Australia Circumnavigation

~ a legendary voyage ~ Read more

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Trip start
November 17, 2024
Australia Circumnavigation Traveler
A Legendary Voyage
November 17, 2024 in Australia ⋅ 🌩️ 22 °C
Holland America Legendary Voyage Nov 17-Dec 22, 2024 - Westerdam, Cabin 5176.
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Australia Circumnavigation Traveler
Leaving Sydney
November 17, 2024 in Australia ⋅ 🌩️ 26 °C
An overcast day as we left White Bay Cruise Terminal. Now a thunderstorm has hit at sea but it is mostly a lot of noise.
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Australia Circumnavigation Traveler
Newcastle Harbour
November 18, 2024 in Australia ⋅ ☁️ 23 °C
Sailed up the channel into Newcastle Harbour on a cool drizzly day. Even so, walkers were out along the breakwater. Nobby’s Lighthouse is located on Nobbs Headland. This is a historic lighthouse that has guided ships for over 150 years. At a wide point in the channel, we are turned around to face back out to sea. Tugs pull/push us into our berth. Newcastle City is on one side and Stockton on the other.Read more
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Australia Circumnavigation Traveler
Port watching
November 18, 2024 in Australia ⋅ ☁️ 18 °C
When it’s raining, we port-watch! The Sunrise Glory, bulk carrier containing chemicals, is slotted into the berth behind us. Photos taken over approx 30 mins show the skill of the tug pilots.
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Australia Circumnavigation Traveler
And finally the sun came out
November 18, 2024 in Australia ⋅ ☁️ 22 °C
….At 2pm - too late to go off-ship.
TravelerLooking forward to sharing this fabulous trip with you (just from my lounge chair).
11/18/24Reply
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Australia Circumnavigation Traveler
Day 3 - Sea day
November 19, 2024, Coral Sea ⋅ 🌬 22 °C
Sea Day - still grey and overcast with light rain. Seas are not too bad, reasonably smooth sailing. Got up late for a leisurely breakfast and passed the day relaxing, eating and drinking. Tonight was a toast to the voyage, champagne courtesy of the Captain; then an Irish concert with Celtic Gra which was fabulous - Rebecca (vocals), Kurt (piano), Martin (fiddle) and Sarah (dancer).Read more
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Australia Circumnavigation Traveler
Day 4 - Docking in Brisbane
November 20, 2024 in Australia ⋅ 🌧 20 °C
Sailed into the Brisbane River and are docked on the north side adjacent to the airport. It’s a busy port and the rain gets heavier through the day.
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Australia Circumnavigation Traveler
The old and the new in Brisbane City
November 20, 2024 in Australia ⋅ 🌧 21 °C
As we travel by shuttle into the city, it’s a 30 minute journey. The juxtaposition of old colonial stone buildings with new skyscrapers provides for some very interesting architecture.
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Australia Circumnavigation Traveler
Brisbane River
November 20, 2024 in Australia ⋅ 🌧 21 °C
The river is very high after a lot of rainfall over the past couple of weeks.
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Australia Circumnavigation Traveler
Sea-Day, my 75th Birthday
November 21, 2024, Coral Sea ⋅ 🌬 25 °C
Leisurely day at sea - breakfast; port talk about Airlie Beach (our stop tomorrow on Day 6); an interesting guest speaker on Australia’s Indigenous Languages; lunch in the Dining Room.
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Australia Circumnavigation Traveler
Birthday surprise
November 21, 2024, Great Barrier Reef ⋅ 🌬 25 °C
A card from the Captain and crew with a birthday cupcake was delivered to our room.
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Australia Circumnavigation Traveler
Birthday Dinner at “A Taste of Tamarind”
November 21, 2024, Great Barrier Reef ⋅ 🌬 24 °C
To cap off a fantastic day, we reserved a table at this specialty restaurant. There was another birthday cake which I later shared with our serving team (when they get off shift), a chocolate mousse cake. Light and spicy Asian Fusion cuisine.Read more
TravelerWow, are you guys being spoilt or what! Food looks amazing 😻
11/21/24Reply
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Australia Circumnavigation Traveler
Day 6 - Airlie Beach
November 22, 2024 in Australia ⋅ ☁️ 27 °C
Right in the centre of town is a huge lagoon for safe swimming, away from the stingers on the beach in summer. It’s very warm and humid. The lagoon is in 3 parts - shallow for the little kids; up to 2m for most and a deeper, longer section for serious laps. The beach is netted in summer and ringed with palms.Read more
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Australia Circumnavigation Traveler
Along the promenade
November 22, 2024 in Australia ⋅ ☁️ 27 °C
We walked along the promenade back to the marina terminal. Amazing gardens all along the way and some serious money in boats in that marina.
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Australia Circumnavigation Traveler
The ferry shuttles in Airlie Beach
November 22, 2024 in Australia ⋅ ☁️ 27 °C
As we go out, another shuttle arrives from the Westerdam. Airlie Beach is a small town surrounded by high hills covered in tropical rainforest.
