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Adventuring Down Under

December 2023 - May 2024
Circumnavigation of Australia aboard Oceania Regatta ... with pre-cruise in Sydney … and a couple of months overland. Read more

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  • Adventuring Down Under
    2

    Bye Bye Sydney … For Now

    December 21, 2023 in Australia ⋅ 🌬 70 °F

    With the rain drying up, the weather gave us a break to enjoy sail away from WBCT. We were glad to have our rain jackets with us regardless as there was a fair bit of wind that added a considerable chill factor.

    Shortly after 6:00p, Regatta pulled away from its berth, backed into a side channel to turn itself around, and pointed its bow towards the Sydney Harbour Bridge … then out between The Heads to the Tasman Sea.

    No sooner were we in open waters that the white caps made it clear that we would be rockin’ and rollin’ our way north tonight.

    A quiet evening, with a late-ish dinner in the GDR wrapped up our embarkation day.    Read more

  • Adventuring Down Under

    Cruising the Coral Sea

    December 22, 2023, Tasman Sea ⋅ 🌬 73 °F

    Quiet day at sea. A bit windy … with 10-foot swells. But we don’t feel the movement much … especially in our stateroom which is low (deck 4) and midship.

    Tonight was the Captain’s Welcome Celebration party … typical format — receiving line headed by Captain Giulio and General Manager [GM] Dimitris; introduction of senior officers; toast to smooth sailing; a song or two and dancing.

    Drinks on the Captain tonight until 8:00p … all around the ship.

    We’ve already come across several crew and staff familiar from our world cruise on Insignia earlier this year … including Sasa, who has since been promoted from Restaurant Manager to Food & Beverage Director.

    We wrapped up our day with dinner in Toscana … where we were served by Charmaine, whom we first met on Insignia. It’s nice to see faces break out in smiles when we encounter crew who know us from previous cruises.    Read more

  • Adventuring Down Under

    Brisbane, QLD: Meanderings

    December 23, 2023 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 77 °F

    A day of cruising the Coral Sea yesterday brought us from New South Wales to Queensland … specifically, to the state capital … Brisbane.

    When we called on Brisbane on our 2017 world cruise, Insignia sailed up the Brisbane River to dock much closer to the city than Regatta did today at the Brisbane Cruise Terminal in Pinkemba … 12 miles from the CBD [central business district]. The good news? There was a complimentary shuttle, running every 30 minutes, to take independents like us to ANZAC Square for our Brisbane meanderings.

    In 2017, we spent our day in Brisbane at the Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary. This time, the plan was to explore the city itself. Turns out that today being Saturday — and Christmas Eve to boot — many places were closed. In fact, the entire CBD had a deserted vibe. No worries. We will be returning to Brisbane during the overland portion of our itinerary. We will visit then what we missed today.

    Our go-with-the-flow stroll first took us to City Hall where our hopes for checking out the city views from the tower observation terrace were dashed … no reservations available for the elevator. So, we continued onto the Roma Street Parkland … a highlight of today that I’ll post about in the next footprint.

    A mid-day lunch break at the historic Shingle Inn Café — re-created at City Hall — gave us a respite from the humid heat. Tasty food to sate our tummies did not go amiss, of course. And then it was onto the Birrunga Gallery to see some Aboriginal art … sorry, closed. Instead, we headed to the Anglican Cathedral of St John, where Mui had read that there are beautiful stained glass windows … it did not disappoint.

    By mid-afternoon, the heat was getting to be uncomfortable. When our plans to peek into the exhibit gallery at ANZAC Square fell through (you guessed it … closed), we opted to hop on the next shuttle back to the ship. Cooling breezes wafting over the Deck 5 Promenade made for a comfy spot to do a bit of reading and writing.

    Tonight we were hosted for dinner in Toscana by GM Dimitris. Our table mates were a couple from Austria, and a couple from Hawaii who, as it turns out, was on this year’s world cruise with us. A lovely way to wrap up our day in Brisbane.    Read more

  • Adventuring Down Under

    Brisbane: Roma Street Parkland

    December 23, 2023 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 81 °F

    Our destination after walking through the Brisbane CBD was the 11-hectare park known as the Roma Street Parkland. I mentioned it in the meanderings post, but felt that our delight in the park deserved its own footprint.

    Located in an area that, for thousands of years, was used by Aboriginal people for meetings and ceremonies, today it offers locals and visitors alike a different kind of meeting space. It was developed in 1995 on land that in the 19th and 20th centuries was used as a railway goods yard.

    In addition to extensive pathways and boardwalks that twist and turn … go up and down, there are recreational areas, such as a children’s play area and an open air theater. Of course, the primary focus is the colorful flora in well-tended beds.

    The highlight, for us, was the Spectacle Garden in which, a nearby sign explained, that over 16,000 flowers are planted each year. Scampering around the grounds were Australian brush turkeys and water dragons … giving us something other than plants on which to focus our attention on occasion.

