US professor Christine Blasey Ford, who accuses Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh of sexually assaulting her when they were teenagers, has been quizzed about her Australian work history at an intense US Senate Judiciary Committee hearing.
Arizona sex crimes prosecutor Rachel Mitchell, hired by the 10 male Republican senators who control the committee, was probing Ford about her fear of flying.
"In fact, you fly fairly frequently for your hobbies and you have had to fly for your work. Is that true?" Mitchell asked during Thursday's hearing in Washington DC.
"Correct, unfortunately," Ford replied.
Mitchell then appeared to presume Ford had worked in Australia.
Ford, 51, is a professor at California's Palo Alto University and teaches in a consortium with Stanford University.
"You were a consulting bio-statistician in Sydney, Australia?" Mitchell asked.
"Is that right?"
Ford denied it.
"I have never been to Australia, but the company that I worked for is based in Australia and they have an office in San Francisco, California," Blasey said.
In a rare moment of levity during the hearing the professor laughed about the prospect of taking the long flight to Australia.
"I don't think I'll make it to Australia," Blasey said.
Mitchell, also breaking the stark tone of the hearing, smiled.
"It is long," the prosecutor said.
Ford alleges Supreme Court nominee Kavanaugh sexually assaulted her in 1982 at a party by pinning her to a bed, groping her and attempting to pull off her swimsuit.
Kavanaugh vehemently rejects the accusation, but Ford's claims have the potential to derail his hopes of being appointed to a lifelong seat on America's highest court.
There had been reports Ford was reluctant to fly from California to Washington DC for Thursday's hearing and her fear came from the alleged decades ago Kavanaugh assault.
Blasey, a keen surfer, did confirm she has flown to Hawaii, Costa Rica, other South Pacific islands and French Polynesia.
"It is easier for me to travel going that direction when it is a vacation," Blasey said.
Critics, including US President Donald Trump's son Don Jr, jumped on her comments.
"I'm no psychology professor but it does seem weird to me that someone could have a selective fear of flying," Trump Jr wrote on Twitter.
"Can't do it to testify but for vacation, well it's not a problem at all."
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