Author: Adventures of Dan and Lisa

After our time on the east coast, we headed south to the largest city, Hobart, with a planned stop at the historic Port Arthur. We had a large and good map thanks to the car rental agent who gave it to Dan after our rental car was delayed. It was huge when unfurled and a bit ungainly but had lots of detail and included the locations of many shipwrecks along the coast line. Despite the quality of the map, the size made it challenging, so we asked Google maps to set our route. It offered up a nice looking route through a state forest area. The road quickly went to gravel but took us to a nice turn off with great views of Maria Island, the previous day’s destination. The gravel road was in such good shape Dan commented that the paved roads at home were often not as smooth. Murphy’s Law, being what it is, meant that shortly after that comment was uttered, we spent the rest of trip bumping along a washboard textured road with some pretty impressive potholes. We had entered the area of the forest that was actively logged. It was still a beautiful drive and well worth it.

We arrived in Port Arthur, not really knowing what to expect beyond the historic site of one of the largest convict site in Tasmania, if not Australia. I think I expected a town and the remains of the prison site. In fact, it is the prison site, there are many residents in the area, but it appears as if Port Arthur is held in time. Not only is it a World Heritage site related to the convict history of Australia, it also has the sad distinction of being the site of the largest mass shooting in Australia, and at the time in the world. In the 1990s a mass shooter opened fire on the staff and visitors, killing 35 people. Shortly after, Australia passed significant gun control legislation and no longer appears on the list of mass shootings. There is a memorial garden at the site of the massacre and the site honors both its older and newer tragic histories in very appropriate ways.

The site is a sprawling place with the prison and British army garrison in one area and the church and homes for the free settlers nearby. It sits on a beautiful bay and is connected by a narrow strip of land back to the mainland. There are no fences because the natural boundaries were perceived to be sufficient to keep prisoners on site. In the early days, the strip of land – about 100 km across – was lined with vicious dogs, chained at intervals who would attack anyone trying to cross that way. The forest and the water were the other barriers. It seems like they worked because there were very few escape attempts, and even fewer successes.

This site was a place of secondary incarceration, meaning that if a convict re-offended after arriving in Australia, they were sent to Port Arthur and held there. There is a lot of history regarding the convicts in Australia, and I admit to knowing almost nothing as the writing of this blog. Who knows if I will educate myself in the future and feel like sharing, so you might want to stay tuned…

While a number of the buildings have been destroyed, either by neglect before it became a park, or by one of several major bush fires in the area, there remains a lot of history. The site is also a stop for many cruise ships that come to Tasmania. A P&O Australia ship was in port the day we were there, and the Queen Elizabeth was scheduled to arrive the next day.

From Port Arthur we left the sparsely travelled rural roads and headed in to the big city across a large bridge spanning the river and overlooking the harbor. We found our hotel and Dan navigated the rush hour traffic to drop off our stuff and then proceed to the parking deck several blocks away. Judicious use of the one way streets allowed us to avoid any major lane crossings and difficult turns. I think he was very happy to stash the car for the remainder of our time in the big city!

The schedule called for four days in Hobart with a suggested visit to the Museum of Old and New Art (MONA), we had also heard from our friends in Sydney and several other people that we should check it out. We did some exploring of the city and found out where to catch the ferry if we did decide to head to the museum but were still on the fence. The ferry terminal was on the pier next to one that hosted several restaurants and we stopped in and sampled some different brews made in the Hobart area, we would be back here more than once.

The next day dawned cloudy and had rain in the forecast so we took that as our sign to head over to MONA. The ferry ride is definitely part of the experience and each ferry (there are at least 2 we saw, possibly 3) has it’s own décor. Ours included a herd of sheep on the upper deck and some kind of hot pink torpedo looking thing on the front. They have 2 sections on the ferry; the pit where everyone can go hang out with several cash bars and a café and the higher class section which you can pay extra, get canapes and an open bar. Since it was pretty early, we took the cheap seats. The ride across the bay and up the river to the museum was fun, with views of the nice houses, some industrial areas and then the museum. There are 99 steps from where the ferry drops you off to the entrance of the museum (if you can’t do the stairs they take you to a secondary dock and give you a ride up there).

You enter the museum at the top and then proceed down four stories to begin to see the exhibits. The building itself is worth the price of admission, and the variety of art on display is pretty amazing. Things from ancient Egyptian figurines to recreations of 1960’s art installations share space with a mechanical digestive track that poops every day at 2 pm. There is live artist painting in a recreation of an impressionist artists studio (sorry, I didn’t write down the name and waited too long to write this post to remember) and around the corner an artist tattooing his body sits on display as a living canvas. Dan became part of the exhibit by lending his heartbeat to a light display that incorporates all of the pulses into an ever-changing rhythm.

