Wednesday we flew from Perth to Sydney (4 ½ hours and 3 time zones away, much like a US cross country flight). No security to speak of in Perth airport as compared with Heathrow, which was a bit worrying—take as much liquid on board as you like, no need to show anyone your passport or ID.

Arriving in Sydney just for the one night, as we leave early Thursday am for our New Zealand trip. We have booked into the Establishment, a boutique hotel, so we can relax. This place is centrally located, and very hip--our room is all dark wood, white linen and walls, and a certain amount of chrome and glass, on two levels, a gorgeous bathroom that I'd love to replicate at home (fluffy robes, massive power shower, lovely deep soaking tub) and generally looking like something from a travel magazine. For a treat we ordered room service, having first gone out to buy a nice bottle of wine as we didn't fancy any of those offered by the hotel.