It’s been a while since we posted anything about our journey. We’ve done trains and planes and now it’s time for boats.
Our hotel was just a short hop and a skip from the dock so we had a leisurely get up and boarded around 12:30. Our cabin was already available and amazingly enough our bags were outside our door! In all the cruises we have done this has never happened before.
We left Sydney at 6pm backing out past the Harbour Bridge and Opera House. We were accompanied by a flotilla of little ships and of course the pilot boat. We passed by Mrs Macquarie’s Chair and the naval ships and then eventually past Stuyvesant Lighthouse. Sydney became a distant ghost town on the horizon. A week later and we have now left Australian waters, heading for New Zealand so I thought I’d give you a summary of the three Australian ports we visited.
First a word about our ship and cabin. We are on Holland America’s mid size ship Noordam. It’s a nice ship in need of refurbishment. Our cabin is huge and very comfortable. A lovely big balcony and a spa bath. The staff on board are excellent. We don’t think the ship is at full capacity so we get a lot of attention. The only downside is that the other cruisers are on the old side. Older than us that is! Nearly all Americans, some Canadians, a few Brits and quite a lot of Chinese and Japanese. The entertainment is sedate and cerebral. The food is very good, more like home cooked than gourmet. We haven’t eaten in the dining room once as the food in the Lido is so good and a more relaxed eating environment.
Our first port of call was Eden. This is a whaling town and after being tendered to shore and a shuttle ride into the town we walked back down to the ship. It was nice.
Melbourne was our next stop. Disappointingly mundane. Scruffy in places but we enjoyed a ride on the tram. We also visited the Old Treasurer Building and learnt a little about the old town and the history of Melbourne.
Then we got to Tasmania. Oh my goodness what a lovely place to visit. We took a tour to Port Arthur across narrow causeways and past swathes of water. We were facilitated by the history of Port Arthur and the scenery. We saw the Devil’s Kitchen and I got to enjoy walking through the bush under the blue gums. Took me right back to Africa, the sights and smells.
It was interesting comparing the life of the prisoners with the life of the Commander and gentry that lived there.
We had a wonderful day there and would happily visit Tasmania again.
Fab photos - the one of the house on the hill in Port Arthur is where one of the "intellectual prisoners" was housed - he had a servant who lit his fire, made his food etc, and he could spend his days reading and writing. I felt Bill looked at it somewhat longingly. Disappointed that you didn't enjoy Melbourne - we loved the whole atmosphere of it; however, we do agree with you on Tasmania and and would return had we but time enough and money!
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