It is always with a little apprehension that I approach check-in desks with my bicycle, the airline's website may say one thing but the check-in staff may have a different idea. Qantas were very clear on their website that the bike needed to be in a box of their specification, indeed a box rather on the small side which could only work taking the front wheel off. They claimed to provide the boxes at the airport and a phone call confirmed that. Well in as much as the young man said if it is on the website it must be so. I wrapped it in my trusty Wiggle plastic bag ready to go in the box at the airport. Alan and Janet kindly gave me a lift and we arrived at the desk well ahead of time. We said our goodbyes and I didn't have long to wait. I enquired about the Qantas boxes and was told there was no such thing and it could go as it was. One of the staff pushed my trolley to the oversized luggage section and checked it was okay. Best of all as it was in my total luggage limit no extra charge for the bike!
The flight though lengthy was made tolerable by the section from Dubai being only a quarter full so could lay across 3 seats. While waiting I got an email from the hotel in Perth to say that they could fit my bike in the shuttle bus.
My intention was to do a loop along the Munda Biddi trail and return via the coast. The time available was curtailed by limits of time on insurance so only a week for this area. To my surprise the first night in the hotel was freezing cold, I stayed a second night as having arrived at 2am after a long flight I knew I wouldn't be up to leaving by 10am. The second night was even colder so I didn't feel like camping on the trail
