I visited Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, at the end of November 2023. This was my first international trip since the start of the pandemic and my first trip to Australia. I was travelling to Melbourne for ISO standards development meetings.
Getting to Australia
I chose to travel via Air Canada from Toronto (YYZ) via Vancouver (YVR) to Brisbane (BNE) to Melbourne (MEL). For a variety of reasons, which the airline said were related to cargo loading, we left Toronto late and got into Vancouver in the wee hours of Saturday morning.
Despite what the airlines want you to believe, the CO2 levels onboard the aircraft stay elevated throughout the flight. Masking on board the aircraft is a necessity if you want to avoid contracting respiratory diseases, including flu, RSV, COVID-19, measles, and whooping cough.
The airline ground staff couldn’t do anything to accommodate anyone travelling in economy, only those in business class or above, or the high-mileage frequent flyers. I made some calls and realized quickly that no hotel rooms were available off the airport, so I stayed at the Fairmont in the terminal. It is very nice, accommodating, and expensive at nearly $400/night. However, any decent bed in a crisis. These things happen.
On the walkway over the arrivals concourse heading to the Fairmont’s lobby are glass panels to keep you from jumping to your death due to frustration. On the panels are quotations that I think are supposed to be inspirational to travellers. This one was particularly on the nose:
A good traveller has no fixed plans and is not intent on arriving.
Lau Tzu
Really? I think many would care to differ…
The next leg from YVR to BNE left on time the next day but was 24 hours late departing for my itinerary. This allowed me to claim the passenger compensation of $1,000 from Air Canada as mandated by Canadian law. We landed at BNE, where I transferred to Qantas to fly to Melbourne. The Qantas crew was great, and I would definitely fly with them again.
Hullo, Aus!
Melbourne
When I arrived at MEL, I had to get from the airport to my hotel in downtown Melbourne. I chose to use the Skybus service, which would take me from MEL to the Southern Cross railway station in downtown Melbourne. The ticket cost AU$22. You can catch the Skybus right at the terminal. There are ticket vending machines on the way to the platform where you board.
Melbourne is a beautiful, lush city with plenty of public greenspace and a great vibe.
The sculpture below of one of Melbourne’s iconic tram cars is just outside the Southern Cross train station. The 1040 was the last car built at the Preston Tram Works and put into service in 1956.
If you’d like to see the Rattler sculpture, it’s at 37° 49′ 15.37″ S, 144° 57′ 17.21″ E.
From the train station, I took the tram to the closest stop to the Best Western Plus Travel Inn, where I stayed for the duration of my time in Melbourne.
Best Western Plus Travel Inn
I chose the Best Western Plus Travel Inn for two reasons:
- it was close to Melbourne Connect, where my meetings would be held, and
- it was quite inexpensive compared to some of the other alternatives.
The hotel was fine. The room wasn’t large or particularly luxurious, but the bed was comfortable, bedbug-free, and clean. There was also an in-room safe, which I always appreciate.
The other nice feature was the proximity to local restaurants and pubs and my meeting venue, as I was on foot.
Melbourne Connect
Melbourne Connect is a beautiful facility at Melbourne University.
Melbourne Connect serves as a physical and programmatic hub where various organizations and interdisciplinary institutions come together to utilize research and emerging technologies for the purpose of disrupting and reshaping society.
At Melbourne Connect, interdisciplinary collaboration thrives as researchers and industry participants work together to solve complex problems. It’s a place where ideas have value and innovation flourishes, whether it’s in food security, synthetic biology, medical device development, or evidence-driven design.
We pay our deepest respects to Elders past. and present of the Wurundjeri peoples of the Kulin Nation.
We extend that respect to all First Nations peoples, celebrated as the first artists and scientists, and acknowledge their continuous care and connection to these lands, skies and water ways.
Seen on a window
Melbourne Connect houses a variety of companies, from new ventures to established businesses, providing a supportive environment for all stages of development. Whether you’re a startup or a publicly listed company, the Melbourne Connect ecosystem brings together individuals, location, and potential opportunities.
The meeting room was spacious, and the ventilation was excellent (it kept the CO2 below 1,000 ppm even with 35 people in the room with the doors closed.
There was a nice coffee bar in the lobby just outside where we were meeting, and catering was brought to the hallway outside the meeting room. The food was good.
Sightseeing
Sadly, I didn’t get much chance to sightsee on this trip. Maybe next time!
Travel home
On the return flight, I was delayed again, this time in Brisbane. My flight from MEL to BNE was on Virgin Australia. I will not willingly fly with this airline again. My check-in was handled by a very abrupt and rude customer service worker. I was forced to check my carry-on bag, and then my flight was delayed leaving MEL. When I finally got to BNE, my flight to YVR had departed, so the next challenge was retrieving my bag. Luckily I had an AirTag in my bag, so I knew exactly where it was. After a couple of hours and a bunch of useless back and forth between the two terminals and having been put off or ignored altogether by Virgin Australia employees, I finally got my bag back and walked over to the Pullman Brisbane Hotel on the airport campus. I got a very nice room, if a bit expensive at AU$399/night, and spent the next 24 hours cooling my heels.
The next day, I departed with the same Air Canada flight number as I should have been on the previous day. Unfortunately, Virgin Australia only offered me about AU$350 to cover my expenses, which didn’t cover my hotel, let alone food. I appealed this through the Australian business authorities and had no luck getting the amount appealed.
I arrived home one day late but with all my luggage. Following a two-week quarantine, without having contracted COVID-19.
