SIA A359 to Brisbane (SQ255 SIN-BNE in Y), and the Sky Deck at The Star Brisbane

[yflyer]

Nice TR yflyer! I see you're quite a regular on VA. I've always been curious about domestic flights in Australia. Are they similar to domestic flights in the US? Those pancakes look quite substantial. Certainly more appealing than what UA or DL or the likes would serve on a 2 hour hop.

Thanks for your note RedEyeflight! Yes, I fly VA a lot because of their relationship with SQ Krisflyer: I get miles for flights, and KF Gold gets me Lounge access and priority checkin / boarding. That said, for domestic flights in Australia, both QF and VA are very good, with many flights available, and good lounge facilities.

The domestic flight experience in Australia for full service carriers, both QF and VA, is very good. Most airports in Australia have the new luggage X-ray/scanners which don't require you to remove laptops and ipads from your bags before scanning. Even liquids like bottles of wine are allowed on domestic flight (but not international).

Almost every domestic flight I have flown in Australis has been 100% full (SYD-MEL is one of the busiest flight routes in the world).

If in economy, boarding and deplaning is quite quick because for domestic flights, they usually board narrowbodies (737 / A320) from both front and rear stairs (Front is aerobridge, for rear, you walk down to the tarmac then take stairs up the rear aircraft door).

For domestic flights in business class, you have a hot meal and complimentary wine and liquor. I find meals and cabin service on QF and BA to be very good on domestic flights. Note that the J cabin for narrowbodies (VA operates mainly 737 with a few A320, and QF operates 737) are 2-2 configuration, with non lie-flat seats that don't recline much. Some domestic QF sectors are operated by widebodies, e.g. A330, and these have excellent lie-flat J seats, which are superb.

I haven't flown domestic US flights in a while, but from what I remember the experience in Australia is a little bit more organised and slightly smoother. Meal-wise, I don't have first hand experience, but even on short domestic sectors like SYD-MEL (1 hour 35 min) you get full hot meal in J.

[RedEyeflight]

Nice TR yflyer! I see you're quite a regular on VA. I've always been curious about domestic flights in Australia. Are they similar to domestic flights in the US? Those pancakes look quite substantial. Certainly more appealing than what UA or DL or the likes would serve on a 2 hour hop.

[yflyer]

Haha no more Lulu's?

Kakilang was very close to the Victoria Hotel, where I was stayjng! But maybe next time I'll head to Lulu's just to see what the standard is now!

[SQ218]

Haha no more Lulu's?

[yflyer]

Operating VA429 ADL-SYD today was Boeing 737-800 rego VH-YWD, a 7 year old aircraft.



This aircraft had a newer interior and J seat product than the Virgin 737 I flew on my previous BNE-MEL sector.



Sparkling wine before departure? Yes, please!



Nice views of the coastline as we climbed out of ADL.



Dinner service began shortly after take-off. Two choices today, Asian style chicken with rice, or Gnocchi, which was vegetarian, but which could also be served with chicken. I opted for the chicken with rice.



This was served with my choice of beverage, a G&T...



I found the meal quite tasty, and had another G&T before it was time to prepare for landing.

Flight time was 1 hour 30 minutes. We landed in Sydney at 6:44pm, 6 minutes ahead of scheduled arrival time.

This was a good flight. These days, I fly mainly Virgin Australia for domestic sectors, mainly because of their affilication with Singapore Airlines and Krisflyer. While their 737 domestic Business Class seat product is nothing special, my flights have been on time, and I have always found Virgin Australia's cabin crew to be consistently excellent, and their catering and lounges are very good too.

From Sydney Airport, I caught the train to the city, and checked in to West Hotel Sydney, a Hilton Curio Collection property, near Darling Harbour.

I would spend a few days in Sydney before flying home on SQ222 SYD-SIN, an Airbus A380 service. A couple of days before my flight, while I was managing my booking online, II was pleasantly surprised to be offered the option of a paid upgrade on this sector, from economy to premium economy, which could be paid for with points or cash. I decided to go with points, and so found myself flying home on A380 PEY -- my first time experiencing this cabin since SQ introduced new enhanced catering to their PEY product.

I'll be covering the SQ222 SYD-SIN sector, in A380 PEY in my next TR, here.

Thanks for reading!

[yflyer]

There were good F&B options available.



The beer selection...



I began with glass of sparkling wine...



...from Tatachilla...



...before moving to the Grant Burge red...



Cheese and crackers...



Wraps and cold starters...



DIY toasties...



Hot selections included vegetable soup...



