Planes, Trains

Public transport airport transfers in Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, and Adelaide:

Not 'there' yet, but getting better.

The big complaint is payment. Apart from Adelaide (surprisingly), you can't just tap and go with a credit card.

Even if the airport shuttle itself sports shiny new payment facilities, if you transfer to other public transport you are faced with outdated systems.

This often means buying an expensive city-locked transit card, or paying with cash(!), as in Perth.

Still, it's far cheaper than taxis and rideshare. 

To be fair, things are moving. Brisbane and Perth are slowly phasing in credit card payment. Melbourne has app-based payment* even though its airport buses are a separate, private system altogether.

* (Card readers in Melbourne have trouble with both apps and cards, but there's few inspectors, so... Also, Japan phones (e.g. my spouse's) have wallet apps locked out of international payment systems.

Über-Mensch

Travelling around Australia with the wife, we needed to Uber.

This 35 minute trip from Melbourne Airport far west to even further west cost us less than $50.

Found a Racer

Tenants also left behind a racer.

Front and back derailleurs broken, and the pedal crank wobbly, but all it really needed to be ride-able was a change of rear tube and tyre.

It's clear the tenants didn't know how to do this. That's one thing I don't get about them. They've got no trouble buying nice bikes and just discarding them, but complain about rent.

Gate: Ascot Park to St Mary's

The gate is the first thing you encounter at the house, so it has to work...

... and not fall on you during a downpour, coming off a rusty bracket that slices open your finger while investigating.

Removing Old, Thin Staples from Floorboards

Hard to grip?

Don't use pliers or a screwdriver. Do this instead.

Miraculous Metal Men

Achievement of absence ≠ Absence of achievement

Ascot Park to Mawson Lakes: A long way for Saturday Coffee

 ... and back again.