Frances Down Under Part I

I’m starting a new thread after this, as this one is getting unwieldy since I’m on a lower bandwidth. Watch for “Frances Down Under Part 2”

At sea

Last at sea day for this first cruise, something I always like as a wind down relax day .  Also helps to have time to pack up. HA! Don’t have to worry about that today. Granted, just kicking the can down the road another 12 days.   Oh, well.

One of the places we like to spend time before dinner is the Martini Bar on this class of ships.  It is an oval bar, but more importantly, a frosty bar top, kept refrigerated. I like my vodka gimlet, and DH enjoys his martinis (I steal his olives), but part of the draw is the show the bartenders put on. Throwing ice over their backs to catch it in the shakers, that sort of thing.  At times they pour flights, every type of martini served in sample glasses, all in one go. Search YouTube for “Celebrity Martini Bar Flights”, pretty neat.

Brisbane 

Another tour bus, up to the artsy town of Tamborine.  Actually found some good souvenirs for family and friends, but the holy grail is the absolutely adorable koala backpack for my two year old niece.  Got the one I had to get!

Off to another vineyard for wine tasting, nice but only memorable for the cheeky server.  Her dress was short, and DH kept following her butt cheeks with his eyes. I couldn’t give him too much grief, I was too, and besides, we’re married, not dead!  No pictures though.

Finally down to Brisbane, and the Gold Coast.  My impression is that this is an urban planning fail.  High rise condos & hotels up to over 70 stories all along a beach front like Miami’s, but much, much longer.  Very limited mass transportation, and traffic so bad, we only had twenty minutes to walk to the beach known as “Surfers Paradise”, instead of having a chance to swim.

At sea

Two days at sea in a row.  Kick back, relax and watch the ocean go by.  We sailed very close to Willis Island, a coral atoll in, appropriately, the Coral Sea.  You can see the reef that surrounds the island itself, pretty impressive. It’s about 1200 Km from the site of the WW II Battle of the Coral Sea, the first naval engagement where none of the ships of either side saw each other.  All offensive action was taken by aircraft. * Fun fact for the day. *

In any case, Willis island is the site of an Australian weather station, used to study tropical cyclone activity.  Four men, staying six months at a time at this isolated island observing weather.  

Four. Men. Six. Months.  Isolated. Hmm, I think Noir needs to send mission of mercy!

Frances, sounds like a wonderful vacation. Thank You for your reporting. I am learning many interesting facts. Looking forward to seeing you and hearing more!

Happy you did not meet any Sharks :)) incredibly nice Travel report !!!

amazing photos ! Frances.. while people are so curious to meet you back in Noir Palace!

Port Douglas  - Low Isles

Port Douglas is a moderately sized tourist town that is another gateway to the Great Barrier Reef.  A bit of a bumpy ride into town on a ship’s tender, but transferred to a large sailing catamaran, “Wind Dancer”.  Another day for snorkeling, this time off a small island about 90 minutes off the mainland, whose other reason for existence is to host a lighthouse.  The second, and larger island, hosts birds - lots and lots of birds.

Better day for snorkeling then at Airlie Beach, clearer sky, a better defined swimming area, and a lot less people in the water.  The had a competent crew member handing out the Lycra suits, so no issues getting them on this time. Phone’s camera was balking underwater, so no pictures :( *sniff*.  Did get to see lots of fish, beautiful coral, and even an adolescent sea turtle, about 75 cm across. Did not see any sharks, sorry Bonnie, but one other snorkeler said she had.

Cairns - Kuranda Rain Forest - con’t

The Skyway ends at the town of Kuranda “the village in the middle of the rainforest.'' Much like towns in Yellowstone in the U.S, it is situated in the park proper.  Most of the homes are on stilts, not because of flooding, but to allow the air to circulate under the floorboards for cooling. This is very common in the tropical zones.

In addition to the normal town infrastructure, such as schools, town hall, etc., there is a permanent market for local vendors & artists. This is the first market where I saw aboriginal and aboriginal inspired work, not that our prior stops would have had those sort of merchandise.

