| Saturday | 4 | Santiago | |
| Sunday | 5 | San Pedro | Atacama Desert |
| Monday | 6 | San Pedro | El Tatio |
| Tuesday | 7 | San Pedro | Lagunas Miscanti y Miniques |
| Wednesday | 8 | Puerto Natales | |
| Thursday | 9 | Puerto Natales | Grey Glacier, Sendero Mirador Cuernos |
| Friday | 10 | Puerto Natales | Torres del Paine |
| Saturday | 11 | Punta Arenas | |
| Sunday | 12 | Punta Arenas | |
| Monday | 13 | Antarctica - Silversea Cruise | |
| Tuesday | 14 | Antarctica - Silversea Cruise | |
| Thursday | 15 | Antarctica - Silversea Cruise | |
| Friday | 16 | Antarctica - Silversea Cruise | |
| Saturday | 17 | Antarctica - Silversea Cruise | |
| Sunday | 18 | Antarctica - Silversea Cruise | |
| Monday | 19 | Antarctica - Silversea Cruise | |
| Tuesday | 20 | Antarctica - Silversea Cruise | |
| Wednesday | 21 | Antarctica - Silversea Cruise | |
| Thursday | 22 | Antarctica - Silversea Cruise | |
| Friday | 23 | Puerto Williams | |
| Saturday | 24 | Viña del Mar | |
| Sunday | 25 | Viña del Mar | Valparaíso, Concón |
Coming soon
Saturday 4th
We had an early start ahead of our 8am pick up.
Around 0830 we had arrived at Sydney’s Terminal 1 giving us plenty of time to check in and enjoy the lounge before our flight.
QF27 was about 30 minutes late but around 1300 we were pushing back – headed for Santiago.
About 13 hours later, on the same day, we touched down at Santiago Arturo Merino Benitez Airport.
The visa process was a bit of a drag – easy enough but took an age, and before long we were transferring to our hotel in Chile’s capital.
I had been talking to a guy from Chile who was living in Sydney who said we ought to be wary of taxi drivers in Chile.
On his advice we organised a transfer with TransVIP. It cost us $58 and so was probably more than a taxi but it was door-to-door and we knew what we were getting.
We were on the road around 1315 and by 1345 we’d arrived at Hotel Somelier Loft.
We had a quick freshen-up before heading out to explore Santiago.
The hotel was just around the corner from Cerro Santa Lucia so that seemed like a good place to start.
We climbed up the hill for sweeping views over the capital before continuing down to Plaza de Armas de Santiago.
It was getting on in the day and we were starting to get hungry so we decided to brave the Metro and head over to the Barrio Italia for a look around. We stopped at Bar Italia for a couple of drinks before setting off in search of a snack. We ended up at Tio Tomate which had a nice big beergarden with plenty of shade to get away from the oppressive heat.
Re-Energised after lunch, we decided to continue by foot to the Funicular to check out Cerro San Cristobal.
It was late in the day and so we weren’t able to get a return ticket and so after taking a look around at the top, we started the not-so-long walk down.
We were exhausted from the long, long day and so hopped on the Metro at Baquedano and rode one stop to Bellas Arts and walked home.
Sunday 5th
We had a very early start for our 7am flight to Calama, in Chile’s north.
We’d organised a taxi through the hotel to take us back to the airport.
The driver arrived a little before 0430 and we pulled up at the airport about 30 minutes later, at 0500.
We paid the taxi through the hotel and it cost us about $45
Around 0645 we boarded LA148 for Calama.
We landed a little after 0900 and it wasn’t long before we had collected our rental car and were on the road.
We ended up with Subaru XC from United Rent A Car. We booked through Booking.com and it cost us $260 for three days..
We found a supermarket in Calama to pick up some snacks then continued on towards San Pedro to start our adventure.gf
Around midday we arrived at Laguna Escondida Baltinache for a look at the Hidden Lakes.
Unfortunately, you’re no longer allowed to swim at the pools, but it’s still pretty cool and definitely worth a look.
Entry to the site cost us $32.
We were at the lake for about an hour before continuing on the road in search of the Magic School bus.
We had a pin on Google Maps but the bus wasn’t super easy to find. There were also plenty of signs saying entry to the desert was forbidden. So that was a bit daunting, but we persevered.
I wish I could provide detailed instructions on how to find the bus, but actually it wasn’t until we gave up and started backtracking that we found it.
