The homecoming did not go as expected.
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Instead of the long queues at the e-passport kiosk, there was no wait. Miraculously, the system worked perfectly.
Passengers waiting for their baggage did not crowd the carousel, instead standing back so everyone could see their suitcases come down the ramp. Perhaps, I thought, this was because our flight was from Japan, where etiquette and a clearly marked line keep passengers back from the carousel, preventing the rugby scrum we're used to.
And there was another surprise. A green Nothing To Declare line, something I see at airports around the world but had never before noticed at Sydney.
Not being herded into a cattle race, not being barked at by Border Force, not cringing as officers upped the volume thinking that would make them more comprehensible for non-English speakers, was an unfamiliar delight at Sydney airport.
There was no long queue, no being shunted by luggage trolleys from behind. And the officer who glanced over the declaration even managed a smile before pointing to the exit. Was I hallucinating after the 10-hour overnighter?
After 10 days of pinch-yourself moments in Japan, I was having another arriving back home. For once, returning to Sydney was not the unfriendly ordeal I'd grown to dread. The moment I felt shame at the way we greeted visitors to our wonderful country.
The seamless re-entry on Saturday was short-lived. On Sunday, a nationwide passport system outage plunged our international airports back into chaos. Arriving and departing passengers endured lengthy delays as officers had to revert to manual processing until the glitch was rectified.
Luck had smiled on me on Saturday but it frowned on Sunday when at Central Station I discovered trackwork would disrupt my train trip back down the coast.
After experiencing a range of fast, efficient and scrupulously clean trains in Japan - from suburban, to bullet, to tiny two-car heritage trains - the crowded and stuffy replacement bus came as a shock. So, too, the misinformation at Dapto station where we were to join the train.
We were directed to the opposite platform only to be told when we got there that we'd have to drag our luggage back. "My mistake. Sorry," said the station worker. And after that short journey to where the electrified line stopped, the the rude shock. The connecting diesel train would not leave for another two hours. Not the homecoming I expected.
I'd not intended to write about returning to Australia and the rude shock of Sydney airport - I'd written about that once before.
But when the experience deserves praise, it should be given. I don't know whether it was just good luck this time or whether, finally, notice had been taken of negative feedback and the airport had lifted its game but I'd seen how the welcome to Australia could - indeed, should - be.
As for the trains, we have a lot of catching up to do.
HAVE YOUR SAY: Have you found returning to Australia via Sydney airport an unpleasant experience? If you've been through recently, have you noticed an improvement? Are you embarrassed by the way non-English speaking visitors are treated? Email us: echidna@theechidna.com.au
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