Could the two most likely contenders to replace Tony Abbott as prime minister really be nutting out a power sharing arrangement? Was a leadership spill imminent?

It all seemed too good to be true. And so, alas, it was.

Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull arrives at the Dam Hotel in Warnervale on the Central Coast. Credit:Wolter Peeters

As soon as the tweet was posted, Turnbull's spokesman was telling anyone who rang that it was incorrect. Mr Turnbull, he said, was not in Sydney at all; he was on his way to the NSW Central Coast for an NBN event and he had no plans to meet with Ms Bishop.

Still, Fordo stood his ground.