Day 1 Fly to Sydney and Board Ship
Our flight to Sydney was uneventful and we were on board the ship by 1:30pm. Nothing much to report – our room is fine, reasonable size balcony and comfortable bed.
We left Sydney on time and had a fairly smooth nighttime sail to Newcastle, arriving at 9:00am.
Day 2 Newcastle
This morning, we arrived in Newcastle and, after a delay in coordinating with the port authority, we joined our walking tour of the town, learning a lot about its history. At various spots along the way, we got to sample various food and beverage items. It was very efficiently run by a group called Dave’s. There were 13 of us and 6 guides which is a pretty good ratio. A couple of them were trainees but knew their stuff.
It seems that the Arnotts Biscuit company had its beginnings in Newcastle and their first product was Sao which we had not had for many years. We got to sample a fresh one coated with a berry jam and a slice of Brie – delicious. At the next stop we had coffee (or tea or hot chocolate), which was soon followed by freshly baked cannolis. Then came the brewery (Foxhorn) where several brews are produced on site in a fabulous restaurant. We got to try 2 of the beers, which were superb, and were treated to chilli prawn followed by pork belly bites – yumm.
A final stop was at another fine restaurant where we had fresh oysters and washed them down with some Hunter Valley Semillion.
Then it was back on board for a rest up and a few drinks before dinner.
It is especially noticeable that this is an “old fogies” cruise. There are hardly any children and the average age is probably well over 70. Lots of walking sticks and walkers.
The overnight cruise south toward Melbourne was fairly rocky but manageable.
Day 3 at sea
Our cabin is on the starboard side so we can see the coast in the distance. The seas have settled and it is relatively smooth (although the water in the swimming pools is sloshing around quite a bit.
We had one bit of drama when the lift we were using broke down with us and 2 others in it. It took about 10 mins for us to be “saved”. Thank goodness it wasn’t crowded because it became very stuffy.
In the evening the seas settled right down and it has been smooth sailing overnight and this morning. Tonight was the first formal night so I wore my dinner suit. You could count on one hand how many others were similarly dressed. In fact, the waiters were all in dinner suits and outnumbered us about 10 to 1!
Day 4 At sea
It was surprisingly calm in Bass Strait but as the morning progressed, the waves and the wind picked up so it was not very pleasant on the promenade deck or our balcony.
Then it settled again in the afternoon and we had a very smooth evening. We passed very close to Wilson’s Promontory (literally swimming distance) and enjoyed a beautiful site as the sun was setting and “lighting it up”.
Day 5 Melbourne
The highlight of our brief trip to Melbourne was the guided tour of the lanes, alleyways and arcades. We were in a small group of 17 with only 1 guide which made it difficult to hear everything, especially with the traffic noise and the crowds of people on what was a perfect Melbourne day – 25 deg C, slight breeze and low humidity, what more could you ask?
We caught a tram right from the end of the pier, which took us to the centre of Melb. in about 20 mins. Our guide was very good, clearly loved everything about Melbourne and its history and the tour was everything we hoped, although we probably needed another hour.
After we returned to the ship, we couldn’t be bothered getting changed so had a couple of drinks at the Captains Circle, then a simple meal upstairs and back to the room. Jen had a snooze while I sat out on our balcony for a couple of hours enjoying the beautiful evening as we sailed out of Port Philip Bay. As we passed through the heads, the temperature dropped and the seas got pretty rough so it was off to bed.
Day 6 at sea en route to Adelaide
Reasonable sized waves during the night with quite a bit of rocking which continued this morning. The wind is cold and the day cloudy so we plan to stay indoors.
Apparently, the Aurora Australis was visible last night at around 3:30am.
We are about level with Portland at the moment and starting to head on a more north westerly course. Quite a swell and high winds so no good outdoors. We spent most of the day relaxing, reading and doing crosswords.
The shows have been very good so far and well worth the effort. This is Nathan Foley who put on 2 great shows featuring music from the 50’s, 60’s, 70’s and 80’s. A world class Aussie performer.
Day 7 Adelaide
Today we visited Hahndorf which is quaint but very much a tourist mecca. The bus took about 2 hours from the wharf, travelling thru’ the heart of Adelaide, which has about 1000 sets of lights which all seemed to turn red as we pulled up. A short stop at Mt Lofty to enjoy the view along the way, extended the time. As it was, we had plenty of time to stroll along both sides of the main street.
In the evening, we enjoyed our usual drinks and nibbles in the Captain’s Circle lounge followed by an excellent meal and then another great show in the Princess Theatre. The performer was another gifted Aussie by the name of Grant Galea who did a lot of “rat pack” songs and impersonations, covering many singers, actors, politicians and other well known people. He is a regular in Las Vegas and on cruise ships so was able to relate well to the audience.
Day 8 at Sea
Day 9 at Sea
Calm seas overnight and throughout the day but windy and cool, so a day spent doing very little. The clocks went back one and a half hours last night so Jenni was up early enough to have breakfast in the restaurant. We go back another hour tonight so maybe she will make it again tomorrow, although we will not want to waste time when we will have arrived in Albany and plan to go into the town.
Day 10 Albany
We awoke to a beautiful sunny day in Albany and took the shuttle in to town. The shuttle stopped at the Town Hall and, wouldn’t you know, right there was a market!
We spent the morning walking, visiting Dog Rock, the old Convict Gaol and the local museum and then strolled back to the ship. We stopped at the Boatshed to sample the local oysters which were magnificent.
Jenni’s annual asthma issue has flaired so we had to take it slow and returned to the ship for lunch. It is superb on our balcony today so ….
Day 11 Busselton
It was a rocky night as we rounded Cape Leeuwin but then calmed as we headed north. We arrived in Busselton to what we thought was a fine day with flat sea but, apparently, the wind was too strong making it dangerous to use the tenders. So, we missed out, again.
What a bust!
Day 12 Freemantle
We arrived in Freemantle early and I headed off to explore the town at about 8:00am. Jenni stayed behind because her “asthma” has turned into a heavy cold and she is not well enough to walk.
I walked all over town (at least 10km) and came back leg weary but saw a lot including the Shipwreck museum, the gaol, the market, the South Freemantle Football ground and many other features around the town.
Leanne and Peter joined us this afternoon and Jenni had improved enough to meet with them for drinks, dinner and the show. By the evening, I could feel the signs of Jenni’s cold transferring to me so I skipped the show.
Day 13 at Sea
This was a restful day as we were both recovering.
Day 14 at Sea
We have turned northeast having passed the westernmost point of Australia and, suddenly, we are into hot weather. It is about 30 degC on our balcony at 7:30am.
I enjoyed sitting out there with a coffee for a while but the sun was very intense so had to come inside. Once the sun was off the balcony, it was very nice.
At breakfast, Jenni was talking to a lady on another table and felt she recognised her. It turned out that she (Margaret) and her husband Tony, were on the same table as us for dinner every night when we sailed on the Queen Elizabeth, 8 years ago. We arranged to meet for lunch and did quite a bit of reminiscing. We also went to the culinary demonstration which was very entertaining.
Day 14 Broome
The ship docked in Broome at 10:00am this morning with the temperature already 32.
