Brisbane to Melbourne Flight (March Trip)

Once again I found myself at the airport as I was heading to Melbourne for two weeks straight, as both the customer service supervisor and the new sales rep where both heading overseas for two weeks. One is off to South Africia and the other Vietnam, so I have to run the shop while they are away. My flight was at 5am and boarding was at 4.40am so I got up at 3am and arrived at the airport at 3.50am. Qantas is trialing a new check in format for their frequent flyer members in Platinum One, Platinum, Gold and Qantas Club. Members go through sliding glass doors to a new designated area where you can check in your luggage and after being checked by security you go up an escalator directly into the Qantas Club lounge. Personally I didnt think it was any quicker; but anyway after I had a quick bite to eat I headed to gate 20 where my aircraft was waiting after resting all night. At 4.41am we boarded and I took my seat which was 11F. The aircraft for todays flight was a 737-838 and the registration was VH-VXG (CN 30901). To my surprise the flight only half full. The last cabin door was closed at 4.51am and we pushed back 4.55am, we commenced taxiing at 4.58am and we taxied out for runway 01. Due to night time operations runway 19 is used for arrivals and 01 is used for departures. We had to hold at the holding point for 12 mins while we waited for two arriving aircraft to land. We then lined up and got airborne at 5.15am, after airborne we banked right and flew back abeam the airport and as I looked out of my window at the city lights I thought, "it was only a month ago it was daylight at 5am". Our track took us down over Beaudesert, passing abeam Tamworth and Dubbo. We continued on to a place called Tocumwal where we were put in a holding pattern for one 5 min loop. We began our descent at 7.03am and after passing down the western side of the airport we traveled out to the bay before banking left and coming back in passing the city, Randwick Race Course and Essendon Airport before landing on runway 34 at 7.35am.
Due to daylight savings we had to add an hour so our offical arrival was 8.35am.

AVALON AIRPORT

MELBOURNE CITY

RANDWICK RACE COURSE

ESSENDON AIRPORT

SINGAPORE B777-312 9V-SWL (CN 34577)

QANTAS A380-841 VH-OQF (CN 029)

HAINAN A330-243 B-6116 (CN 875)

QANTAS A330-201 VH-EBB (CN 522)