Here we go again. It may be a couple of months earlier than expected, it may be for twice as much of the Senate as expected, but we're off to another federal election.

And, for the third time running, the Prime Minister at this election is not the Prime Minister Australia had at the start of this term.

It's my fifteenth federal election, and a bit different for me this time. Thanks to the recent electoral redistribution, for the first time ever I am voting in an electorate (Reid) in which the sitting member is a Liberal.

I will attempt to use this blog to cover my journey through the 2016 election, just as I did in 2004, 2007, 2010 and (to a lesser extent) 2013. Most of my day-to-day thoughts will reside on twitter, but I will try to storify the highlights here.

I think I can say here and now that I won't be advocating the re-election of the Turnbull government. But I'll talk more about the issues as this interminable 55 day campaign rolls on.

To kick things off, though, this image posted to Twitter this morning of a Ghost of Prime Ministers Past, and encumbent Honourable Member for Warringah, apparently stopping the boats at Manly Fast Ferry Wharf this morning:

On day 1 of the campaign here's a lonely looking https://t.co/QxqGoAfEld campaigning at the Manly ferry terminal. pic.twitter.com/nOJfTlRBIK

— Stephanie Peatling (@srpeatling) May 8, 2016