CAIRNS to HORN ISLAND (CNS-HID) on Qantas Dash 8-300 in economy class
Up ridiculously early again and headed back to the airport a bit earlier than I strictly needed to, in order to have a chance to check & clear messages that had built up over the previous few days. There was a long queue at security but it moved fast. When I arrived the lounge was moderately full but it soon emptied and I almost had the place to myself for a while.
Boarding was called and again I was almost the last to board. The flight was very full with just 2 or 3 empty seats including one next to me.
A breakfast was served in a little pack - brioche, low fat yoghurt, dried apricots, juice, plus tea coffee or water. Other drinks available for purchase.
Horn Island is even closer to Papua New Guinea than Weipa and is one of the Torres Strait Islands. So once again I was headed north and seeing some now familiar sights along the Cape York Peninsula. Near the end the peninsula peters out in a maze of waterways and mangroves, and there are some glimpses of the hills and mountains of PNG through the haze. A short stretch of water before the first of the many Torres Strait Islands. We flew over Thursday Island which is quite populated and doubled back to Horn Island which is not. An announcement was made about the ferries to Thursday Island and the outside temperature was 25C. According to that day's newspaper this is about the coldest it has ever been in May in Torres Strait!
Lots of small aircraft scattered around the airport.