    A riot of color in the true sense of the word.    Read more

  • Adventuring Down Under

    Mooloolaba, QLD

    December 24, 2023 in Australia ⋅ 🌧 77 °F

    New-to-Us Port #1.

    With a mere 76 NM to go overnight from Brisbane, Regatta arrived at its anchorage for the tender port of Mooloolaba at 7:00a. Too early to go anywhere. So, we took our time over breakfast … on the outside deck at the Terrace Café.

    Our day ashore started with sunshine and rough seas.

    Our day ashore ended with a rain storm and rough seas.

    The tender ride in either direction was a bumpy one. We were, in fact, surprised that we were even tendering ashore in these conditions. Turns out, as I later heard, at some point after we left, tendering was halted and a number of passengers were unable to go ashore at all.

    For us, our time ashore at the beach town of Mooloolaba involved a long walk along the esplanade. We had gone ashore prepared to spend time at the beach so Mui could go for a swim. It took just one look at the surf to change those plans. No matter. Our stroll followed a scenic path, and with the breeze moderating the temperature, it was a pleasant way to enjoy the town.

    Eventually, retracing our path back into town, we went to The Wharf — the area near the tender pier — to have lunch at See … a seafood restaurant recommended to us by one of the locals. She did not steer us wrong. From the Mandala Pinot Noir — served chilled, to the Parmesan loaf, to our main courses — coconut prawns for me and barramundi for Mui — it was all delicious.

    That we got to enjoy our meal on the restaurant’s deck … without getting wet when the storm moved in with heavy rain and strong winds … well, that was a bonus. Even better, the intense storm was over by the time we were ready to walk to the tender pier for the wild ride back to Regatta.

    The ship was an hour late leaving its anchorage. We didn’t really mind as we were still managing a strong shoreside cell signal … thanks to the Telstra eSims we purchased in Sydney when we first arrived in Oz Land. We used it to call family … in my case to wish my mom and sister, both of who are Christmas Eve babies, happy birthday and merry Christmas.

    The show tonight was, as one might expect, Christmas themed … “‘Twas the Night Before Christmas.” Bryn, our cruise director [CD], started things off with a reading of the story by that title … adapted to the Regatta. There were Christmas carols and dances by the cast members, and the guest entertainers and the quartet participated as well. Very well done.

    Tomorrow we get to relax at sea while Regatta continues to chip away at the 634 nautical miles between Mooloolaba and our next port of call.    Read more

  • Adventuring Down Under

    Cruising the Coral Sea

    December 25, 2023, Great Barrier Reef ⋅ ⛅ 82 °F

    Wishing all who celebrate a very Merry Christmas!

    For us, it was a quiet day at sea. Did nothing to break our sea day routine … except to have dinner at the Polo Grill tonight.

    So, this is a few words and one photo post … just to get a footprint on the map for today.Read more

  • Adventuring Down Under

    Townsville, QLD

    December 26, 2023 in Australia ⋅ ☁️ 84 °F

    New-to-Us Port #2.

    Located on the north eastern shore of Queensland, Townsville is the gateway to the central portion of the Great Barrier Reef.

    Magnetic Island, a popular place to go snorkeling, is just a short ferry ride away. But we plan to do that when we drive up north along the shore later during our Australian adventure. So, today we hopped on the courtesy shuttle from the cruise terminal to the CBD to check out the city.

    Our plan was to stroll The Strand, a promenade fronting a tropical beach, and then go to the Reef HQ, an aquarium filled with flora and fauna native to the Great Barrier Reef. No can do on the latter … it’s closed for Boxing Day. As a matter of fact, the entire city had a deserted vibe. The only places where we saw people in large numbers were at the water playgrounds on The Strand.

    As hot as today was — 97F at one point before noon — one would expect the beach to be packed. Nope. This is stinger season … and the stingers in Australia can be downright deadly. For that same reason, Mui stayed away from the beach as well.

    Our 1.5-mile stroll took us to the gates of the Jezzine Barracks. But we made it no further. The sun was blazing hot. There was no breeze to provide relief away from the shoreline. Nor any shade. Deciding that the barracks would just have to go on the “later” list, we looked around for a place to grab some food … preferably somewhere with A/C. No luck. So, we ordered up an Uber to return us to the CBD.

    Thanks to our Uber driver, we found the only restaurant that seemed to be open … The Courtyard on City Lane. On a non-holiday weekday, the place I am sure would be hopping. Not today. Except for a family of four, we were the only ones there. No matter … the beer was ice cold; the cheeseburger spring rolls were piping hot, and both the burger and the pork pibil tacos were tasty.

    After lunch, we walked the short distance to the shuttle stop and managed to snag a couple of the last few seats remaining. The A/C upon entering the cruise terminal was like manna from heaven … a cold shower once back in the cabin was even better.    Read more

  • Adventuring Down Under

    Cairns, QLD

    December 27, 2023 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ 86 °F

    While there are other towns and cities from which one can get out to the Great Barrier Reef (GBR), Cairns is generally accepted as “the place” to do so. In fact, the city’s economy is heavily dependent on GBR-based activities.

