QF1 departs Sydney in the afternoon and arrives in Dubai before midnight. QF9 leaves Melbourne at close to midnight and arrives in Dubai the next morning. 

I think it's great. Finally Adelaide is getting some proper attention from NZ.

Lounge wise I think that's really disappointing. Never really liked the Plaza Premium lounges in HK because some of the people there were quite rude etc. I think that once VA links up with Hong Kong Airlines, Virgin Atlantic should follow suit so they can use their facilities instead of PP.

I think the most logical city would be Xi'an. Xi'an is considered a secondary hub for HU and operates many domestic as well as a few international flights. Guangzhou, Shenzhen and Hangzhou would also be some good options.

It will be interesting to see that First class is actually below the quality of business class on the A380, seat-wise.