We enjoyed a great lunch at one of the many restaurants and it was served so nicely plated and artistic that we were inspired to play with our food! After we finished in the museum we headed to the winery. MONA sits on the site of an established winery, so that is a nice bonus. We tasted a selection of wine and liked one well enough to buy a bottle to take on the rest of our Tasmanian adventure!

The next day we were scheduled for a walking tour and it turns out we were the only ones, so we had a wonderful, private tour of the central part of the city. Our guide took us into several historic buildings still in use, and many were made with convict labor. She provided interesting insight into the daily practices of the settlement, including the free colonists, the recruitment of women to come to Darwin (not as convicts) and the penal colony, including how they encouraged the convicts to learn a trade so they would stay and have a vocation. There were of course a variety of issues created by both the efforts to establish livelihoods for paroled and released convicts and the use of convict labor as essentially slave labor by free settlers. All of this before we even get in to the destruction of the aboriginal population and culture.

Another stop on the walking tour was a park in the city with a number of monuments that could have been grave monuments. Well, they were. The park was built on an old cemetery in the 1920s, but the council in its civic wisdom was not going to relocate the bodies or the gravestones. They gave families the option to pay to remove their loved ones, but very few could afford it. When the time came to prepare the park, they simply pushed the headstones, except for a few monuments to “significant” people, down the hill. They were discovered a while later by an architect doing site preparations for a new government building. He proposed a wall between the park and the building that would incorporate many of the headstones and it is a nice monument. It was a fascinating tour!

Our last day in Hobart we took a walkway along the “rivulet” that serves the city up to the “Female Factory” which is where many women convicts were incarcerated. This site, like many, was sold by the government in the early 1900s, and only about 60% of it has been reclaimed and turned into a museum. It is part of the multi-site World Heritage Site that includes Port Arthur, Maria Island and other locations around Australia. They have done a nice job on this site of giving you the sense of the place despite the fact that only a few walls and one building remain. On the 40% of the site that they will likely never get back there sits a day care center and several private homes.

After our exploration of the Female Factory we headed up the hill to the Cascade Brewery. Now owned by one of the international beer conglomerates, the building is visible from many places in Hobart and the grounds include some beautiful gardens. We declined to get a Goose Island beer using our usual “we can get that at home” standard, but we did try a tasting paddle of three beers and a cider. Like most Australian beer so far it was light and delightful, especially after our walk up the hill in the bright and warm sun.

From Hobart we had our longest drive to the next destination, four hours on the short route. We were headed to Cradle Mountain, most of that region in Tasmania is national park. Of course, we took the scenic route which meant we spent whole day in the car. But there were plenty of stops along the way. We tend to stop at most places with a “scenic overlook” sign and were not disappointed on this trip. The first turned out to be part of a hydroelectric system build in the 1920s and 30s. Great views and well worth the minor detour. Further on the trip the overlooks included opportunities for short hikes, one to see some waterfalls and another with panoramic views of the mountains in the region.

When we arrived at our accommodations the woman checking us in encouraged us to go to the “feeding” tour of the Tasmanian Devil sanctuary nearby. While we planned to stop at Devils@Cradle on this trip, we hadn’t reserved a spot on the afterhours tour, but a quick log in to the wifi and a few moments on my phone and we had tickets! Again, not sure what I expected, but Tasmanian devils didn’t disappoint. Endangered because of a cancer, loss of habitat and falling prey to feral cats, this sanctuary and several others around Tasmania are home to “insurance populations” and are breeding centers. They have devils on display who are too acclimated to humans to be released, usually due to being hand raised, and devils who will be released to try to stabilize the population. While they look cuddly, if you let your fingers or toes too close their jaws are powerful enough that you might lose one. They are mostly scavengers and got their name because they let out quite a racket. They growl and moan to communicate and when there are several in close proximity who decide to make their presence known, it is obvious! The center also has two types of Quolls, cousins of the Devils who are smaller, but even more fierce.

Our cabin at the lodge had a wood burning fireplace and a deck with a nice view of the mountains. We spent some time on the deck, and enjoyed a woodfire after dinner along with our wine from MONA. The grounds featured several walkways and paths and a nice collection of wallaby’s and the occasional wombat. We woke up one morning to a wombat sitting in the grass near our car. The couple staying on the other side of the duplex cabin was walking out to their car while we admired the wombat from our window and we got to see the woman’s startled reaction when she looked over and realized she was feet from the furry guy!

