Sydney, AU

Hi and welcome to Sydney.   We arrived just at daybreak and this was our view from the bow.

One challenge to an experienced international cruiser is knowing the best sail-in view of the ports and choosing the best side of the ship to book your cabin on.  Noreen did a great job on our cabin and this was our sail-n view from our veranda on the Port side.

and our view after being docked as we sat on our veranda.

The harbor is a busy place with ferries moving people all around.  Here is a shot of the ferry terminal from our room.  You can see all the ferries still docked from overnight.  It was still very early.

We were in Sydney for a day and a half.  On the morning of day one I wandered off to the Sydney Tower.  You can see the tower in the middle of the picture below.

I did another Skywalk at the Tower 260 meters over the city.  This one was a little less challenging as it had side rails but the floor was glass.  That gave the illusion of standing on air.  Since it was much more secure I did a jump for the fun of it when they took a picture.   You can see how secure we were and the see-through floor.

The view looking down.

That afternoon we went for a walk around Sydney.  The rocks is a famous area and one of the first settled in the area.  It is now a renovated market area with all types of shopping and eating facilities.  It was custom made for Noreen and me.  Can you figure out who loves the shopping and who loves the eating?

Another way of getting around Sydney is by water taxi.  Here are a couple of examples.

And as with all taxis world-wide they make their own roads and cut in and out.

This is a great shot of Noreen, our ship and the Opera House.  You can see how close we were docked.

That night we had a full moon and I tired to get a good shot with some atmosphere.

On day two I headed for the Sydney Harbor Bridge.  In this picture you can see how close we docked to the other Sydney icon.

Since the bridge was there I had to climb it.  Here I am at the top of the bridge.  I’m right by the flags in the picture above.  It is 134 meters over the water.  I’m wearing earphones to hear the guide.  It is so windy that he communicates with us over a radio.  At the start of the climb the guide suggested we “Stop by the bubbler and have a squirt.”  Give up?  “Stop by the water fountain and have a drink.”  They claim its English but we have had our challenges.

That afternoon we went looking for some Opals.  Noreen found a store she thought would be a good place to look for quality jewelry.  As we walked in the manager of the ship’s jewelry store was walking out.   The owner of the shop was the same person who’s Opal collection was featured on the ship.  He was very happy to see her again and they hit it off right away.  So now Noreen has an Opal guy in Sydney.  Anyone need an Opal?

Here is an interesting shot of a “Push Me – Pull You Ferry.”  Note it has two front ends, a mirror in every detail even with the ship’s name.

Our time is Sydney was to short.  We’ll have to go back.  As we left the city we were given honors and escorted to the harbor entrance by a fireboat spraying water.  The small boat is security.

We were joined by a replica of an early Dutch sailing ship that brought the explorers to Australia.

Together they led us out.

However, even with full sail we soon passed the Dutch ship.  I did get a close-up for the sailors reading this.  Can you imagine crossing the Pacific in a ship like this?

Farewell to Sydney.  Noreen loves Sydney.  She couldn’t love Orlando or even Atlanta.  How am I supposed to arrange a romantic weekend in Sydney?

Now a two day sail to Cairns and the Great Barrier Reef.

Hobart, Tasmania, Australia February 17th

Welcome to Hobart, Tasmania.  Our first stop in Australia.  Hobart is the capital of Tasmania which is Australia’s smallest state.  We arrived in town just in time for the crew practice in the harbor.

The harbor was also the home to a number of tall sailing ships.  This is just two examples of what we saw.

We haven’t mentioned it yet but there are a number of war memorials around the various places we have visited.  Here is one dedicating the port area in Hobart.

We walked around town a bit.  At least long enough to realize that prices are about 1 1/2 to 2 times more for everyday products than in the US.  We decided to go off and do a walk about with some of the local critters.

All the Kangaroos you see in these pictures are alive….really.  It was just nap time. There is no separation between the Roos and the visitors.   Noreen wanted to feed a Kangaroo so off we went.

They have a rest area.  And they use it.  I guess it is tiring putting up with all these tourists.

They even lie down on the middle of the trails.

Here is Noreen with a Mom and her “joey.”  You can see the baby by the mom’s legs.

Then it was on to Koalas.  This is the way you usually see one.

And then there is Banjo.  We met him.

Noreen met with Banjo privately.  The keeper told her he didn’t like his shoulder rubbed, to rub his back.

When Noreen walked away Banjo got upset and went into his mating call.  This is very unusual for a Koala.  You can see Banjo in his glory at

I’ve been trying to upload the video for two ports.  I give up.  I’ll post to YouTube when I get a chance.

After the cute & cuddly we went over to see the Tasmanian Devil.

This was unlike an American zoo in that the pens were open and accessible.  You could step over into the enclosure or reach your hand inside any time. They advised you not to and assumed you are smart enough to listen.

Tasmanian Devils are scavengers and don’t attack live prey.  Their reputation for aggression is very overstated and there has never been a reported attack by a Devil on a human.  However they are very vicious in protecting a meal and have a very strong bite.  No pictures of us holding or petting a Devil.

Finally on to a Wombat.  This is Murray who I believe is 10 months old.  He is a little grumpy because he was woken from his nap.

One last pat from Noreen and we were headed back to the boat.

We had a great time in Hobart meeting all the animals.  Now on to Port Arthur.

Port Arthur, Tasmania February 18

Port Arthur has it’s start as a penal station in 1830.  Initially is was used as a punishment station for problem cases and repeat offenders from all the Australian colonies.  The primary product was timber produced and exported by the convicts.  I just took one picture of the prison seen below.  The house to the right was the commandants home.

This is known as the Island of the Dead.  Located a few hundred yards from the mainland in the bay there are 1,100 bodies of prisoners, guards, soldiers and family members buried on it.

We didn’t take any other pictures of Port Arthur.  However, when we sailed the Captain went out of our way to sail by Dural Point.  This is one of the most scenic and interesting geological sites in the world.  Of which we had never heard of.  Here are some pictures.

The white area is a seal colony.

The other side

and one with my cutie beauty.

We bid farewell to Tasmania and sail from a lone lighthouse toward Sydney,