A bearded Daniel Andrews has jetted out of Australia for the Big Apple after stepping down as Victorian premier.
Sporting an irregular amount of stubble, the former state leader was spotted in the arrival line at New York's John F. Kennedy Airport.
Quick to capture the moment, entertainment reporter Peter Ford posted a candid shot of Mr Andrews on X on Thursday morning.
Doorstopped by political journalists as the image began doing the rounds on social media, new premier Jacinta Allan was puzzled why a private citizen travelling overseas was making news.
"I have been speaking to him over the last couple of weeks but I think he deserves a chance to go and have a peaceful break," she said.
Mr Andrews this week shared an image of himself casting his 'yes' ballot for Saturday's voice referendum at an early-polling centre, before flying out of the country.
Announcing his retirement in late September, Mr Andrews said he was keen to spend more time with his wife and children, play golf and read a "pile" of unread books.
"I'll do a few things that are about me and I am going to go through what would be a fairly challenging adjustment," he said at the time.
"I'm looking forward to a very different pace and doing different things."
Mr Andrews became premier in November 2014, booting out a first-term Liberal government, and led Labor to two more victories in 2018 and 2022.
He became Victoria's longest-serving Labor premier earlier this year.