We took several hikes that started near our lodge and saw some beautiful waterfalls, some otherworldly forest scenes and some type of alpine low shrub area that might have been near a spring. The forest was filled with trees covered in moss and the overcast skies and light mist made us on the lookout for elves and fairies or perhaps, Yoda.

We booked a “self-driving tour” of Tasmania with a great company out of London, yep, the London in England. If you find yourself puzzled by how we linked up with them, there were a few steps down that path. Researching Australian options online prior to the trip we came across the website www.responsibletravel.com, which offers literally hundreds of experiences around the world that meet criteria related to using local vendors, being economically, culturally and environmentally responsible while offering unique local experiences. We were intrigued by the option of some good local guidance and assistance in seeing Tasmania – or as the Aussies call it, Tassie – so we clicked the button saying we were interested. Audley Travel ( www.audleytravel.com ) sent us an email giving us information and offering to set up a call to learn our interests and let us know what they could offer. We spoke to a lovely woman named Hannah who had spent time living and working in Australia. She listened to what our interests and goals were and put together a 12 day trip around the Island for us.

It was awesome, she mixed some urban and rural settings, gave us hiking options, told us where the local breweries and wineries were, set up a boat tour off the coast, a walking tour full of history, and pushed us to go to a local museum (which is not something we usually spend our time doing). We will happily return to Tasmania again given the opportunity, this trip was a great sampler and we had quite an experience.

Our tour began with the collection of our rental car and Dan’s first experience driving on the other side of the road. There are some adjustments and few things you might not expect, like you can always tell someone used to driving on the right-hand side of the road because they will inevitably turn on the windshield wipers instead of the blinker. He did great, but at our age having to pay that much attention to the little details of driving is different.

Our first stop was in the city of Launceston, which is a three-syllable name that only took me six or seven tries to get close on the pronunciation. It is the second largest city in Tasmania and full of lovely mid-19^th century buildings and a boat harbor on the river, navigable out to the ocean some 50 kilometers away.

Not far from the center of the city is a park around Cataract Gorge, a great hike where we had our first sighting of black swans!

We headed back to town for a nice lunch and some wandering around. During our explorations we came across a city park and noticed an area that had an enclosure, further investigation put us on a viewing platform in front of display of monkeys. Apparently in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s this park often displayed animals and it was decided during a restoration in the 1970’s to continue that tradition with some monkeys that would thrive in the local climate. When we reported that find to our waitress at dinner that evening she responded “yes, isn’t that a weirdly random thing to come across here?” Can’t argue with that assessment!

We also stopped in to the George Boags brewery, one of the oldest in Australia and just down the street from our hotel (I told you Hannah was great as I am sure that was a consideration when she set up our accommodations!). We skipped the tour as we have seen a lot of breweries, but we got a tasting paddle and enjoyed the selection of beers. I am finding most Australian beers to be light and refreshing, less hopped that the American beers we have been drinking and with a lower ABV, which makes sampling a pleasure.

From Launceston we headed over to the eastern coast near Freycinet National Park. The suggested route from Hannah, our trip planner, called for a stop in Campbell Town on the way. So, of course we headed there first. A small town on the main road south, it had a number of cafes, a nice park in the center and a surprising number of church buildings for sale. As we walked on the main street after a delightful lunch we noticed a line of bricks with inscriptions on them. They listed a person’s name, what looked like the name of a ship, a date, and age and an offence and sentence, and sometimes additional information. These bricks cataloged the people transported to Tasmania from England. There were children, men and women of all ages. Transportable offences and sentences ranged from murder and horse thieving with life sentences to the theft of a silk handkerchief and a seven-year sentence. The industrial revolution was wreaking havoc on the British economy and many displaced people got caught up in an unforgiving justice system with incentives to provide people to “help” colonize England’s foothold in the Pacific.

We stayed near Swansea right on Oyster Bay, we had great views from the restaurant and from the deck on our cabin. We were booked on a boat tour scheduled to take us out of the bay and up the coast to see Wineglass Bay, a particularly scenic area. Alas, the weather made the seas too rough for our ship to head that direction and the captain turned us south to go around an island near the mouth of the bay. He sold it as “I love this route and think it is at least as good as Wineglass Bay.” Can’t disagree with him as we saw some beautiful, rugged coast line and wildlife. There were a number of fur seals resting along a pretty steep coastal area and it is amazing they can maneuver themselves that far up from the water line and around the rocks. We also saw some nesting White-bellied Sea Eagles pretty close up. The tour included a special lunch with fresh oysters. In keeping with my New Year’s Resolution to be a more adventurous eater, I tried one, it was pretty good so I had a second one to make sure I like them.