And while there’s actually not much there to see, it’s still pretty cool.
On our way towards San Pedro de Atacama, we stopped off at Mirador Likan- Antay for a quick look.
It was just 1700 before we arrived at our hotel in San Pedro – Hotel Pat’ta Hoiri.
It cost us $480 for the three nights and while the room was small, it was all that we needed. The grounds of the hotel were also pretty nice and it wasn’t too far from the town – less than ten minutes by foot.
We spent about an hour at the hotel getting freshened up before heading into town for a look.
We ended up at Adobe for dinner and had some pizza and quesadillas (when in Rome, right? Well, sort of, anyway).
Anyway, food was pretty good, though we were starving, so who knows, and by 2000 we were back at the hotel, ready to call it a day.
Monday 6th
Our pre-crack of dawn start was made easier by our jetlag.
We were up around 0400 and out the door by half past on route for El Tatio.
Armed with a small lunch box provided by the hotel, we set off up the mountain in the darkness.
The site is 5000m above sea level and we had read some horror stories about people suffering from altitude sickness, but in the end we were pretty OK.
We arrived at El Tatio just after six, bought our tickets ($48) and were on our way.
We spent a good couple of hours checking out the geysers (and waiting for sunset) and finally, around 0900, we decided to head down the hill.
There had previously been a hot spring to swim in at El Tatio, but that looked to be out of action when we were there.
We took our time driving down the mountain – stopping plenty of times to check out the scenery and wild animals peppering the countryside.
We had a photo stop at Vado Putana before continuing on to Laguna Flamingo.
Around 1130 we arrived at our next stop – Puritama Springs.
Entry to the springs was CLP$35,000 each, in cash, but we only had CLP$59,000.
Thankfully the lady behind the desk let us in anyway, which was lucky because there was no ATM for a good half hour, and the Springs were due to close in a couple of hours.
We had a good couple of hours flailing and relaxing (and getting sunburned) before getting changed and heading off around 1300.
We headed down the hill to explore the seven hot springs (the eighth was closed the day we were there).
On the way back into town we stopped off at Mirador Likan- Antay a second time – this time to play with the drone – before continuing to Valle de la Luna. Entry cost us $39 and gave us access to half a dozen sites.
I think if we had more time (or inclination) we could have done some more exploring, or even a couple of the hikes, but we were hot, and exhausted so just had a bit of a drive through – checking out The three Marias; and Mma Victoria and Duna Mayor.
By 1700 we were back in town and, after a long, long day, ready for something to eat.
We ended up at Pizzería El Charrúa, in part, because it had such a long line the night before and we wanted to see what the fuss was about.
The pizza wasn’t bad, and pretty much exactly what we needed after the adventures we’d had.
Part of our tickets to Valle de la Luna afforded us entry to Mirador de Kari – Piedra del Coyote – so around 1830 we hopped back in the car and headed back out to the desert to see the sunset.
There was a bit of confusion about what time we were allowed to stay in the park so we actually ended up leaving just before sunset.
Around 2000 we were back at the hotel, ready for bed.
Tuesday 7
We had a much more relaxed morning, with a better-than-expected breakfast at the hotel.
Around 0830 we were on the road headed for the Lagunas Altiplanicas.
It’s a pretty nice route with epic scenery and by 1000 we’d arrived at Socaire.
You’re supposed to check in at Socaire before heading into the national park.
About 30 minutes down the road you arrive at the two lakes – first stop Laguna Miscanti.
We had a quick look around, battling the wind, before continuing down the road to Mirador Laguna Miñiques.
Further down the road still, we came across Mirador Piedras Rojas.
There’s a little hike through the red rubble with amazing views all around.
We spent about an hour and a half exploring the site before hopping back in the car and heading back to San Pedro.
We tried to have a look (and swim) at Laguna Cejar but it had closed before we arrived (so don’t forget to check the times before you go).
We’d had had a long day so we hopped back in the car and continued on our way to the hotel.
Around 6pm we headed out into town to find something to eat – settling at Karavan for a couple of cocktails and dinner.
After dinner I went back to Mirador Likan- Antay to catch another sunset before heading back to the hotel to call it a night.
Wednesday 8th
We had a long travel day ahead of us so we packed up early, grabbed our breakfast boxes from the hotel and were on the road by 0630.
