Terra Incognita Australis Post VI: Getting to Sydney

Getting to Sydney is something that one does in stages; micro and macro, if you are of a more economic bent. On the macro scale is the matter of domestic air travel within Australia. On the micro level, one has to navigate Sydney's congested highway system or (surprisingly) capable rail network.

Air travel within the US has always been a bit of an inconvenience and a nightmare. The regulations seem to change deliberately so as to be incomprehensible. Our airlines go out of their way to make the skies unfriendly. I'd like to say that it was not always like this, but that is probably my own perception from the rose-colored glasses of childhood. Similarly, Ryanair and its competitors in Europe seem to establish new lows for blatant commercialism and standards for the "passenger = living cargo" model of air transport. My surprise was quite genuine, then, when I found the Melbourne to Sydney leg run by Virgin Blue to be an altogether hassle-free, pleasant, and enjoyable experience. Melbourne airport is little bigger than Stansted, so it is easy to navigate. Security was actually helpful, and the terminals were clean. The flight itself was unremarkable, which is to say a lot in this day and age. I happened to be sat next to a young couple from California who, along with their delightful two year old daughter, were travelling in Melbourne and Sydney. The views afforded by flying from Melbourne to Sydney are singular. I am still filled with awe by the view as we flew into New South Wales over the Blue Mountains. Literally everything about this country is picturesque and amazing. Even something as mundane as a morning commuter flight from Melbourne to Sydney involves a sweeping arc around the Central Business District (CBD) out over the Pacific coast and a striking landing path over the harbour waters.

I had not originally intended to wrote about this, but as I had some pictures I thought that it would be worthwhile. To paraphrase the end of John's gospel, if I were to write down everything that was remarkable or beautiful about Australia there would not be enough books in the world.