Yahoo News Making the 10,554 mile trip to Melbourne and the £3m FFP boost already 'done' from lucrative deal
Seeing the palm trees on St Kilda in the late autumn breeze feels tranquil after the trains, planes and automobiles nature of the 10,554 mile trip from North Tyneside to down under!
You could hear a pin drop on Sunday morning on the coast as I set off at 630am to catch a Metro to town before it was really time to start soaking up the atmosphere at Central Station and beyond. It may have been just before 8am but Newcastle fans were in party mode as they set off to Brentford for the final day of the campaign on Sunday.
With Kings Cross reverberating by the time my train arrived in the capital Londoners looked shocked as chants of "Europe again, Europe again, Europe again, ole, ole" has the station shaking by its foundations. The crowds darted to move in different directions and it was then on to the Tube to head for Brentford's Kew Bridge via Vauxhall to arrive at the Gtech Community Stadium in time for the press room opening for business at 1pm.
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The chatter in there is whether I will even have time to make it to Heathrow in time for check in ahead of the long haul flight. Some think it might be touch and go given the 4pm kick off but focus switches to the first job in hand which is reporting on the 4-2 win over Brentford.
Lodging my case in the press box, I set up base at the home of Brentford knowing that it will be "home" for the next few hours but the journey was just beginning. With the sun beating down in London on Sunday, I knew we we'd be in for cooler temperatures down under given winter is on its way in Australia but surely it's nothing compared to the freezing weather that has battered the North-East in the opening months of the year!
As the topsy turvy game ends with a good Newcastle win, Eddie Howe's team are confirmed in seventh place for the season. As the players themselves head for Heathrow, the season is still up in the air and the Magpies' failure to finish sixth means they must wait for the outcome of the FA Cup final.
That did not dampen the mood outside as Newcastle fans streamed into the street chanting about "Europe again" but the time has come to make a dash to Heathrow. I manage to secure an Uber and the race for Europe switches to the race for the check-in desk at Heathrow.
It was manic outside the Gtech as fans clamber for trains and tubes, with a definite cut off point for the check-in, with online services down on this occasion, going by car is the only way to guarantee a safe run. With the adrenaline still pumping after events at Brentford, I'm met with a sea of overseas travellers heading to far off destinations.
I think my luck is in when seeing the China Southern check-in desk only to discover that the real queue is across the hall. And it's been split into two groups because the plane is full!
However, I'm happy to take my place at the back of the queue knowing that the situation feels back in my control. It doesn't take long for the check-in to go down and it's through to Heathrow departures to record the day's edition of Everything is Black and White podcast.
Even once you are through security at Heathrow it can feel like nothing is a given, especially when you discover the gate is a 20-minute walk! The first leg of what will be a 25-hour-plus journey comes with a flight from Heathrow to Guangzhou.
We're on board in good time and there's no delays as B787 Dreamliner takes off with the sun setting over nearby Brentford! Compared to the party on the Lumo earlier in the day, there's no sign of Newcastle shirts now.
The China Southern flight takes off on time just after 10pm and with no wifi I'm cut off from the world of Newcastle for a few hours, working offline and going through notes from the game.
Given its a night flight the lights are dimmed and the journey goes over relatively quickly until we reach China. An announcement from the pilot tells us we can't land on time because of the bad weather in Guangzhou but it's not a problem for the connecting flight because there is a three hour plus lay over.
As we walk off the plane it's easy to see why the plane had to circle the sprawling port city for half an hour or so. The airport is flooded and there are other delays which will mean a knock on effect later.
Sitting in a cafe in Guangzhou, I start chatting with a Canadian Manchester United fan heading home from a business trip who is keen to discuss events of the weekend. Knowing that Newcastle's fate is now in the hands of Man City and Man United, he is hoping for the complete opposite to me.
There's also an enquiry about the delay for Dan Ashworth! And at that precise moment, as he praises the fanatical Newcastle fans heading to Australia, it's a timely reminder why the Magpies are doing it.
We're very much in the realms of the global game now. The Premier League is massive worldwide. In Guangzhou Airport, I see Arsenal, Man United and Man City shirts, but Newcastle just aren't at that stage yet.
For all the criticism of this trip it's worth £3million plus to Newcastle chiefs and there will be other benefits later down the lines.
Trips like this one will help that enormously but it will take time. As we board the final flight of the journey there, we are indeed held up because of the monsoon conditions outside.
This time the pilot has to remain on the tarmac and we're delayed by 45 minutes. But eventually, we're up and away and the next stop will be Melbourne.
Given it is bedtime in the UK, and the small hours of the morning in Australia, we're treated to a spectacular sunrise. As we move on to Aussie land space there is excitement about what lies ahead.
The trip has already had plenty of criticism in the build-up and by this point we know that senior players have pulled out due to injuries, including Anthony Gordon. That will be a disappointment for the fans in Oz but it was perhaps inevitable that there would be withdrawals.
Nevertheless, Howe has still named quite a strong squad including England stars such as Callum Wilson and Kieran Trippier. As we land in Melbourne, a little later than expected there is nothing to suggest that Newcastle are in town.
I do spot some Spurs fans but it is still early days and I know that there are several Newcastle fan events in the pipeline. The Magpies will be well backed here by some fans who have made the journey from Tyneside like me and those fans and ex-pats Down Under who are getting a rare chance to see their team live.
As for the weather, it's what I'd call a balmy 12 degrees with that mild breeze in the air. Before I board one last mode of transport before checking in, the lady working for Sky Bus urges me to wait inside and warns: "You're better off in there, it's bloody cold today!"
There was even a bit of rain too as we waited for the transport to arrive but it became much sunnier in the afternoon.
As fans start to arrive, this trip could certainly warm the hearts of Howe and his players as they settle into their Melbourne base. After a journey that started on Sunday close to dawn and ended on Tuesday morning in Australia, the epic 10,554 journey here is done.
And now the preparations for that friendly clash against Tottenham get under way.