We arrived at El Loa Airport around 0800, returned the rental car without drama.
By 0930 we were boarding our flight for Santiago.
LA379 landed just before midday and we had to collect our bags and recheck them for our Sky Airline flight to Puerto Natales.
The return LATAM flights to Calama cost us $363 each.
We had plenty of time before our 1520 flight, and so we sat down to try some local cuisine.
Around 1500 we were boarding H291 and by 1840 we’d arrived in Puerto Natales. The flight cost us $403 for the two of us.
We just grabbed a taxi outside the airport for the short 12 minute ride into town and it cost us $8.
We checked into the Hotel big Sur which had bright, clean scandi vibes but was a little on the small side. Breakfast was decent and the location was good so not too much to complain about.
Once we settled, we decided to head out to check out the town.
We had a wander along the waterfront before dropping into El Brisket for a drink.
Continuing down the road a little further, we ended up at a Creperie for a snack.
By 2100 we were back at the hotel, tucked up in bed, exhausted after a long travel-day.
Thursday 9th
We got up early and had breakfast at the hotel before heading around the corner to pick up our rental car.
We went with Europcar – in part because of its location: a two minute walk from the hotel.
We had the car for three days with a pick up at Puerto Natales and drop off at Punta Arenas.
It cost us $565, including the one way fee.
The only downsides were we couldn’t collect the car from the airport (so we had to pay for a taxi, but that was cheap, AND the Europcar office didn’t open until 0900 so we couldn’t get an early start).
By 0930 we were on the road, headed north into the Torres del Paine National Park.
I got a three-day pass to the park for the two of us which cost $48.
Around 1200 we arrived at Hotel Largo Gray to check in for our boat trip to Grey Glacier.
It was a bit of a fuck-around with multiple carparks and a bit of wandering aimlessly, but eventually we worked it out.
Once you’ve picked up your tickets there’s a rather long walk along a rocky beach to where the boat can stop.
They make you get there an hour early and it’s easy to see why.
Around 1300 we boarded the ship and started the slow sail out to the glacier.
The boat trip cost us $350 and lasted a couple of hours. The weather was great and we got plenty of photos so it was worth it.
With plenty of hours of sunshine left in the day we decided to squeeze in Sendero Mirador Cuernos.
It was a beautiful, hour-long drive through the national park to the beginning of the hike.
We arrived around 1700 and set off on the short hike.
It was a windy walk, but the views were epic and around 1800 we arrived at the lookout.
It was 2000 before we arrived back at the hotel, and we were ravenous.
We scoped out Rustika Restaurant for dinner which was intense, but needed after our long, busy day.
By 2230 we were back at the hotel and ready for bed.
Friday 10th
We had an early start – leaving the hotel around 0520 to head back to the Torres del Paine National Park.
The official opening hours are 0800-1900 but there were a few cars arriving before that.
When we were researching we’d read online it’s best to get there early to avoid the crowds. And while there were still plenty of people on the track (and coming down, while we were heading up!), it wasn’t too bad.
We made it up in exactly three hours, and after about an hour of stuffing ‘round at the top, and having a couple of snacks, we began the clamber back down.
The hike itself isn’t too challenging, but it’s not easy either.
Had we had more time, I would have thought about doing one of the longer hikes, but given we only had a couple of days to explore the region, we were happy having done the Mirador del Paines + Sendero Mirador Cuernos hikes.
We feel like we got a good, little taste of the region.
We had a Stop.Revive.Survive break at Cerro Castillo before stopping off for a quick look at the Cueva del Milodon.
It’s all the rage if you’re into pre-historic animals, but otherwise there’s not a great deal to see AND we were exhausted.
It also cost $37 for the two of us which was a lot for the ten minutes we spent there.
Around 1730 we were back at the hotel, and after a quick play with the drone in Puerto Natales, we headed out in search of dinner.
We ended up at El Tejano Tacos for tea and it’s just what the doctor ordered – quick, easy and tasty.
We were back at the hotel around 2100, absolutely exhausted after our day.
Saturday 11th
After a busy few days, we were going to switch gears and have a more relaxed day.
We got up, had breakfast and headed out for our drive to Punta Arenas.
Punta Arenas wasn’t on our bucketlist, but we had a day up our sleeves and thought it’d be nice to see a little more of Chile.
The drive was easy enough with plenty of animals and vivid wildflowers along the way.