We had time that afternoon to take the hike up to the Wineglass Bay lookout from our side of the Bay, so we did that. It was raining when we reached the top, but we were able to look down over the bay and it is lovely.

The next day we headed down the coast to take a recommended trip to Maria Island. Here I learned that I was, again, mispronouncing and Australian place, it is pronounced Mo-ri-aah Island. Anyway, we caught the ferry over to the Island which was once a convict site. We hiked along the coast to a set of cliffs full of fossils and then into the woods to come across an old industrial building. There were wallaby’s lounging around and we heard rumor of Tasmanian Devils, but saw no evidence as it was mid-day and they are pretty nocturnal. Both animals have been introduced to the island, not sure how the Wallaby’s got there, but the Tasmanian Devils have been released there to try to reduce the wallaby population and in hopes that they can avoid the cancer that is one of the causes for their endangered status.

The prison site on the island has been restored and is also used for some camping sites and lodging. There were several large school groups setting up while we were there. While going through the buildings and reading about the history we found information on a famous Montanan. Meagher was an Irish rebel transported to Tasmania who, after being paroled with the promise he would not leave Ireland, headed to the US and ended up in Montana where he was one of a number for former Australia convicts to play a large role in the development of the State of Montana. After Tasmania stopped taking prisoners through transportation, the Island was used for a large concrete plant into the 1920’s, but now the only residents are the rangers for the park.

One of the great things about travel is the interactions you have with people. We meet many great people as we wander around, and on our trip to the Amazon at the end of 2017 we hit the jackpot. So many new friends and great conversations. One couple was a pair from Sydney who were great fun on the cruise. They were adventurous, friendly, and fun! Indeed, they offered us accommodations should we ever find our way to Australia. Well, we took them up on that offer and they were great hosts! Not only did they open their lovely home to us, they gave generously of their time and local knowledge.
We made our way to their suburb in Sydney, one of the “Eastern Suburbs” on a peninsula around the harbor and got settled. S, the husband, was travelling, but V was in town and took us on a tour of the area, pointing out not only sights, but “here is the house I was raised in” and “here is my school,” a lovely place overlooking the harbor. She admitted that it is surprising she got any learning done as the views from her classroom were amazing across the harbor to the Harbor Bridge.

We saw the local Coogee Beach, which we agreed might be nicer than the much more famous Bondi Beach just up the coastline, and took us down to Botany Bay where some guy named Bligh had landed. No mention of it’s claim to fame as the name of the ship used to exile the criminal Khan by Captain Kirk, not sure why the Australians don’t capitalize on that. Beautiful views and a good sense of what it’s like to live in some of Sydney’s older and close by suburbs.

After the driving tour we went in to “The Spot” a retail and entertainment area close to their home where we had a great dinner and learned about the Australian practice of BYOG – bring your own grog. Apparently most Australian restaurants allow you to BYO, usually wine, even if they have a full bar. We stopped at a bottle shop and picked up some wine and then headed to dinner. Just an unassuming Vietnamese place where we shared our bottle of wine and a delicious dinner. On the way back, she pointed out a Japanese coffee shop across from the bus stop we would be using all week.
The next morning we tried the coffee shop. Dan had his morning coffee, but in Australia it is a “long black” which is a shot or two of espresso with hot water, what we call an Americano. I had tea and we split a muffin, not unlike our usual routine at home.

Those of you us who know us can predict that this became the pattern for the rest of our stay in Sydney and you would be correct! Except on Sunday. The Café Japone is closed on Sunday, so we went a few blocks further to The Spot and tried another place where our server was an American who was studying abroad for a year and had great advice for things we should see. We are finding that even as we travel, the rhythm of our lives stays pretty constant.

Well, we are just about two months into this adventure and we already made some packing adjustments. There were some minor fails! My footwear plan didn’t quite pan out, and there was some minor overpacking.

Both the overpacking and the footwear fail had their origins in that classic planning mistake of focusing too much on an item that is not the key issue. I got all wrapped up in the “dress code” and “formal nights” parts of the cruise, which was only 21 days out of an 7-9 month trip.

