to Melbourne from Cairns would spell the inevitable end to our time down under. It was great to return back home to re-unite with our wonderful friends and family, to re-visit so many places where we enjoy eating & drinking and to explore places in Oz that have such special places in our hearts (Topolinos). A huge thank you to everyone that made this blitzkrieg visit home so enjoyable...we do miss you all and we cannot wait for our next journey back to the wonderful Land of Oz!
Cheers
Ash & Trace
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