We had hoped to join an afternoon Penguin tour in Punta Arenas but most appeared to be cancelled because of the weather. When we finally found one who’d take us, they canned it five minutes after we paid.
Seeing as though we had nowhere to be, we decided to take it easy.
We stopped half way for a break and at Villa Tehuelches we stumbled across a Rodeo which was pretty cool.
Continuing, we arrived at Punta Arenas around 1330.
We were surprised at how big the city was. We were expecting something smaller, similar to Puerto Natales.
We made a b-line to Hotel Plaza.
The hotel was $234 for two rooms and while it was a bit dated and small, it did the trick.
We dropped off our stuff and with a bit of light left in the day, headed back out to explore.
We decided to drive to the end of the road and check out San Isidro Lighthouse – the southernmost lighthouse in Chile.
The drive was only about an hour, but we decided to stop half-way for a snack.
We ended up at Cafe Carretero for coffee and cake before the weather started to turn.
We continued on our way and arrived at the Fin de Mundo at 1630.
I think the hike to the lighthouse was SUPPOSED to be about 4 kilometres but it took us about an hour and a half and while it was flat – walking on the rocky beach, in the rain, wasn’t the easiest, or most pleasant.
It was 1930 before we were back to the car and 2030 before we were back to the hotel.
We ended up at Estilo Magallanico for dinner. There was a bit of a wait and it was already 2100, but we were cold and wet and just wanted to sort it.
We were back at the hotel at 2245 and very ready for bed.
Sunday 12th
We’d driven past a big field of wildflowers on Saturday and wanted to go back and check it out on our way back from the lighthouse. By the time we got there it was pouring with rain and we were cold and wet and tired, so we abandoned the idea.
When we woke up, there was a break in the rain and it was fairly bright, and, sunny enough, so we decided to give the flower fields another go.
It was only 30 minutes away and so by 0730 we were there – Puente Rio Tres Brazos.
There’s not much to see but if you have time I’d recommend you make the drive. It’s a beautiful little stop with a small stream and thousands and thousands of coloured flowers.
We were only there for about half an hour but managed to fill up our camera reels with hundreds of pictures of flowers.
By 0830, we were back at the hotel, ready for breakfast. While the hotel was just OK, the breakfast was pretty good.
At 0930 we packed up our stuff and hopped back in the car, en route to the airport.
We’d booked on to LA92 for the three-hour-flight back to Santigo.
We had plans for a busy afternoon full of flailing in the hotel pool and sipping cocktails at the rooftop bar of the W Hotel, Santiago.
But Latam, and the weather, had a different idea.
Because of the weather lots of the flights from Punta Arenas Airport were delayed or cancelled. The weather didn’t seem that bad, but we were rolling with it.
Our 1142 flight was pushed back to 1200, then 1230, and so on until it was rescheduled for 1800.
At 1900 they cancelled our flight, in Spanish, and while they promised to get us on another flight late at night, we decided to give up.
It was total chaos – they said we needed to collect our bags and see the desk to be rebooked on another flight.
They booked us on a flight for 0400 meaning we might just make our connection on the charter flight, back south to Puerto Williams, to board our ship.
Eventually, we managed to get in touch with the cruise line operators and sweet talk them into letting us join the charter jet during its stopover in Punta Arenas the following day.
That’d save us about eight hours in a return trip to the capital.
Having secured out flights we were free to cancel the Latam flights, grab our bags and head back into town for the night.
We were cold and exhausted and so we decided to get a nice hotel for the night to help us recover from our trauma.
We ended up at Cabo de Hornos Hotel, arriving around 2100.
The hotel was just OK – we had a big room with three big beds, and the location and breakfast was good, too. But all in all, I’m not sure it was worth the money.
We had a big room with three big beds. The breakfast and the location was good too.
It was getting late and we were starving so we went out to look for something to eat.
We ended up at Tante Mozza for dinner and while it was just ok, it was quick and easy.
We arrived back at the hotel at 2300 and were well and ready to call it a night.
Monday 13th
After all the drama of the previous day, we had a very lazy morning. A sleep in then breakfast at the hotel.
After brekkie we headed out for a bit of a walking tour. The weather had fined up and we took the opportunity to explore a bit.
We had a short break at the highly-rated Wake Up – Coffee Lab – which turned out to be a dud – then continued on our way to the foreshore to see the Monumento al Piloto Pardo and then back north to the Plaza de Armas.