Because I was so worried about not being too casual on the ship I picked my shoes based, in part, on them being “dressy.” Oh, they still had to be comfortable enough to walk around in all day, but… Anyway, I left my hiking sandals at home and brought a comfortable but prettier pair. The problem with that pair is that they really don’t do well in wet weather or on rough terrain. My flats, which were great but had been in heavy rotation for over a year at home also gave up the ghost on this trip and did not go down without drawing blood – literally, the leather heel piece decided to split in the middle of a long walk and rubbed quite the wound on my heel. So, I have purchased new hiking sandals and a pair of Australian all-purpose ankle boots!

In Dan’s defense, he didn’t really overpack, I pushed him to pack the dressier pieces in his travel wardrobe: black pants, travel sport coat, button down shirt that doesn’t have good pockets and a tie, as well as a pair of shoes that aren’t hiking boots. His plan all along was to donate the shoes once we arrived and he did, but we didn’t realize how little he would need any of the other pieces.

So, off to the post office we went in Melbourne to ship home a package with all of this in it:

 We have bought a few things here, but it is still a net reduction for both of us. Even after several trips to test our packing strategy, we are learning things!

In Sydney we stayed with friends we made while on our Amazon cruise last year. On that adventure we observed that Australians are like the Midwesterners of international travel – willing to talk to anyone and very friendly! This couple was great on the cruise because they were great explorers and had fantastic stories. When they heard we were looking to do an extended trip to Australia they immediately offered us a place to stay when we came to visit. Well, little did they know we would take them up on it! Not only did they generously open their beautiful home to us, they made time to show us some of the local sights. In fact, on one 2 day period, we got a guided tour to “what the locals do” from our hosts that included several coastal walks and pub stops galore.

The first walk, originally planned as an afternoon coastal/pub walk, ended up being a two day trek as we got caught in a big rainstorm early on and decided to make it a pub stop! This walk was the Coogee to Bondi Beach walk. The walk is in the visitors guides and is about 6 kilometers. It takes you from beach to beach along the pacific and during whale migrations you can see whales from the path. Obviously a well used and loved trek, the path moves from sandy beaches, parks and coastal neighborhoods with great views along the way. Our guide stopped us often to take us into the neighborhood pubs, including the local Legion club where he is a member. While there – avoiding some of the rain – we watched women’s rugby on TV and finally had someone explain what was going on for us! Rugby is fun! We also walked by a lawn bowling club set right on the edge of the cliffs overlooking the ocean. Bowls is a popular game in Australia.

At the next beach area we observed some clouds over the water and a rainbow. While we marveled at the lovely sight the rain came roaring in and we were quickly soaked. We decided to head to that neighborhood’s pub and call for a ride to dinner. At dinner, at the DOG (Duke of Gloucester – when mentioning the restaurant one host said “I don’t know why he calls it DOG, it is the Duke of …. Oh….” They are so charming!) Anyway, we sat outside on an upstairs balcony and noticed some large birds flying around that looked a bit off, but then again, most of the things we had seen were not familiar. Then we realized they were Flying Foxes! Much bigger than the bats we are used to at home. There were a lot of them, and we were happy to see them. Alas, as it was twilight, we weren’t able to get any photos, but we will keep trying!

We woke up the next day to much better forecasts and set out to finish our walk to the famous Bondi Beach. Again, the walk does not disappoint. The ocean was still very big, so there was a lot to see between the waves and the coastline. At several of the beaches, including Bondi, they have the baths that are built right along the ocean and get the sea water pouring in and waves crashing along the edges. People were swimming laps and just standing near the edges as waves and spray refreshed the pool water.

Our host explained that Australian kids get swimming lessons in school and there are many programs that bring them to the sea and teach swimming and aquatic safety as well as fun. Given the rip tides and dangerous sea life it is essential. And, the amount of people braving the currents with surf boards or just to swim in the water shows people are very willing to use those skills.

After we finished the ocean side walk, we headed to the other end of the peninsula on which our hosts suburb is located for a walk along the Harbor. This walk took us by a number of Bays in the harbor full of sailboats. There is a great deal of public green space in the Sydney region and much of it is along the water. We passed several harbor beaches as well, with much calmer water but with “shark fencing” to allow swimming. We were assured that no one had been killed by a shark since at least the 70s, but none of us ran out to grab a swimsuit and take a dip. We ended up in Watson’s Bay, an old fishing area now home to some nice bars and restaurants. There, after a great lunch and some much appreciated Australian cider and beer, we looked at some of the small “fisherman’s cottages” in the area. These are now very valuable real estate and it is a charming neighborhood.

