Discuss everything related to travelling and holidays.
(Not including public transport in Australia, which is discussed here; and driving in Australia, which is discussed here.)
Next week I’m spending three days in Canberra. Aside from the Australian War Memorial, the Royal Mint and Questacon - the Roll of Honour projections being the main reason for the visit, and having done the latter two previously - any ideas for this Melbournian to kill time?
The National Museum of Australia. Has quite a few media and cultural exhibitions.
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Hong Kong’s Civil Aviation Department said yesterday that passengers flying from Hong Kong from February 1 won’t have to pay fuel surcharges because aviation fuel prices have dropped considerably. This should mean return airfares between Australia and Hong Kong should be a bit cheaper. At the moment, airfares include airport taxes and HK fuel surcharge.
If you’re doing the War Memorial go in the Afternoon and set aside a whole afternoon to do so. When I went I thought 2.5 hours would be enough yet by the time I had to go up for the last post ceremony just before closing time at 5PM I barely got a glimpse at the World War 2 displays.
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Qantas unveiled its latest inflight safety video in Los Angeles yesterday (US time), filmed in 17 different locations across Australia and featuring real people. The video will be rolled out on all flights next month.
You can watch it here
Well done to Qantas, great video and at the same time promoting parts of Australia which are unknown to overseas tourists.
Just returned from the Capital - thanks to @JBar and @stmookeyj for your advice on things to do. To follow up:
[quote=“JBar, post:3, topic:666, full:true”]
The National Museum of Australia. Has quite a few media and cultural exhibitions.
[/quote]Definitely recommend doing this. Without diving into the paid exhibitions, there’s a variety of things worth looking at - from sections on the 2003 Canberra bushfires to the first Holden in Australia. Easy to get too - a couple of minutes off of Parkes Way - and parking is rather modest at $2.50 an hour.
[quote=“stmookeyj, post:5, topic:666”]
If you’re doing the War Memorial go in the Afternoon and set aside a whole afternoon to do so. When I went I thought 2.5 hours would be enough yet by the time I had to go up for the last post ceremony just before closing time at 5PM I barely got a glimpse at the World War 2 displays.
[/quote]We (my father and I) browsed the World War I display - something we’d seen quite a bit on previous visits - and mainly focussed on the outside displays, the Mephisto tank on loan from Queensland in the aircraft section, and on completing some research. There’s so much to do, though, that you could realistically set a day aside and spent most of it there.
Other things: The National Film and Sound Archive is well worth a visit, even if to fill in time. Segwaying around Lake Burley Griffin was frightening and simultaneously heaps of fun. The best thing we did, in my opinion, was drive. Going through Belconnen and Gungahlin, even Civic and Acton, proved that the city is more than just a country town filled with public servants.
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Glad you enjoyed it, mate. 
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New Flying Kangaroo logo for QANTAS
Qantas has revealed an update to its iconic Kangaroo logo as part of preparation for the Boeing 787 Dreamliner entering its fleet a year from now.
The change is only the fifth time the red-and-white image on the tail of Qantas aircraft has been updated since it was first introduced in 1944. The last update was in 2007 to coincide with the introduction of the Airbus A380 to the national carrier’s fleet.
Logo changes over time
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That font 
And the kangaroo is looking less and less like a kangaroo each time.
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I don’t like the new font either.
I notice that some Qantas planes (Boeing 747 and 737) still have the pre-2007 logo. So for the next 12-18 months we could have planes with three different Qantas logos flying in the sky until the older planes are retired, saving the cost of repainting.
The new font looks fresh and contemporary. Only old farts who can’t handle change won’t like it. 
The stylised kangaroo doesn’t look right from some angles.
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The immediate pre-2007 Kangaroo is the GOAT here.
There’s a goat?
Greatest Of All Time
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I see. 
I only do well with TLAs not FLAs. 
Disgusting new design. And who cut off its arms!! 
Is it just me or does that Qantas font look similar to what Etihad uses?
I agree, it looks like it’s been on steroids.
It should be drug tested.
That’s the first thing I said when I saw it too.