There is a drought at the moment so there is pretty much nothing but red earth to see:

The towns got smaller as we went along - in Australia we have a saying about going out “back of Bourke” which means into the middle of nowhere, and now I can see why! Bourke is very different to Sydney - lots of redneck types. We went for dinner to the RSL club and it was like stepping back into the 50s with vinyl chairs and plastic flowers and all the blokes sitting round the bar. They had this ancient woman working as the waitress too - it was quite a surreal experience!

On the last day we had to drive 200km back from Bourke to Cobar because it no longer has a car hire place, even though it’s a regional centre. And then we had to fly home - in this 8 seater Piper Chieftain:

http://nla.gov.au/nla.int-nl39475c-ls301-v

I have always had a fear of flying but am usually okay in bigger planes. I must admit that I was pretty nervous as the plane pulled up because it is pretty tiny - not much bigger than a minibus. At the airport the one person that works there was on the 2 way radio with the pilot (who was flying down from Bourke with some passengers to pick us up) and they have to weigh everything to work out how to balance the plane correctly. Then the pilot decides where you sit according to weight etc. I got to sit right at the back (where the door is open on the photo above) right next to the exit. Luckily the guy next to me was nice and kept chatting to me so it made me less nervous - plus I was in charge of refreshments for the flight (there was a cooler of cold drinks and a container of barley sugars to hand around). It was a surprisingly smooth flight and to look down over the bush and then the farms is pretty amazing. I’m actually glad that we did it rather than driving to Dubbo to get on the bigger (well, 20 seater) planes. And proud of myself too - because a couple of years ago there would have been no way that I would have gotten on a plane like that (I’m still not getting on a single engine one though!)

I said goodbye to my parents and boarded the plane in Stockholm and the we took off. Just as we were about to fly out over the North Sea the captain came on to the PA and made an announcement in Swedish. I didn’t take any notice until I heard the word “Köpenhamn” which is Swedish for Copenhagen. Next came an announcement in English that stated that due to “technical difficulties” we were being diverted to Copenhagen. So the plane banked to the left and took a new route down to Denmark. Once we landed we were herded off the plane and rushed across the terminal to a British Airways flight bound for the UK.

By the time we arrived in Heathrow I had missed my connecting flight with Qantas by over an hour and the Qantas transfer desk was deserted. The staff at the British Airways crew and ground staff claimed that I was not their responsibility and couldn’t tell me where my bags might now be (having been marked through to Cairns) and our original crew were nowhere to be seen. Finally I found a lone official at an SAS counter and told them of my plight. To their credit they immediately arranged for me to stay in an airport hotel and gave me a dinner voucher - which was just as well as I had limited funds and no credit card. They also put me on the Qantas flight for the following day.

My bags, however, were lost in transit so I was sent off with just my cabin luggage. I had thoughtfully packed plenty of reading material but no spare clothing or underwear and no toiletries. This was a lesson learned and since that trip I always travel with at least one extra shirt and clean underwear plus a basic supply of toiletries in my cabin bag.

A middle of the night reverse charges call to my friend’s parents alerted them to my plight - thus saving them a two hour return trip to the airport at midnight - and after a lonely night in a Heathrow hotel I was on my way the next morning. Luckily I was reunited with my bags upon arrival in Cairns.

I used to be scared of these small planes (in fact, I used to be have a big fear of flying in any aircraft) but since my last trip which was in a tiny 8 seater plane I have become less scared. I actually enjoyed the flight for the first time in ages.

On both flights I was seated overlooking the wheels. On a large aircraft you don’t get to see the wheels because they are beneath the plane, but on a Dash-8 you can see them. It was interesting to watch them as we took off because they lift and extend slighly before they leave the ground. I also discovered that aeroplane tyres are filled with nitrogen (it says so on the wheelbase) - a fact that I didn’t know before this trip (but that is easily verified by a quick Google search!)