We needed to catch a bus to get back to the car without having to retrace our several hour walk. But, 2 of us (not Dan) had failed to grab our Opal cards. After some discussion at various points on the walk and at lunch we decided to us a cab, we called for said cab, but were told it would be a while. At that point, our guide (the one who remembered his card) said “well, I have several extra Opal Cards, let’s take the bus.” We all looked at him “why didn’t you say that earlier?” “you didn’t ask…” was the reply. After that chuckle, we headed for the bus and proceeded on with our day, which in keeping with the incredible generosity of our hosts included a great meal in their home where we were joined by their daughter and her partner who had even more great advice for us and the rest of our adventure!

There really is not enough time or room in this blog to share the great sights, wonderful people and experiences we are having! But, here are some more photos!

We arrived for an overnight port of call in our final stop on the Arcadia. Pulling in to Sydney Harbor on a raining, foggy, cloudy morning made it less impressive than the brochures present it. We pulled in at 6 am, so it wasn’t all that bright out yet either. It was still very cool. We were at anchor near Rose Bay with great views of the city, the Harbor Bridge and the beginnings of the eastern suburbs. The ship tenders dropped us off firth at the base of the famous Sydney Opera House and the Royal Botanical Gardens.

Our first day was spent with some necessary housekeeping as we would be getting off of the ship and staying in Australia for a while. We headed into the Central Business District in search of a phone store. We were successful in replacing the SIM cards on our phones and are now the proud holders of Australian phone numbers. We also found a bank and got Australian money and a Post Office and got postcard stamps! So easy to please!

We then spent the rest of the afternoon wandering around the Botanical Gardens, and the Rocks which the oldest neighborhood still standing. After all of that, we stopped at a brewpub and motioned at two ladies if we could take the other end of their picnic table. They welcomed us and with our thanks said, one asked the other “are they yours or mine?” We fessed up to being American and she said “yours.” Turns out they are longtime friends thanks to the American’s (a retired teacher from Virginia) participation in People to People. They met in the 70’s in Boston, UK and have been friends ever since. As we chatted it came up that we were on the Arcadia and they could not believe we hadn’t run in to each other as they were also on the ship. Our casual style and avoidance of eating in the dining room was determined to be the primary culprit. They were lovely table companions, too bad we hadn’t run in to them in the previous 21 days.

The next morning we disembarked from the first phase of our journey and said goodbye to the Arcadia and really began our Australian adventure. We managed to figure out the transit system and purchased our Opal Cards – giving us access to the great public transit in Sydney, buses, trains and ferries! The visitor center had a really great tourist map of the main parts of the city and we took advantage of it and found our way to so many great places. We had several days to wander around the city and see the tourist sights.

The fish market claims to be the largest in the southern hemisphere and it certainly had a lot going on! Most of the vendors were large companies so the size of the actual market did not reflect the amount of commerce that happens there. The variety of fish and seafood was pretty amazing. We saw huge king crab, lobsters that were the size of small pets and so many prawns!

From the fish market we headed toward Darling Harbor where there were museums and lots of restaurants and bars. This is an entertainment area and there was a lot to see from public art, historic and interesting boats, and lots of new building. It was also the area where we encountered a little rain that did allow us to determine if we had the right clothes. Fortunately, we had rain coats and hats and quick dry everything else. This is an area where the city is making a big investment in public space, transit and private development. A keystone is Barangaroo Park, a lovely greenspace overlooking the harbor and the bay bridge.

This was a great exploration on our way to my ultimate plan for the day – Claiming Walsh Bay! Alright it is already claimed and named, but I wanted to check it out. A nicely redeveloped area that is part of the arts district for Sydney. The main building which houses several theaters was under renovation, but you could walk along the water right up to the Bridge.

On another day we took the train to the Kings Cross neighborhood to check out their weekly market. A nice collection of local and organic produce, flowers, crafts and food. The neighborhood is very trendy and full of nice older homes. Everywhere in Sydney is dense in terms of housing, even the suburbs we saw, and Kings Cross is very dense given the age of the neighborhood.

Most days we found ourselves back in some area of the Royal Botanical Garden. Each time we saw different areas. It is am immense space with great views across the harbor and interesting plants everywhere. One day we came across a group of Cockatiels feasting on flowers. We saw these birds everywhere. They are very noisy.

Our first stop in Australia wasn’t where we thought it would be. Because of all of the schedule changes caused by the weather – thanks Cyclone Oma! – the cruise added a stop in the busy commercial port of Newcastle. Newcastle, Australia is known for mining and coal – which it has in common with its English namesake. Surprising, huh?

Newcastle is a nice coastal city with a very busy port – over 2,500 ships per year using the port. Not many of them are cruise ships, but there are enough that no one seemed surprised to see us.