    When Insignia stopped here in 2017, we flew out to the GBR in a helicopter, landed on a pontoon, and after the snorkeling activities were completed, we returned to Cairns by boat. This gave me a chance to see the reef from the air since I am not a snorkeler. Mui enjoyed his time in the water.

    Today, he snorkeled the GBR again. This time on a ship’s tour that went out to the Marine World Pontoon. Two hours to get out there … four hours at the pontoon where he spent much of his time in the water … two hours to get back. He said that the coral was hit and miss … 45% living. Colorful fish were plentiful. No stingers to worry about. No images from his experience, I’m afraid, since he can’t process his GoPro footage until we get home.

    (Link to our photo gallery from 2017 if you wish to see photos of the GBR from the air … just scroll past all the animal/bird photos from the Dome in Cairns … now closed — https://eenusa.smugmug.com/RTW-2017/Voyage/Cair….)

    My plan, while Mui was out on the GBR, was to take the Kuranda Rail up into the rainforest. A solo outing that I was looking forward to. Alas, Tropical Cyclone Jasper, which hit northern Queensland with all its ferocity earlier in December, put paid to those plans. A few days ago, I received notification that due to storm damage to the range, the train service was canceled.

    So, I went for a wander around Cairns instead.

    To get some respite from the humid heat, my meanderings were centered around indoor venues … with good A/C. The Art Gallery of Cairns and the Courthouse Art Gallery are both small venues and didn’t take up too much of my time. The Cairns Gallery, unfortunately, was closed.

    Next, I headed to the Cairns Aquarium where I saw the denizens of the oceans, reefs, and rivers. I guess you could say that I went snorkeling, too … I just didn’t get wet!    Read more

  • Adventuring Down Under

    Itinerary Change #4: No Cooktown For Us!

    December 28, 2023, Coral Sea ⋅ ☀️ 82 °F

    Day 1 of 3 days at sea.

    Instead of visiting Cooktown on the Cape York Peninsula of Far North Queensland today, we are having a sea day … cruising the Coral Sea … weaving in and out of the Great Barrier Reef as we make on our way to Darwin.

    We are 0 for 2 where Cooktown is concerned.

    The first time Cooktown was canceled was on our 2017 world cruise. On that occasion, the culprit was the weather. Insignia got as far as lowering its tenders to transport pier-side paraphernalia to prepare for the arrival of passengers. The tenders turned back before they ever got ashore. The seas were just too rough; the rain was coming down in sheets.

    The weather is the culprit for this cancelation as well. Not the weather at present however, as we are having a sunny day today … with calm seas and light winds. Rather, the weather in question this time is ex Cyclone Jasper.

    The first named storm of the 2023-2024 Cyclone Season for Australia, Jasper formed on 2 December, became a Category 4 severe tropical cyclone at its peak on 8 December, and finally dissipated on 18 December. Long-lived definitely, it brought disastrous, drenching rain … dropping some 88.5+ inches in places … with sustained winds in the range of 120-140 mph.

    Having watched the news coverage of the storm while we were in Sydney, we were pleasantly surprised that we were able to dock in Cairns yesterday. We kept our fingers crossed for Cooktown. But when we found the cancelation letter from GM Dimitris in the cabin upon departure from Townsville on the 26th, we were not surprised.

    Last night, Captain Giulio further explained the reasoning for the cancelation. The Australian Government has designated the Far North QLD as a natural disaster area. The military has been activated to help with the clean-up. Communities remain cut off. And contaminated water carries bacteria that can lead to some serious illness. IMHO … all good reasons for us to not venture into the area.

    Our thoughts are with all the people affected by the disaster. Hopefully the area will have recovered by the time we drive back up this way on our overland. Perhaps third time will be the charm for Cooktown.    Read more

  • Adventuring Down Under

    Cruising the Arafura Sea

    December 29, 2023, Arafura Sea ⋅ ⛅ 86 °F

    Day 2 of 3 days at sea.

    Overnight, we turned west around the Cape York Peninsula and are now cruising along the Top End of Australia.

    The Arafura Sea is treating us well … flat calm seas. Sunshine and a less-humid 86F for a high. A beautiful day to be at sea. Definitely a relaxing one.

    When we embarked Regatta in Sydney, Ben, who mans the Specialty Dining Reservations Desk, managed to get our reservations sorted out for our days at sea on this segment. Tonight, we once again dined at Toscana.

    We don’t always go to the shows in the Regatta Lounge. Tonight, we made an exception and went to see Danny Elliott, billed as Australia’s premier multi-instrumentalist and vocal entertainer. His high-energy show did not disappoint. The guy’s reputation is well earned.    Read more

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