I popped down to Canberra on Tuesday, the usual return flights in a day. It was a perfect day for flying, sunny with scattered clouds. I was on Qantas 737-400’s both ways. These short Canberra flights, nominally 55 minutes in length but much less in the air, really feel different even from the hour long flights between the other eastern capitals. I guess there’s no time to get into the rhythm of the flight.
The cruise on the return leg was so short that didn’t even let passengers switch on any electrical equipment.
The meetings were at Gungahlin homestead. A lot longer drive than to Limestone Avenue but quite a pretty one. We supposedly went the long way around on the taxi ride out, but one the way back a detour via Russell to avoid an accident lead to a much longer delay. Unfortunately, all the spies were finishing work at the same time.
Thanks to these flights I had the opportunity to experience Canberra’s new airport terminal. Stepping out of the aircraft into the glass jetbridge was going into a new car dealership. The scent of newness seeping through the airconditioning.
The new terminal is bright and modern with lots of glass and views over the tarmac. It’s not yet finished, with the carpark area a bit of a mess and a quite long walk to the taxi rank. Not a huge selection of shops and eateries either, but I guess that there is little demand for them.
The other remarkable thing about this trip was seeing water in Lake George. It’s been empty for so long that I was beginning to wonder if it would ever fill again.
A flight over our suburb (or close to over) was a very pleasant end to the day.
