Greetings from Melbourne,

As it was only 320km to Melbourne via the most direct route, and check-in time was 3, I had a late cooked breakfast, and left L.E. at 9:10. I had morning coffee (sans food, as the breakfast was quite filling) around 10:15, at a rest area between Bairnsdale and Sale. At Sale, I left the Princes Highway, taking the South Gippsland Highway, in order to lengthen the trip and fill in time..

I stopped in Leongatha at 12:45 to refuel, and get a chicken wrap from Subway for lunch, which was had in a park down the road at Korumburra at 1pm. Near Tooradin, still thinking that I would arrive too early, I left the S.G. Highway, taking a minor road west to Frankston, then northwest up the Nepean Highway. However, I misjudged how long that would take in moderately heavy city traffic, and didn’t arrive at the Hotel ’til 3:45!

Around 6, I walked over to the convention centre (there’s direct access from level 1 of the hotel) to obtain my passes for the convention and Saturday night dinner, then had a couple of drinks and canapes ’til the openening ceremony at 7:30. That was was followed by talks by Sue-Ann Post, Mark Tier, and Catherine Deveny. The girls’ talks (or more correctly, comedy routines) were very entertaining; Mark Tier’s talk was bloody boring. At 9:30 I returned to my hotel room.

Cheers,
Julian