Moroccan tagine...



...and spicy sausage rice...



A very tempting spread. I had to resist stuffing my face as there would be dinner onboard the plane.

[yflyer]

My flight out to Sydney was Virgin Australia VA429, a 4.30pm departure out of Adelaide Airport.



Once again, I made a lowball bid for an upgrade to business, which came through.

Before my flight, I spent time in the Virgin Australia Lounge.



This was a very pleasant lounge to spend time in.



The lounge felt airy and spacious. I found the ambience here better than the Virgin lounges in SYD or MEL.



Table and bar style seating were available.



Work desks.



Showers were available.

[yflyer]

It was now the weekend.

I had relatives in Adelaide, from both sides of the family, who were overdue for a visit, so I headed there for the weekend.

I flew from Melbourne to Adelaide on a Qantas FF point redemption. While I no longer have any meaningfull status on Qantas, I still had a stash of FF points from previous trips on QF and OW carriers, and it was fairly economical to use these to redeem domestic flights and upgrades on QF.

My flight was a Qantas codeshare operated by Jetstar, JQ776, MEL-ADL. This was a 7am departure on Saturday morning, operated by an Airbus A321.



The flight was completely full. Flight time was just 56 minutes, which got us into Adelaide at 7:34am in the morning. I was surprised to learn that there was a 30 min time difference between Adelaide (GMT+9:30) and Melbourne (GMT +10).

I visited my cousin at his home in a suburb just south of the city.



Gardening was one of his hobbies, as was wine collecting. He showed me around his garden, which was abundant in fruits and vegetables. What beautiful lemons he had growing in the garden!



It was now winter, but at other times of the year, there were apples, nectarines and other fruits too.

He pulled a bottle of Wendowree Shiraz from his cellar. This was a beautiful South Australian wine from the 2002 vintage that was still drinking well. I was amazed that this wine had such aging potential. It must be nice to live so close to the Barossa Valley, one of Australia's premier wine regions.



That evening, I was treated to a spectacular sunset, which I could admire from my uncle's home in the suburb of Beaumont, where I stayed the night.



The next day, I headed to South Glenelg, by the sea, with a cousin and her husband, for a morning walk along the beach.



What a scenic part of the country. In the distance, I could see planes on final approach to Adelaide Airport.



This was a popular beach for runners and walkers...



...as well as a great place to let your dog run around...



I didn't have time to do a run along the same route. I had to head to the airport for my flight to Sydney that afternoon, but I would definitely want to head back to Glenelg for a run by the sea the next time I was in Adelaide.

[yflyer]

In Melbourne, I stayed at the Victoria Hotel at Little Collins Street (Covered in previous TRs), and revisited several favourite restaurants and bars, including Kakilang at Bourke Street for their wonderful version of Penang Char Kway Teow...



...and the Apollo Inn, my current favourite cocktail bar in Melbourne.



The day after my visit to Apollo Inn, I had wanted to head there again, but when I went through the door the next evening, in the passageway leading into the bar, all I saw were several very glamorous looking folks posing for pictures, blocking the way into the bar.

"Sorry, we are closed for a private event today...", said C, one of the warm and affable staff there, as he greeted me on the way in.

He must have seen the stunned and disappointed look on my face.

"There is another bar, Caretaker's Cottage, not far from here. You can go there! It's one of the best bars in Melbourne right now. Sit at the bar and tell them C sent you. They'll take care good of you...", he suggested.

Which is why I found myself in line at the Caretaker's Cottage, which was literally that: a church caretaker's cottage right smack in the city, now converted into one of the hottest bars in town. I had not heard of this place. What a brilliant recommendation!



Caretaker's Cottage had a no reservations policy, and it was buzzing.

It was a Friday night, and there was a 30 minute queue to get in.

The host managing the line saw that I was a single guest in a queue comprising mainly of groups. She came up to me and said she would be able get me a seat at the bar when one became available, and that it wouldn't be long.

Not long after, she came up and showed me to my spot at the bar...



Wow, what a lively place, with loud music playing from a large vinyl collection adding to the vibe.



The atmosphere here was quite different from the Apollo Inn, younger and louder, rather than the quiet, intimate vibe at the Apollo Inn.

It was a refreshing change of scenery, and a decent alternate to divert to if the primary was unavailable!



And I was really well taken care of by the wonderful staff!

[yflyer]

Early the next morning, I caught Virgin Australia VA306 from Brisbane to Melbourne. This was 6.05am departure operated by one of Virgin's 737-800's, rego, VH-VUO.



