A Legendary Voyage

Holland America Legendary Voyage Nov 17-Dec 22, 2024 - Westerdam, Cabin 5176.
Leaving Sydney

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.
Newcastle Harbour

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 lighthouseWeiterlesen
Port watching

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.
And finally the sun came out

….At 2pm - too late to go off-ship.
Day 3 - Sea day

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 wasWeiterlesen
Day 4 - Docking in Brisbane

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.
The old and the new in Brisbane City

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.
Brisbane River

The river is very high after a lot of rainfall over the past couple of weeks.
Sea-Day, my 75th Birthday

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.
Birthday surprise

A card from the Captain and crew with a birthday cupcake was delivered to our room.
Birthday Dinner at “A Taste of Tamarind”

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 mousseWeiterlesen
Day 6 - Airlie Beach

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 toWeiterlesen
Along the promenade

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.
The ferry shuttles in Airlie Beach

As we go out, another shuttle arrives from the Westerdam. Airlie Beach is a small town surrounded by high hills covered in tropical rainforest.
Coral Sea day

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 & BloodyWeiterlesen
Cairns, Qld

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,Weiterlesen
Kuranda Village

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 WorldWeiterlesen
Walking to Kuranda Station

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. TheWeiterlesen
At the station

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 betweenWeiterlesen
Barron Falls

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. TheWeiterlesen
The views we pass

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 theWeiterlesen
Stoney Creek Falls

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 theWeiterlesen
Sailing in the GBR

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 areWeiterlesen
Sea day activities

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 theWeiterlesen