I noted before I have not seen a Australian cuisine, and today was no exception.  Lunch was at a German brats stand, a hole in the wall, but delicious.  

After lunch we took an historic railway towards Cairns that was built during the late 19th and early 20th centuries over terrain so hostile, it’s considered the major engineering feat in Australian history.  A good overview is available here: https://www.ksr.com.au/History/Pages/KSR.aspx.  Along the way we stopped at another Barrons Falls overlook, really interesting during dry season like now, but I'm told spectacular during the rainy season.

Cairns - Kuranda rain forest - Avatar connection

Still heading north, we anchor at Yorkey’s Knob, near Cairns, as that city's port is too shallow for the ship.  Another rain forest, in the Barron Gorge National Park. We rode a skyway over the forest canopy. Seeing it from the top down is so different than walking under the trees! From trees that look like they belong in Dr. Suess' Whoville, to Broccolini like trees over 40m Tall.  

The skyway has an app that narrates what you are seeing, which ties into your location via the free WiFi.  You need to download the app and do its setup prior to getting in the gondola to get all its audio files.  

This forest was used as part of the inspiration of the planet Pandora in the movie Avatar both the Home Tree and the flying islands.

There are two way stations along the skyway, one where you can use a wooden walkway to get up close and personal with the forest, and another where you can get a good view of Barron Falls.  

so nice that you keep us informed about your trip ...it's almost a bit like being there as well....go on Frances !!! hugs

Airlie Beach 

Our first gateway to the Great Barrier Reef.  The reef stretches over 1,400 miles (2,300 km) down the Queensland coast in mostly the Coral Sea.  The reef is a protected maritime park, and anchored pontoon platforms along the length help manage the impact of tourism on the reef 

A catamaran picks us up off the ship, traveling about  90 minutes to a platform used by this particular company. There are a number of these stations, our cruise offers this type of excursion in three ports over four days.   Once there, we have several choices, a glass bottom boat, snorkeling, and even scuba. To do the last two, you need to wear a full body Lycra or neoprene wetsuit, respectively,  they both protect against almost invisible jellyfish with very nasty stings, and wetsuits protect against colder water at depth.  

We do the boat first, as there are more than a 100 people on the cat, and it only takes 34 at a time.  Best picture of the day here.

Then the comedy hour, as people of, let us say multiple body types, try to get into skin tight Lycra suits.  Usually the one they want to fit in, not the reality size. I’ll admit, I should have taken the large, but the medium did fit, after some wiggles and got a very appreciative look from DH, and he said from others, 

too *smirk*

Snorkel swim not as good as could be. They did do a good safety course for beginners, but the first rule of open water snorkeling/diving/kayaking is to go against the current/wind so if you get tired, those just push you back.  This place’s path was with the current on the way out. I quit about ⅔ of the marked swim lane and I’m a good swimmer. Water was murky due to the number of swimmers kicking up sand and boats making rescues, so not a lot to see. Hopefully better on the next beach day.

Two days at sea

Ah, sea days.  Most days at a port are very busy.  We tend to tour those days, either arranged by the cruise line or independently.  Up early, quick breakfast, and out onto the dock or tender. Sometimes having to rush to get ready for dinner.  

Sea days,though, no alarm, may take some time in the gym, leisurely breakfast, hang out at the indoor pool, reading, or writing a travel post :D.

The cruise line would love to have you spend time in the casino, or art auctions at sea.   Don’t. Both rip offs.

The shops on board are duty free, and do have nice jewelry, watches, and liquor - but you don’t get the last delivered until the cruise ends.  Nothing is allowed to compete with the bar service!

Newcastle 

“Bringing coals to Newcastle” is just as appropriate for the Australian port as it is for the original in England.  We saw train after train load of coal headed for the port, which exports more coal than any other in the world. That’s your fun fact for today *grin* 

But that’s not why we came to Newcastle.  It sits at the mouth of the Hunter River, and the Hunter River Valley is the largest wine producing region in Australia.  A bus tour to three different wineries an artisan cheese producer took up a good part of the day. Five different cheeses, ranging from wet to green mold. Four to five taster glasses of wine at each vineyard makes for a very interesting late morning and afternoon.  Found a very nice dry white, Semillon, in one of the vineyards, looking forward to finding it in the US.