These days, I am a fan of early morning domestic sectors when travelling in Australia. Although I had to wake up at an ungodly hourm, road traffic to the airport was minimal, the airport was not crowded, and the fare paid was fairly low as well.



I made a lowball bid for an upgrade from Y to J, which was successful, which was why I got to enjoy a breakfast of pancakes that morning enroute to Melbourne.



I thought my pancakes were quite tasty. Juice was was also offered as a pre-departure beverage and during meal service. I suspect sparkling wine was also available onboard on request, but as this was a work trip, and I had a full work day ahead of me, I thought it would be wiser to stay away from bubbles...



Flight time that day was 2 hours and 8 minutes.We landed 3 minutes ahead of schedule, at 8:27am Melbourne time.

I picked up my luggage from baggage claim and was in an Uber on the way to the city before 9am.

[yflyer]

On my last evening in Brisbane, I finally had the opportunity to check out the Sky Deck at The Star.



I had no idea what to expect when I went up there, so I was pleasantly surprised to find several restaurants and a bar there, connected by a long curving outdoor promenade....



...overlooking the river and surrounding area.



There was section of the promenade where the floor was glass...



Through the glass you could see the river and traffic far below.



My first stop on the Sky Deck was Cicada Blu...



This was a bar where you could sip a beer or cocktail...



...while taking in the stunning view.



I could have kicked myself for only discovering this place on the last day of my stay.

[yflyer]

It was a very busy work week in Brisbane, and time went by quickly. During the week I had a memorable dinner at Donna Chang, which served modern Chinese / Sichuan cuisine in a very stylish and elegant setting. The service and ambience were great, but more importantly the food was top notch as well.

My dinner guest and I sampled the Raw Kingfish with chilli and finger lime...



Moreton Bay Bug...



...and crispy roast pork belly, and kung pao chicken, accompanied with steamed rice.



An excellent meal!

[yflyer]

At dusk on my first day in Brisbane, I headed out for a run. I began at the hotel, and headed across the Neville Bonner Bridge.



This was a very nice time to heading out...the weather wasn't too cold, and the setting sun gave the sky a beautiful colour.



Across the bridge, I headed to Queen Elizabeth II Park, across from the Queensland Cultural Centre...



...then continued my run along the South Bank...



...along the trail by the Brisbane River...



...until I reached the Kangaroo Point Cliffs, which were popular with rock climbers.



That was my half-way mark. From the Kangaroo Point Cliffs, I turned round and retraced my steps back to the hotel, recrossing the Brisbane River via the Victoria Bridge, making a total distance of just over 6 km.



A very pleasant running route and my default route when in Brisbane.

[yflyer]

Queen's Wharf Residences, which as the name implied was more of a residence and long term stay venue than a hotel, was located in a tall, modern apartment block co-located within the Star Brisbane complex.



The apartments here were available for short term stays. Mine was just 4 days. The only caveat was that there was no housekeeping service provided for this length of stay, which was fine by me.

My apartment on the 37th floor was brand new and very large.



What a beautiful apartment, with stunning views of Brisbane from the full length living room windows.



There was a separate bedroom...



...with attached balcony.



The kitchenette was very well equipped, with fridge, oven and dishwasher, along with crockery and tableware, and there was a washing machine behind a concealed door as well.



Complimentary coffee and tea making facilities.



Bathroom with shower stall.



Facilities available included pool, gym and sauna.



The restaurants and eateries of The Star Brisbane were within easy reach, as were the restaurants and bars of the Sky Deck, a semicircular open air deck 100m above river-level, within the Star complex.



This was an excellent place to say when visiting Brisbane, whether for business or pleasure.

[yflyer]

It was a quick 30 minute train ride from Brisbane Airport to South Brisbane Station in the city, and then a pleasant 15 minute walk to the my hotel, Queens Wharf Residences, which was part of the new Star Brisbane casino, hotel and entertainment complex along the banks of the Brisbane River.



The Star Brisbane was still under construction when I was in Brisbane last year, and so was the Neville Bonner Bridge across the Brisbane River. Both The Star Brisbane and the Neville Bonner Bridge opened at the end of August 2024, providing convenient pedestrian access from the Brisbane CBD to the South Bank Parklands.



As my room was not ready at 11.30am, I left my luggage at the hotel, and headed to the South Bank for a walk, and lunch.



The weather was beautifully mild and sunny, so many folks were out enjoying the outdoors. I had a pretty decent fish & chips lunch at The Jetty South Bank...



...before heading back across the Neville Bonner Bridge to check in when my room was ready.