Qantas from Singapore to Australia: 787-9 Premium Economy & A380 Business Class

[yflyer]

I headed to the Qantas Club...



Inside, a sea of hi-vis...



I had never seen anything like it!



On their phones or laptops, or simply having breakfast...before boarding their planes for work...



The Perth Qantas Club was large, with good airside views...



A very busy barista station on Monday morning...



The breakfast menu...



Fruit, salad and cereal...



Sandwich station...



Delicious cassoulet, with vegetarian and pork sausage options available...



Liquor only available from midday...



Showers were available in the lounge...

[yflyer]

Early the next morning, I took a taxi to Perth airport for my 6.20am flight to Melbourne.



This was a Monday morning. The scene at Perth Airport early on Monday morning was like nothing I had ever experienced.



Everywhere at the airport, I could see travellers in hi-vis attire...



Decked out in yellow and orange, with high visibility strips, they were all working in the energy and resource industry...and they were on their daily commute to remote mining and drilling locations all over Western Australia...



Western Australia was an economic powerhouse, and this was the industry behind it.

[yflyer]

That evening, I was treated to dinner at Cottesloe Beach...



Dinner was at Longview, a restaurant right by the beach...



...with stunning sunset views...



While outdoor tables were available, we chose an indoor table...



We had carefully timed our arrival at the restaurant to catch the sunset...



...and we were not disappointed.

The menu...



Oysters to start...



...washed down with a glass of white wine...



I ordered beef tartar for my main...delicious!



A shared mandarin cheesecake for dessert...



What a pleasant place to dine!

[yflyer]

There were many great running routes in Perth. Running up to Kings Park was worth the tiring uphill climb for the great views, but I was mildly traumatized by the exhausting uphill climb to the top of Kings Park, via the stairs known as Jacob's Ladder, on my run on Saturday.

So, on Sunday, rather than torture myself again by running up Kings Park, I decided to stick to running at sea-level, and instead chose a route that took me along both banks of the Swan River.

From the Hilton, I first headed across the Narrows bridge...



...over the Swan River, to South Perth...



...and continued along the banks of the Swan River...



...with great views of the city skyline, across the river, along the way.



It was a beautiful day, and many folks were out.



I crossed back across to East Perth, and continued along the riverside path...



...past Elizabeth Quay...



...where ferries were available to take passengers across to the other side of the River...



Finally, a long, straight stretch along the Eastern bank of the Swan River...



Near the end of my run, I saw parachutists...



No, they weren't practising for National Day (Or it's Australian equivalent), this just looked to be the local skydiving club. The parachutists landed on a large field by the river.



A very pleasant 8km run in beautiful, cool weather.

[yflyer]

Perth is a very compact city. I got around mostly on foot, although I did also make use of the city buses, which were free of charge in the city centre.



The city was not jam packed over the weekend, but the shopping streets, such as Hay St Mall, were pleasantly busy with shoppers and tourists.



E-scooters for hire were still a thing here.

[yflyer]

In the evening, drinks and canapes were served in the Executive Lounge...



A decent selection of wine...



...and beer...



...which included wines from Vasse Felix and West Cape How...



While there was no self-pour liquor, liquor was available, and the staff were happy to serve you liquor and cocktails by the glass. I ordered (you guessed it) a G&T...



There was a nice spread of canapes...



Fruit, cheese and cold cuts...



Hot selections...



This was a very pleasant lounge to spend time in the evening before dinner.

[yflyer]

The Hilton had a very nice Executive Lounge...



The lounge was decorated in dark wood tones...



...which looked sophisticated and stylish...



There was a meeting room available.



The lounge had a small buffet area where breakfast, and evening drinks and canapes, were served.



The breakfast spread was quite decent...



...with both cold selections / salads...



..and hot selections...



I thought the rotating selection of daily breakfast sausages were particularly tasty...



Cereal and bakery items...



Coffee and beverages...



Breakfast in the lounge each morning was a very pleasant way to start each day.

[yflyer]

Continuing with the TR...

My hotel in Perth was the Parmelia Hilton.



This was an older property, which had been fully refurbished, with refreshed rooms and public areas.



My King room was very spacious...



So spacious in fact, that parts of the room looked like a little spartan and undecorated...



Still, better to have too much space than too little.

The writing desk...



The bathoom...



...with shower stall...



The hotel had a long stay laundry plan which was quite economical, compard to the astronomical per-piece pricing that most hotels charge for laundry. They didn't iron the clothes, but at this price, I wasn't complaining. Best of all, this laundry service was available every day of the week, including Sunday.



There was a small pool...



...and a gym.



Location-wise, the hotel was in a great location in the city centre, walking distance from the main shopping streets, and attractions such as King's Park and the Swan River.

[yflyer]

I had a final G&T as a nightcap before reclining my seat to fully flat position and falling asleep...



Next thing I knew, it was time to land...



A very good flight on Qantas domestic business. On this A330 service, the hard product was all you could ask for on a 4 hour sector, and free wifi was a welcome bonus. Catering and service were very good too.

Next up, Perth!

To be continued...

[yflyer]

Apart from movies, there was an interesting TV series, Strait to the Plate, which showcased the culinary traditions of the Torres Strait Islander communities...



...with some very interesting cuisine showcased...



...including traditional delicacies like turtle...

[yflyer]

An on-time pushback and take-off...



Free wifi on this flight! Currently Qantas only offers wifi on domestic flights, with international wifi planned for 2024 and beyond.



A round of drinks after take-off...



I began with sparkling wine...



Then pasta for dinner...



...accompanid by a glass of Bella Riva Fiano from De Bortoli...



This was a satisfying meal, with a tasty salad topped with smoked salmon, and a delicious pasta (There was one other choice of main, but I don't recall what it was...)



Chocolate to finish...

[yflyer]

IFE was on a large bright touchscreen...



Programme selection was very wide...



IFE controller under a flap by the side console, but it wasn't really needed as everything could be controlled via touchscreen...



Sturdy, fold-out tray table...

[yflyer]

My flight to Perth was QF781 MEL-PER, operated by Airbus A330-200 rego VH-EBB, a 20 year old aircraft.



This aircraft had refreshed interiors, and featured fully flat business class seats laid out in staggered 1-2-1...



What a comfortable way to fly this 4 hour sector!



My seat was 6E...



...an aisle seat in the last row of the J cabin...



Each seat had a side console with lots of storage space, USB and A/C power, as well as noise cancelling headphones...



Intuitive seat controls...



This was a very comfortable seat...



...which went fully flat...



This was a fairly long sleeping surface...



...with a decent sized cubby hole for the feet...

[yflyer]

The lounge had well equipped shower rooms...





Overall, I thought this was an excellent domestic business lounge. I could have spent a long time in this lounge!

I headed to my gate...

[yflyer]

There was a dedicated sit down dining area...



With an extensive buffet selection (A lot more on offer than the Qantas Club)...



Salad bar...



Cauliflower and potato soup...



Thai chicken curry...

Chickpea and potato curry, with steamed rice...



Stir fried egg noodles...



Sandwich bar...



There were also prepared-to-order selections from Spice Temple...



I ordered the kimchi fried rice...



Lots of Asian condiments available to liven up your meal...