Around 1230 we called a taxi to take us back to the airport. It only cost us about $20 and was less than fifteen minutes away.
Now that we’d made contact with the people at Silversea everything was a dream. They were constantly calling and messaging to check that we were OK and that everything was on track.
There was a guy waiting at the airport to meet us, and around 1400 we’d met the rest of the group at the airport. It wasn’t long before we were boarding our little plane to Porto Williams – the southernmost town in Chile.
We landed around 1500 and after a very quick transfer, we were at our home for the next ten days – the Silver Cloud.
We had to do a bit of paperwork, then, champagne in hand, we were free to explore the ship.
We spent the afternoon checking things out and relaxing before heading up for dinner around 1900.
At 2130 the ship set sail – en route to Antarctica!
Tuesday 14th
Today we were at sea, crossing the Drake Passage, and luckily it wasn’t a rough ride.
There were a few more housekeeping things to do – like collecting our snow boots – but otherwise we spent the day relaxing, exploring, and eating too much.
Wednesday 15th
Due to having a quick crossing, thanks to favourable conditions, we arrived at the Antarctic Peninsula early.
After lunch we made our first landing – at Half Moon island in the South Shetland Islands.
We were all pretty excited and while there wasn’t a great deal of snow on the Island, there were more penguins than you could poke a stick at, and a few old whaling boats and other relics.
Back on the ship we went for afternoon tea before getting dressed up for dinner.
Thursday 16th
We woke up on the Antarctic continent and had an early morning trip to Portal Point.
It was snowy and cold and finally felt like we were really in Antarctica.
We hopped on the Zodiacs, dodged some whales and made it to shore where we hiked up to the viewpoint.
We had a wet climb into the boat before braving the elements to head back to the boat.
After a bit of room service, we decided to head up on deck to try out the jacuzzi.
The hot tubs were prime real estate so we were lucky to get one to ourselves (albeit in the snow).
In the afternoon we continued to Charlotte Bay where we were back on the zodiacs for a little exploratory cruise.
Friday 17th
We had a leisurely breakfast before heading out to explore Skontorp Cove in our kayaks.
We spent a couple of hours exploring the area, including an up close look at Brown Station.
There were a few penguins but unfortunately, no breaching whales.
We had lunch in our room again (a couple of days in and we were already addicted to steak baguettes) before spending a little while watching the world sail by from the deck.
For our afternoon landing we were in Neko Harbour, which involved a pretty precarious walk up to a lookout.
The hike was definitely worth it: the views were epic and there were plenty of penguins to play with.
In the evening we had a pretty epic sunset, albeit at 2300, before another round of room service – this time for dessert.
Saturday 18th
Overnight we continued to Pleneau Bay for our next stop. We had an early zodiac cruise to Petermann Island – with a special mid-way surprise – cold champagne for our ride.
We had a rocky landing and then set out to explore the area.
There were heaps of penguins – a colony of Gentoos and another of Chinstrap Penguins as well as pretty good views from the lookout.
We finally had big, blue skies giving us a postcard perfect image of Antarctica.
We spent the rest of the afternoon on deck, soaking up the sunshine and taking in the views as we sailed through the Lemaire Channel.
Sunday 19th
We woke up in the Melchior Islands. After breakfast, we boarded the Zodiacs for a tour of the bay to meet some of its furry residents.
We had a look at the Melchior Base and got some good snaps before heading back to the boat to relax.
After a swim and a sunbake we dressed up for an alfresco lunch on deck. It was sunny but fresh, so we wanted to take advantage of the weather.
After lunch, we were in Dallmann Bay for D Day.
Time to jump into the icy antarctic water.
We were third in line, for the first group to do the polar plunge.
The anticipation was definitely worse than the fact, but we were happy to scurry up to the jacuzzi and stew the afternoon away.
We had another nice (late) sunset, before returning to our room for some room service dessert.
Monday 20th
We woke up in a volcano crater – in the centre of Deception Island.
After an early breakfast, we were back on the Zodiacs, this time headed across Whalers Bay to explore the volcano.
We had a bit of time to explore the relics from the old whaling station before heading up the hill for a view.
There wasn’t a lot of snow but it was cool to see so many signs of life in a place that had so far been pretty desolate.
We were on deck enjoying the sun as the cruise ship sailed through the small opening in the volcano and past Pete’s pillar.
