è Report on Week 6 - February 09 – 16, 2008

We sailed into Sydney Harbour, the world’s largest natural harbour, in the early morning of Saturday, February 9, and docked at Pier #1 of the Overseas Passenger Terminal, off Circular Quay.  The location of the pier is smack-dab between the Sydney Opera House (to port) and the Sydney Harbour Bridge (viewed from all aft decks).  We were amazed and delighted with our good fortune to have unobstructed views of both Australian icons.

That morning, we were off on an all-inclusive Sydney Sights tour of The Rocks area (original penal colony settlement and Sydney’s oldest village, dating back to 1788), the newly developed and modern Darling Harbour area, the city center, and Bondi Beach, the world-famous surfing (& bikini) beach.  Although the weather was rainy and overcast, our short time in this vibrant city made us wish we had another week to explore.  In the evening, we joined a ship-sponsored shore excursion (at double the normal price!) to see and hear a very modern version of Puccini’s La Boheme, at the Sydney the Opera House, that was simply magnificent.  Following the performance, since the weather had cleared, a group of us walked back to the ship along Circular Quay and past all the nightclubs and restaurants overflowing with people enjoying their Saturday night.  It was memorable walk, in full view of the Opera House, the Harbour Bridge and our ship, trimmed in sparkly white lights.

On our second day in Sydney (one of our multi-day stopovers), we took off at 8am for the countryside and the Blue Mountains National Park – an awesome area of Grand Canyon-like rock formations among deep valleys – about an hour or so southwest of Sydney.  The Blue Mountains get their name from a blue haze caused by the release of oil from the many eucalyptus trees.  In addition to the many spectacular scenic overlooks, we took a ride on the world’s steepest perpendicular railway (so they said) plunging 700 feet down into a valley and then rode back up to the top in a cable car.  It was fun, but we were glad that the experience was before lunch.  After a so-so lunch in a town named Katoomba and a stop at the 2000 Olympic Games site, we headed back to Sydney and jumped on a ferry for a three hour tour along the shoreline of the massive harbour area, arriving back on the ship barely in time for our 8pm dinner.  As we sailed away from Sydney later that night at 11pm, we joined hundreds of other passengers for a party on the Lido Deck aft to sadly wave the city good-bye.

After a day at sea, our time in Australia continued with a stop in Melbourne, in the state of Victoria, on Tuesday, February 12.  While we were sure that exploring Melbourne (the second largest city in Australia, with 3.5 million people) would be a rewarding experience, we decided a tour to see wildlife and wineries would give us a break from the city and its traffic.  The Dandenong Ranges and the Yarra Valley are just outside Melbourne and are prized for their natural beauty, wildlife preserves, and fine wineries.

Our first stop was at Healesville Sanctuary, where our knowledgeable zookeeper guide gave us a look at and information on some of Australia’s most fascinating wildlife including - kangaroos (not one, of the 30 or so, was hopping around - all asleep), koala (again, all asleep in their eucalyptus trees), Tasmanian Devils (it’s true, they are fierce-looking and sounding and they were not asleep), emus (talk about big eyes), wombats, platypus, dingoes (more fox-looking than dog), parrots, and too many others (they boast of 200 species of native birds, mammals and reptiles).  After the sanctuary, and a customary visit to their gift store, we continued to the Yarra Valley wine district for some wine-tasting and lunch.  Lunch, with bottles and bottles of wine, was at McWilliam’s Lillydale Estate, one of the most awarded wineries in Victoria.  Everyone (about 40 of us) had a delightful time and most of us visited their wine store and brought back quite a few bottles to the ship.

At 6pm, we shoved off from Melbourne for our three day sail to Fremantle and Perth, both located in the huge state of Western Australia (land mass of 1,000,000 sq miles).  On Saturday, February 16, we arrived at the dock in Fremantle, a small historic city on the Indian Ocean, located just 6 miles away (via the Swan River or by roadway) from Perth.  We elected another 8-hour shore excursion, in order to see as much as possible during our one day stay and were not disappointed.

We first explored the historic port of Fremantle and on our way to Perth, stopped for tea at the Matilda Bay Restaurant (next to the Royal Perth Yacht Club (RPYC)) where we heard about how the Australian racing team (from the RPYC) had won the America’s Cup in 1983 (first time the USA had lost since the race began in 1851) and thereby gained the right to host the race four year later in 1987.  Just for the record, the USA regained the trophy in 1987, but Fremantle and the RPYC remain forever changed and continue to have bragging rights. 

Perth was a sharp contrast to Fremantle with modern buildings, tall skyscrapers, and a central shopping district with every store that anyone could ask for.  On the west side of the city was Kings Park, home to the Western Australian Botanical Park, with a panoramic views of the city and the River.  After some free time, we boarded a tour boat on the Swan River (you’d think we had enough of boats, right?) for a leisurely two-hour cruise back to Fremantle.  From the water, we could see all the multi-million dollar riverside homes and about 1,000 sailboats, all racing for one of many finish lines.  Once back in Fremantle and before boarding our ship, we took a short excursion north to Cottesloe Beach, to see one of the many beautiful beaches on the western shore.  The short side trip was a truly wonderful way to end our day in Fremantle/Perth and visit to the continent country of Australia.

Just some facts - - Australia is the world’s oldest continent, inhabited for more than 70,000 years by the ancestors of the Australian Aborigines, who have the longest continuous cultural history in the world.   European settlement began in 1788, when 11 ships arrived from Britain, carrying 750 male and female convicts, four companies of marines, and supplies for two year, to establish a colony in New South Wales. 

The total population is 20 million, with 70% residing along the coastline and only 1.6% are Aborigines.  Lastly, Australia is an island continent, with a land area as large as the United States.

Check out Nick’s website - www.nide.smugmug.com - for eight pictures from Australia

è The next report will be of Week 7 (February 17 - 24), including our six days at sea and stops in Padang Bai, Bali, Indonesia and Muara, Brunei.