The city as a long walkway along the water that was constructed to connect Nobby’s Island to the mainland. We walked along and saw dolphins in the harbor entrance jumping around as large cargo ships were being escorted in. 

While we made the walk to the end we heard the distinctive sound of supersonic aircraft, then we started looking and saw a second one approaching, even prepared we barely got the picture! We were walking by some of the Australians from our ship and one said “you just saw the whole Australian Air Force” while another told him to stop sharing classified information! We heard later that they were new jets and the Air Force was running them at maximum speeds, including breaking the sound barrier, but we didn’t get any of that on this day.

We continued around several beaches and saw our first Australian Baths – which are large constructed pools next to the ocean that use the tides and some mechanical actions to fill the pools. Lots of swimmers and great views. You will have to read a future post to see a photo of one of these though. Another beach was around the corner.

Fort Scratchley is located in Newcastle and is the site of the only shots fired on Australian soil in World War II. A Japanese submarine fired on the city and the fort fired back. Originally built to defend British land from Russia during the Crimean War (a bit of history I need to learn), the fort sits atop a hill with great views of the ocean, harbor and city. The fort is now a historic site and is usually closed on Tuesday (our day of arrival) but it was opened especially for us. This was probably more exciting to our Captain than anyone else because when a cruise ship arrives for the first time in Newcastle part of the celebration is to have the Captain fire off the cannons. He must have announced that he would get that honor 4 times in the days between the addition of Newcastle to the ports of call and our arrival.

After exploring the fort and enjoying the views we headed into town for lunch. I enjoyed an interesting melt – chicken, pineapple and cheddar on a great piece of fresh bread. I liked it. Dan had a BLT he seemed to enjoy. After some more walking and looking at lovely older buildings we found our way to the brewpub near the harbor and enjoyed some Pacific Ales!

From Fiji we were scheduled to head to Vanuatu for a day, but Cyclone Oma had other ideas. We were forced to skip another stop and head on to New Caledonia a few days early.

The arrival into New Caledonia was another beautiful passage past islands and along the coast line. New Caledonia was named because it reminded English explorer Captain Cook of Scotland. It is, however, a French country. We picked up the local Pilot several hours before docking and came in between the UNESCO recognized barrier reef and the island. There was a lighthouse visible from several miles out that I expected to be a very impressive structure as we got closer. It was, on closer observation, just a very effectively designed utilitarian object. Of course, Dan was on the other side of the ship, so no photo of that.

As we came around the island and got closer to the city, we noticed some kite surfers in the distance. As the ship approached they came out further from the shore and turned out to be very skilled surfers who seemed to be welcoming us to the area. We even got a wave from one of them. A couple them took a spill and it was exciting to watch how quickly and efficiently they got back on their boards and continued on surfing.

Just before we made the turn into the port the captain called our attention to an odd craft on the port side, it was a solar powered catamaran currently sailing the world and calling attention to the condition of the oceans. The ship was named Breguet Race for Water, if anyone wants to learn more. It was an unexpected confluence of sailing schedules and captain seemed pretty interested in it.

We were greeted at the port by traditional dancing and drum and percussion music.

The ship parked in a commercial dock and there was a large container ship being loaded up as we pulled in, there were large cranes moving shipping containers in to place and it was both elegant and precise in pretty amazing ways.

Because we were in a commercial port, we were bused from the Arcadia into the Ferry Port closer to town. We were able to find postcards almost immediately, but the first night we were too late to catch the post office for stamps. So, we wrote the cards and the next morning headed back to town to find the post office.  We tracked the place down and guessed at which queue to register for, waited for our number to be called and lucked out! We were in the right place and we had a very nice woman helping us. She forgave my butchering of the French for the number 14, counted out our postcards (yep, we had 14) and then asked “pretty stamps, yes?” We agreed we wanted pretty stamps and she gave us a selection, some of plants and some sea turtles. Of course we affixed them and mailed the cards before either of us thought to get a photo of the stamps. This is not the first time the person helping us at the post office made sure we had good stamps for our post cards, and it is always fun when they are as excited about our stamps as we are.

After our successful post card moment, we meandered around the city of New Caledonia, stopping at a number of the markers on the history walk. We learned a few things about the city and were intrigued by some of the artifacts that were encased in the signposts, but never explained or attributed. It was cloudy and a little rainy and Cyclone Oma was catching up with us so we skipped what was likely an ambitious walk up to the lookout point, but saw a number of nice sights. The French did not make significant investment in New Caledonia, so while it was a nice and cosmopolitan city, most of the buildings were utilitarian. We sampled the local beer, but fell prey to a rookie mistake of getting it at the Ferry Port and were overcharged by an extreme amount, but we fell for it. I enjoyed my beer, a flavorful pilsner, but I think Dan might have enjoyed his a little less as he fumed a bit over the price.

