Bic

Hi All,

I've been posting a few threads regarding an upcoming trip that my family and I are making to Darwin from Sydney. As many of you know, the flights out of Darwin are at VERY weird times. We will be departing Darwin on Oct 13th at 1:40 a.m., arriving in Sydney at 8:00a.m.

We will be travelling with 2 boys, ages 5 and 9...how do you suggest spending this last "night" in Darwin, especially with two potentially tired boys in tow??? Do you just hang out and sleep at the airport until you are required to board?

Thanks!

fuzzylogic

Well, yes, I would. But I'm just me!!

All I can suggest is eat, and go to a movie.

Would have to be better I guess than putting the little ones to bed and waking them a few hours later.

Bokhara

I'd take an extra day on your hotel room, then go to the open air cinema in the evening. They boys might drop off to sleep, but they can then go to bed until you're ready to leave for the airport.

Alternatively, if you wanted to use a babysitter for the boys, you could have a late dinner at Pee Wee's on the Point after the cinema, which is what I usually do.

There's still a bit of time to kill, but I just leave my packing until after Pee Wee's - have a shower, get into "travelling clothes",pack up & head out to the airport about an hour before the "red eye" leaves.

Bic

Thanks for the suggestions, but our last night will be a Thursday night in Darwin and so we will be at the Mindil markets until closing at 10:00 p.m. I suppose. Then I guess, we go back to the hotel, pack and head to the airport. I like the idea of the cinema, but doubt that any kids movies will be showing late....

I think we'll be in worse shape upon arrival in Sydney (since we have a stopover in Brisbane!) than we were when we arrived here from Philadelphia over a year ago!

LynAK

We just did this dance in Darwin, with 10 year old daughter. Being there on a Thursday so you can be at the Mindil Market is good. Lots to eat there. We did not have a hotel room the last night as we drove into Darwin from Batchelor, with stops at the Territory Wildlife Park & Berry Springs on the way in. We had our car which we turned in at the airport before the flight.

We were very hot, tired and dirty by the time we went to the airport, so if you can afford to keep the hotel room to shower and rest before the flight you will be better off.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION: The Qantas desk did not open until 2 hours before boarding..that means 11 pm. I think this is the regular practice, though it could be just the night of our flight. If it is the regular practice, there is no advantage to getting to the airport too early. There are not many chairs in the lobby so people are sitting around on the floor, waiting to get checked in and through security. If you could get through security earlier then there are many more chairs and comfortable places to wait by the gate. But that isn't how they do it.

We didn't know this, were tired of hanging around Darwin so thought we'd just go to the airport about 9 pm and settle in there. Big mistake. There is one little place you from which you can buy drinks, but no restaurant or comfortable place to wait.

We ate dinner our last night at Tim's Surf & Turf on Litchfield (right downtown but on a little side street) which was very good and recommended and we didn't feel rushed out the door. By the way, kids eat free there from the kid's menu if the order goes in before 6:30 pm. This would be a good place to hang out and spend some time, though in your situation you'll want to eat at the Mindil Beach market. But check out Tim's on another day in Darwin. They are open for lunch and dinner and the system is a little odd to understand at first..you check off what you want on a list, but the quality of the food is very good and you sit outside in a little courtyard.

We did not find the open air movie (Deckchair Cinema) worked for us. The movies change daily I think so it isn't like you get a choice. The movie playing the night we could go was inappropriate for a kid. I think this might be a good way to kill time before the flight for some folks, but don't count on it.

People around Darwin are used to these late flights. Tim at Tim's Surf & Turf mentioned that to us so I think you could find some restaurant to have a drink in after the market if you didn't want to keep the hotel room and needed someplace to be.

Yes, it is a long night getting to Sydney!

longhorn55

LynAK is absolutely right about the Qantas desk not opening before 2 hours prior to the flight. We had the same situation last August and found ourselves vying for space with LOTS of other people who got to the airport early. My two teens found a space on the floor to sack out, but the Qantas people at check-in required seeing all of us, so I had to go wake them up. So be aware of this if your little ones go to sleep before check-in for the flight.
Once you go through security, there is more seating and more space on the floor for sleeping, which is what my teens did. No need to feel self-consious about it because everybody is doing it.
It is a pretty miserable situation, so just be prepared.

Orlando_Vic

I am watching this issue carefully and am wondering about Qantas Club opening hours prior to a 1:45 A.M. departure. Anyone have knowledge of this?

http://tinyurl.com/nbmqaz

ivenotbeeneverywhere

I had a flight to Asia a few months ago which went through Darwin. On the way home and arriving at some dreadful time in the morning the Qantas Club opened just for the passengers who were in transit, then closed till later. Perhaps a call to Qantas Club would be in order as it seems that they could open and close at all times of the day/night.

margo_oz

We found that Qantas timing quite irritating, too.

We stayed at the hotel - but couldn't relax in case we went to sleep and missed the flight.

I wonder why they have to fly at that hour?

LynAK

The reason the flights are at odd times out of Darwin is that the Northern Territory doesn't have a prohibition on flight times. Most (all?) other airports in Australia are required to close during the wee hours of the morning. This makes it work for the airlines to get you in and out of Darwin at times when they couldn't be landing or taking off from the other airports. At least this is the reason I was given a few years ago.