Signal Park

New-to-us Port #6.

Regatta arrived at its anchorage at 7:00a. Our tour wasn’t until 9:30a. Technically, that meant that we had plenty of time to go ashore. Checking the shore excursion departure list, however, it quickly became apparent that waiting until later was going to potentially be problematic. So, we made the decision to go ashore on an early tender. The bonus? Time to wander the foreshore and have a nice brekky.

Turns out that our decision was a smart move … especially in light of the fact that the two other couples on the tour decided to wait until 8:00a to get their tender tickets. By then, between the tour disembarkations being in full swing and the rough seas slowing down the loading and unloading of the tenders, they didn’t make it to shore until well after 10:00a … thus delaying the start of our tour.

Anyway, back to our story.

With the first tour not scheduled to meet until 7:45a, the first tender to leave from the ship around 7:30a had maybe 20 of us independents on it. The ride was incredibly rough until we got into the protection of the historic jetty, which is just over a mile-long. It was slow going, but we got safely ashore. We couldn’t help but note that had Captain Brajcic — the Master of Insignia — been at the helm, we more than likely would not had a port of call today.

Once land side, we strolled along the waterfront for a bit, enjoying the beach scene — quiet at that early hour — and the views of Geographe Bay. The Norfolk pines dotting the foreshore added to the scenic nature of what our eyes beheld. We later learned from our driver/guide that in the olden days Norfolk pines had a specific use. Seamen would cut them down and strip the branches off to make a temporary mast should they need it. Now, they serve a more or less decorative purpose.

After our walk, at the suggestion of a local, we went to The Goose, a café overlooking the waterfront. An iced latte for Mui + a pot of Earl Grey tea for me + a bacon & cheese scone and a peanut butter & oatmeal cookie to share = a great brekky. Add comfy temps and scenery to entertain us … well, perfect just about covers it.Read more