On Board 

Finally, on Tuesday morning, we pile (luggage and us) into our Uber XL.  After waiting a few hours while the cabins are cleared for the new cruise, we are able to get into our room that is home for the next 24 days.

Sydney —The Rock II

We had dinner at a Cafe Sydney, a wonderful restaurant on top of the Customs House.  A bit pricey, but the food is worth it. Add in an amazing view of the Harbour Bridge, a beautiful evening before our cruise.  

For the record, during four days in Sydney, I never heard “G’Day”, “no worries”, or any mention of “shrimp on the barber”

Next up: Cruising

Sydney - The Rock 

The Rock is a business/touristy section of the city.  A train and tram station, businesses, harbor tours, and restaurants all share the space.   This is also where the cruise ships berth, so you can also find some high end shops, as well as shops with cheap and not so cheap souvenirs.  

Last, this is the location of the Sydney Opera House,  the picture is from a tour boat in the harbor.

Blue Mountains 

Took a bus tour into the Blue Mountains National Park, a UNESCO listed heritage site.   We went to Scenic World, a privately owned business within the park. According to our guide, it was opened in the 1950’s, when park usage rules were somewhat elastic.  It even has within its boundaries, Katoomba Falls, the highest waterfall in Australia. I would guess that graft rules were somewhat elastic, also.

The park ranges from mountain top to sub-tropical rain forest climes, and has an amazing amount of flora and fauna.  Being early spring, there’s not a lot of flowers, except for the ubiquitous bottle brush. But so many birds!

The famous Three Sisters can also be seen here, just one of many rock formations in the park.  There are a number of stories as to how they were created, you can find some here: https://www.bluemts.com.au/info/threesisters/

Sydney - Bondi Beach

After breakfast at the hotel - and if you like an American/English breakfast I do suggest packaging it with your room rate - we jumped on the Hop-on Hop-off bus line.  Great way to get your bearings in a new city, if you have the time (we have four days) and are not laser focused on a list of sights.  

We were still a bit jet lagged and just enjoyed the passing cityscape.  Kings Cross is a mix of a major business & shopping center with nice parks in the area, too.  Judging from the number of massage parlors, a bit of a red light district too. Apparently there are two types of parlors, Thai and “comfort “. Never found out which is legitimate, or which offers that happy ending.

Also saw a number of “VIP Lounges “, and before you think of those NYC Gentlemen’s Clubs,  they are just bars with poker machines.  

Switched buses from the blue line to red, and off to the beach.   A bit on the chilly side, not many in the water, and those surfers in wetsuits. Beautiful ocean beach, in one of the most impressive cities in the world.  Lots of shopping and restaurants on the Main Street running alongside the beach. Well served by city busses. Had lunch at Pompei's, 126-130 Roscoe St, spinach and cheese ravioli, and a baked calazone.  

Sydney - Darling Harbour 

Early check in at the Parkroyal Hotel at Darling Harbour in Sydney.   Beautiful room with a great view of Darling Harbour. Has a restaurant called Abode, which I do not recommend.  Plenty of other places to eat, including Macchiato Wood Fire Pizza & Coffee Roastery, a pizza place with other itialian menu items which are quite good, even to this NYC gal, and reasonably priced.

Darling is a cove off of Sydney Harbour, and a very busy social area on Friday and Saturday nights with restaurants, some attractions including a Ferris wheel, small maritime museum and shops.  I also counted at least one club, and based on how many cocktail dresses I saw, most probably more. 

It is in easy walking distance from the hotel, using pedestrian overpasses to avoid busy roads. You can pick up a harbor tour here,  but many more in a close neighborhood called The Rocks.  

Last bit. Don’t take taxis in Sydney, they charge on elapsed time,  and the cabbies will go the long way around. Use Uber.