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Coral Sea day
November 23, 2024, Great Barrier Reef ⋅ 🌬 27 °C
What you do when you don’t have to be anywhere!
8:30am - Late get-up
10:00am - 3 course Brunch with an Aussie couple from Adelaide and a US couple from Phoenix, AZ. Drinks = Mimosa & Bloody Mary
Noon - Back to the cabin for a read and watching the islands go by from our balcony, and the odd ship or two.
2:00pm - Lecture of Aussie/NZ language. Drinks = Gin & Tonic
3:00pm - Coffee in the Crows Nest
3:30pm - Afternoon Drinks in the Ocean Bar with Jazz Trio.. Drinks = wines and whisky
4:30pm - Back to Cabin
5:30pm - Dinner in Main Dining Room. Drinks = Wine
7:30pm - Magician/Comedian, Nick Nicholas on stage
9:00pm - back in the cabin.
That’s a day at sea - all about recharging the batteries and being pampered.
Photo: John on the technicolour seat that he uses as a shipboard navigation. These ‘dudes’ are on our floor so we know we are on the right level; and our cabin corridor is to the right of this bench. There IS a method to the madness!Read more
TravelerI love it ! Relax and enjoy it all and I do love the chair !
11/24/24Reply
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Australia Circumnavigation Traveler
Cairns, Qld
November 24, 2024 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ 25 °C
Saw the sun rise for the first time today and we are about to dock in Cairns. Here the rain forest is right to the ocean and there are lots of mangroves. Looking down on the city early in the morning, it is an interesting mix of the old and new. Not as many high rise buildings as I expected for this tourism hotspot. You don’t have to go far out of the city before the sugar cane fields begin.Read more
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Kuranda Village
November 24, 2024 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ 28 °C
Kuranda, up on the tableland behind Cairns. A small population of around 3,000 people, it has a vibrant ‘market’ style town centre. We sidestep the obvious tourist to-do’s like Butterfly World and Bird World etc in favour of strolling the streets. The bollards in town all reflect aspects of the ancient tropical rainforest surrounding Kuranda and are all different. So many strangler figs. The small Anglican Church is open and we take a look at the clam shell that is the baptismal font.Read more
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Walking to Kuranda Station
November 24, 2024 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ 28 °C
A steep downhill track in leafy shade down to the station, we come across a brush turkey who scratches around in the leaf litter. John finds a “hard” seat made of reclaimed rail tracks. The Kuranda Pub is opposite the station oozing old world charm and Australiana. We round the corner and there’s another brush turkey, they are obviously well-used to strolling visitors.Read more
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Australia Circumnavigation Traveler
At the station
November 24, 2024 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ 28 °C
The station has old world charm. The platform abounds in lush plantings and gardens with a great little cafe. The train is waiting at the station. The line, bridges and tunnels were built between 1886-1891. It climbs 323m in 21.7km thru the rainforest of the World Heritage Wet Tropics.Read more
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Australia Circumnavigation Traveler
Barron Falls
November 24, 2024 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ 27 °C
Barron Gorge has steep loose sides and plunges deep into the ravine carved by millions of years of racing water. The falls have plenty of water today but can be a raging torrent after rain. The railway has some extraordinary iron truss bridges which cross the gorge.Read more
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Australia Circumnavigation Traveler
The views we pass
November 24, 2024 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ 28 °C
The train has great views to the coast and hinterland. The railway was built to facilitate the developing mineral and agricultural areas of FNQ. In WW2 it serviced military hospitals and units in the area. Gold class ticket gave us unlimited drinks, macadamia nuts, a cheese platter and mango sorbet to eat on the journey in comfortable arm chairs. Just before we alighted at Freshwater Creek, we received a complimentary card and pen. Well worth the money for the extra comfort and care.Read more
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Australia Circumnavigation Traveler
Stoney Creek Falls
November 24, 2024 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ 27 °C
After going thru a couple of tunnels, we cross one of the iron truss bridges which allows us to see both the front and the back of the train. Gold Class carriage in which we are travelling is in the middle.Read more
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Australia Circumnavigation Traveler
Sailing in the GBR
November 25, 2024, Great Barrier Reef ⋅ 🌬 27 °C
Waking up this morning we are north of the Daintree and at Cape Melville National Park (the last big bump before we head towards the tip of Cape York). It’s very rocky, some of those rocks are enormous, even from the ship. Vegetation is low and fairly sparse. There’s lots of rocky islands inhabited by seabirds. We pass another bulk carrier heading south. Along the horizon there are several ancient volcanoes which can be spotted easily identified by their conical shape.Read more
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Australia Circumnavigation Traveler
Sea day activities
November 25, 2024, Great Barrier Reef ⋅ 🌬 28 °C
Riding the glass elevator over the ocean (took the pic too late & got the deck).
Michael Adams, podcaster (Forgotten Australia) - super interesting. Talked about the Japanese in/around Darwin from the perspective of some largely unknown identities of the time.
Karen Woodman, talked about the Spice Routes thru Asia and the Middle East to Europe.Read more
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