After seven days at sea, several of them through high winds and seas, we arrived on a beautiful sunny day to Fiji. The ship skipped our stop in Pago Pago, American Samoa due to tropical storms. That was a bit of a ride. The ride in to the port took us past a number of beautiful islands, most small and filled with greenery and white sand beaches. Fiji is made up of over 300 islands, but I don’t know how many are actually inhabited.

The port of Lautoka is a commercial port where sugar and lumber are the main industries. There are beautiful mountains rising up behind the city and everyone is very friendly. So friendly that you have to be alert to reply to many greetings of “oola!” (hello) that you hear as you walk along the street and enter shops. We caught a shuttle in to town and immediately set out to find postcards! There were many shops but they clearly catered to local residents as opposed to tourists. We stumbled across the central market which was full of stands selling fruits and vegetables, many easily recognizable but more than enough exotic offerings to remind us that we were a long way from home. No pictures of the market though, we were too distracted looking around.

Eventually we found our postcards and got them written. Then we headed off to the post office where everyone greeted us and pointed us to the right counter. We got our stamps and the guy behind the counter even offered a damp sponge to affix them. When I pulled out my credit card to pay, he gave me a blank look. And, they – unlike almost every other merchant – did not take US currency. He pointed us down the street to the currency exchange and offered to finish putting the stamps on our cards. We could not quite communicate the need to know how much the stamps were going to cost though, so we took a guess and got some Fijian cash. When we came back, he took our money, gave us some change, showed us our stamped cards and sent us on our way with a friendly smile.

This particular area of Fiji is home to large Indian community brought to the islands by the British for the sugar trade. There are several Hindu Temples and a Mosque. We were able to see one of the Temples and the Mosque on our walk around town.

We left port at sunset, and what a sunset it was!

We are meeting lots of great people, as usual. What is different on this ship so far is that people don’t introduce themselves. You sit at tea, share stories, enjoy the tea cakes and scones and then wander off never sharing names. That said, we attend tea most afternoons and always request to sit at a larger table with others and this is proving to be great for our travel research as we are meeting a lot of people who have been to Australia and New Zealand or are Australian! The plan to rely on the knowledge of strangers to give us local insight instead of planning via the internet is already being rewarded!

Our room is considered “external, blocked view” and we have a lovely full window overlooking a lifeboat. While we can’t see much, we can tell if it is day or night, sunny or overcast and we get natural light if we are ever spending any time in there. It is a nice size room and our room steward is a great guy, so we are happy with it.

Those who know us well will not be surprised that we have developed a routine and that the bartenders and cocktail servers have us pretty well figured out. We enjoy several walks around the ship during the day, find a place to sit and enjoy the ocean going by and read a book, go to tea and then head down to the pub for a post-tea, pre-dinner beer from the ship’s nice selection (more on that in another post). After dinner we commandeer a table by the windows in the piano bar for an after-dinner libation which several of the servers and the guy behind the bar now have memorized.

This ship is by far the largest cruise ship we have ever been on, it has about 2,000 passengers making it twice as big as any of our other (3) cruises. Any concerns that it would feel crowded were quickly dismissed though. It is just that much bigger and has a lot more places for people to hang out, so it never seems too crowded. There are a lot more activities, especially on sea days, to keep people entertained. There are shows, lectures, lessons on dance, languages, bridge, painting and other skills, crafts, a spa, an acupuncturist, trivia and bingo. A dizzying array of things for us to totally ignore. But, we get reports at tea about what we are missing, so we are comfortable with our relaxed attitude toward the offerings.

Another difference on this cruise is that P&O proudly offers multiple formal nights on their cruises and many on board take full advantage. We made sure there was a dining venue available to those who didn’t bring any fancy duds, so never fear that we needed to miss any dinners. We do enjoy seeing everyone in their finery though. We did pack an outfit each that would meet the minimum formal standard though and were able to enjoy one dinner with all of the other sartorially excellent passengers! There are a lot of passengers who dress for dinner every night, far exceeding the “evening casual” standard. I am proud to say that even with our minimalist packing we have managed to meet the dress code and not be an embarrassment to the good old Midwest!

“Every day is a journey, and the journey itself is home.”
― Matsuo Bashô