We sailed north past Livingstone Island and before long we’d arrived at Before long we’d and before long we’d arrived at Greenwich Island.
We bundled into the zodiacs to check out Fort Point.
It was bright and sunny but the sea was a bit rough so we weren’t able to land but had a nice, long tour around checking out the seals and scenery.
For our last night in Antarctica, we decided to try out the fancy French restaurant on the ship – food was pretty good – given we’d been so far from civilisation for ten days and given the supplement was only about $100 each for all the fancy food, we thought it was worth a try.
Tuesday 21st
We were at sea today – and so we spent a lot of time relaxing and recovering, as well as wandering around on the deck, getting up our steps and enjoying the weather.
The cruise company put on a few lectures and ran a couple of competitions but we were happy to chill out for the most part.
We had another go at room service for lunch and I finally had a chance to try one of the hotdogs everyone had been raving about.
Late in the afternoon, while walking on deck we manage to get a snap of a white rainbow (or what I’ve just googled and discovered to be a fogbow).
We had a relatively early sunset – indicating that we were moving north, and sadly, our adventure was coming to an end.
After dinner we went up to the bar to check out the excitement – but after a couple of cocktails and lots of (watching) singing and dancing, we decided to call it a night.
Wednesday 22nd
When we woke up, we were well and truly home – sailing up the Beagle Channel towards Puerto Williams.
We spent a lot of time on deck, watching the world go by as we sailed up the strait between Chile and Argentina.
We had one last room service steak baguette before docking at Puerto Williams.
We still had one night left on the ship (we left early to avoid a storm) and so took advantage of being in port to take a look around the town.
We headed back to the ship just before dinner for our last meal and to see off the crew.
Thursday 23rd
After our very last breakfast we packed up all our gear and waited for our group to be called.
Just before 1100 we were bundled into the buses and transferred back to the airport.
We transferred in Punta Arenas for a bigger plane and around 1800 we were back in the capital.
We’d organised another transfer to Viña del Mar with TransVIP which cost us $163. The trip took us a little over an hour and while the transfer may have been a bit expensive, it was peace of mind for us, knowing we had someone waiting for us at the airport.
By 1930 we were at the hotel freshening up for dinner.
There was still a bit of light left in the day so we decided to go for a walk along the waterfront and ended up at Muelle Vergaga – the ocean pier.
We ended up at Tierra de Fuego for dinner. It wasn’t cheap and the food was just OK but we were happy just sit down and relax after a long day of travelling.
Friday 24th
We had a bit of a lazy morning before hopping in an Uber for Valparaíso.
We decided to do a walking tour, and there was one leaving at 1000.
We saw the sites and got a bit of history about the time before heading up the hill to the graffiti-covered old town.
It was only about 1430 and so, at the recommendation of our guide, we decided to hop on a bus to check out Concón – a small beach town about ten kilometres north of Viña del Mar.
The bus cost us less than $2 but it was long and hot and probably not worth the money we’d saved.
We didn’t really know where we were going or what to see so it wasn’t the best excursion.
Eventually, we found our way to the beach and walked along the coast for a while.
We ended up getting an Uber home – it was $15 and after the long bus trip, we weren’t really up for an adventure.
We finally got home around 1830 and with a bit of light left in the day, decided to try out the pacific ocean.
We were only in there for a hot second because it was freezing (and we were sort of paranoid our stuff could get stolen).
After our dip I put the drone up to see Viña del Mar from above.
It was getting late and around 2130 we arrived at Pizzeria y Trattoria del Ascensor for dinner.
It was 2300 before we got back to the hotel, exhausted from the long day of site-seeing.
Saturday 25th
We got up early so we could pack up and get ready for the long trip home.
We still had about an hour before our transfer and so we decided to go for a walk and squeeze in one more site before we left.
The archaeological museum – has one of the Easter Island stone heads outside it. Seeing as though we didn’t have enough time to get to the island on this trip, we thought we might as well go and see one of its monuments.
The walk was about twenty minutes but it was good exercise before we were going to have to sit down for 15 hours.
Right on time, the driver arrived at the hotel around 0900 to collect us. It cost us $163 door to door and took us about an hour.
At 1030 we were at the airport, ready for our long flight home. We boarded QF28 and at 1310 we were on our way.
A day later, at 1740 we were touching down in Terminal 1, Sydney – home after our big adventure.