I generally prefer to use public transport to get from the airport to the CBD, regardless of whether I'm travelling for business or pleasure. I guess it's really a matter of personal taste, but give me the space, peace and reliability of a train over the cramped back seat of a grubby cab as it crawls through rush hour, any day of the week.
It's also the most eco-friendly way to travel, and whilst not everyone may be fully on board the 'green' transport bandwagon yet, at least you can feel like you're doing your bit.
Australia has some of the best, and possibly some of the worst airport public transports links in the world, and having sampled them all, here's a run through of each one:
I try to make overnight business trips go as smoothly as possible. I get all my tickets organised, pack early and lightly, even have a prepacked bag for toiletries and one for chargers and cables, and of course, I check in and book my airline seats online. I am not too bothered about saving time, I am more concerned about making my life easy. There's enough stress as it is.
This includes airport parking. I hate all the hassle of long term parking - if finding a free space in a tarmac area the size of ten football fields wasn't bad enough, you then have to wait for the bus to turn up and stop at least a dozen times before you get to the terminal. I also hate getting ripped off, but since I'm not paying when it's a business trip, I hate the hassle even more. So I generally park in the ridiculously over priced short term area at Melbourne Airport (even if it's technically not allowed in the business expense guidelines book - which technically I have never seen.*)
Albury is a large regional Centre in New South Wales. If you just have a few hours in Albury, you can....stroll the Riverside parks that hug the banks of the Murray River...hear the fruit bat colony chattering above the Botanic Gardens... climb the historic Monument Hill to the war memorial... Admire the fine Art Deco buildings in the tree lined town centre... Have a tasty breakfast on the sidewalk at Early Bird cafe... Grab a flat white on the go like the locals do at 1CON1C mobile coffee truck at the CBD servo ... cross the Murray River into Victoria.
The Flying Visit: Rex flys several times a day from both Melbourne and Sydney to Albury. I arrived at the Ryges Hotel at 9pm, had an hour's stroll through the town in the evening, and a ninety minute stroll along the Murray River, and through the Botanic Gardens at 6.30am the following morning.
February 2014, Melbourne, Victoria.
Melbourne's lanes and alleyways were notorious in Victorian times as the City's worst slums, and cesspits of crime and deprivation. They now feature prominently as one of the major tourist crowd pullers in a city with no shortage of things to see and do. And it's all down to its burgeoning Street Art. Don't mistake it with tagging and illegal graffiti. That's strictly for the amateurs. Here's five of the best ways to enjoy Melbourne's free outdoor art galleries.....
2 March 2014, Point Cook, Victoria, Australia.
This year marks the centenary of military aviation in Australia, and where better to celebrate it than at RAAF Williams in my hometown of Point Cook. The RAAF base is the birthplace of military aviation in Australia and the oldest continually operating military airfield in the world. They're putting on a special Airshow over the weekend featuring Royal Australian Air Force aircraft from WW1 to the modern day. By a stroke of good fortune, it’s also my birthday today, which means I get to choose what we do. So it’s happy birthday to the RAAF, and happy birthday to me.
4 March, 2014. Albert Park, Victoria, Australia.
Way back in July, I had no idea that a relatively innocent coffee with a TV producer would lead to my life being taken over by a reality TV show. Especially when I don't even watch them and I hadn't applied to be a contestant in one. Perish the thought. But just a few weeks after that coffee, we had signed up as a show sponsor for the DIY makeover show the Block: Fans Vs Faves, and well that's when my life became a bit mental.
Wednesday 19 February 2014, Brisbane, Queensland.
It's 7.30pm on a Wednesday evening, and I've just arrived in Brisbane ahead of a conference tomorrow. I'm staying at the rather flash Quest River City serviced apartments. It's fully loaded: lounge, terrace, two bedrooms, even a 50" flat screen TV. I only ended up here because the conference hotel, the.charmless.Hilton.com is fully booked out. Amen to that.
