Being a Sunday, the trip from Sunbury to Port Melbourne was quite easy, and not a lot of traffic (for Melbourne). I got to the pier area just before 5pm, and managed to jag a parking spot to get a photo of the car/camper with the Spirit Of Tasmania in the background.

The boarding procedure is fairly straightforward and very efficient. A quick quarantine inspection for fresh fruit/vegetables, firearms, etc. Both the fridge in the car and the one in the camper were checked, and tags were placed on the gas bottles signifying they were safe.
The next step is check-in, and a boarding pass and room key is allocated. Again very efficient.
Then it's drive on the ferry. The directing staff were courteous and pointed me in a few directions to finally pull up on Deck 5. It was very obvious these guys knew what they were doing, and probably just as obvious I had no idea. It was imperative to remember where the car is parked!

A quick walk up two flights of stairs and I found some comfy lounge chairs next to the bar.
I got chatting to a lovely American couple, and swapped holiday stories, and discussed politics.

The scheduled departure was 7:30pm, but about 7:10 I noticed the dock was moving.
I ventured up to deck 10 to grab a few photos of the beginning of the journey. There was also a magnificent sunset.

I was feeling a little peckish, and the smell of pizza lured me in, and I couldn't resist. Definitely the right choice.

It took approximately 3 hours to exit the heads, and immediately the ship was rocking, not violently, just a gentle rock. We were well and truly on the way!

By about 10:30pm I was well fed and watered, and decided it was time to find my bed.
I can sleep just about anywhere, so I'd only booked a recliner chair to sleep in. All the recliners were at the aft on Deck 8. I made my way down there and walked into the room. I was allocated a recliner number, but as it was dark, it was hard to find it. I eventually found the numbering system (they're on the chair) and fumbled around trying to find mine.
I'd say the room was ½ full with people already asleep/snoring and some on their phones.
I found my chair, but it was occupied. I didn't care, I just wanted a spare one.

Each seat is provided with a sealed bag containing a pillow, a blanket, and I think a sheet. It was dark, so I got out the pillow and blanket, as this is all I needed.

Next dilema, how to recline the seat. After fumbling around looking for switches etc, I found a lever which reclined the seat. But the footrest didn't come up. I reached down and managed to get it raised, and off to la la land I went.

The ship continued to gently rock around during the night. I managed to sleep for quite a few hours, although I was restless. I'm too tall to fully recline in the seat comfortably.
I woke a few times during the night, and I could faintly hear snoring. Gotta love ear plugs!