Asia and Australia: The Australia Chronicles

Asia – Australia 2010

“No one realizes how beautiful it is to travel until he comes home and rests his head on his old, familiar pillow.”

- Lin Yutang (all quotes were taken from the packaging of the chocolates left on our pillows each night of the cruise)

Friday, November 19, 2010 – Sydney, Australia – en route home

So here it is… the last installment of the Blog. When we last left you we were in Asia and then it was off to Australia, our first stop Darwin. When touring, we vacillate between seeing the large cities or viewing the wildlife. When you are cruising, you only have time to pick one venue so this port we decided on the Territory Wildlife Park. It was a beautiful area with several different terrains; we saw lovely birds, an aquarium and Australia wildlife (see photos) indigenous to the area. So much to see and really not enough time….

Next was Thursday Island, Australia – now you see it, now you don’t. Not too much to say, a sleepy Island with some pretty scenery. The excursion brochure for this port told it all; there was only one excursion offered and it was an hour in length. So at least I got a pretty picture! The cruising between these ports was delightfully smooth. The water truly was like a sheet of glass reflecting the sky so beautifully and the sunset was extremely dramatic. I just love sitting on the veranda and looking out at the ocean… it totally mesmerizes me.

Next stop Cairns, Australia and we chose the nature route, but had time to see the town when we returned from our tour. We took several cable car rides to reach Kuranda, riding high above the rain forest with stops in the beautiful rain forest en route. Kuranda is a former “Hippie” colony from the 60’s and the craft colony from that generation morphed itself into a town filled with hand made goodies and souvenirs. The day was filled with lovely scenery, the cute town of Kuranda and the bustling city of Cairns.

Whitsunday Island, Australia – We never actually got to see the island because we chose to go directly to the Great Barrier Reef. We took a catamaran (boarding from the side of our ship) out to the reef traveling in extremely choppy water (there were huge storms for several days before we got there). The catamaran takes you out to a floating platform where you can snorkel, scuba and take a glass bottom boat to see the reef. I went scuba diving on the reef and it is an awesome experience. Sorry no underwater pictures, you will have to settle for a picture of me in diving gear.

Our choice was made early on to visit The Australia Zoo when in Brisbane, Australia. Steve Irwin (The Crocodile Hunter) and his family created a terrific zoo, including a hospital for injured wildlife. Prior to the hospital, when an injured animal was found there was no place for individuals to bring them without bearing the cost of a veterinarian. Steve Irwin dedicated this zoo to his “Mum”, a great wildlife conservationist, so anyone can now bring an injured animal to the hospital and have it treated free of charge. They had injured Koalas, kangaroos and the cutest bird that had no feathers… so they knitted a “jumper” (sweater, as we say in the USA) for him. We chatted with the handler and birdie; he’s very talkative, learning about his medical condition. Of course there are lots of Crocs (Crikey, they are scary!) along with other Australian animals, reptiles and many other animals including tigers and elephants. Mike had always been a great fan if Steve Irwin and really wanted to see the zoo. While on the ship we read a terrific book written by his wife, Terri Irwin “Steve and Me”. It gives you a great perspective of their love of wildlife and their mission to preserve it. Another wonderful day spent discovering Australia.

Finally our last port… beautiful Sydney, Australia. We had one overnight on the ship and then stayed three additional nights after the cruise at the Harbourside Marriott. On our last cruise day we woke up in port and beyond our veranda door was the view of the Sydney Opera House at daybreak… breathtaking! Sydney is a terrific city; busy, bustling, young, energetic, beautiful, and we just love it. You can travel everywhere by ferry, they leave Circular Quay constantly linking all areas of the city. We spent one day just riding the ferries to various beautiful locations; Manly Beach (surfing competition – not us), Darling Harbor and the beautiful outskirts of the city, along the Parramatta River. We toured “The Rocks”, the oldest original section of the city; went to the ballet at the Sydney Opera House (ballet season – not opera); visited museums and walked through the beautiful Botanical Gardens. The Jacaranda trees were in bloom, brightening up the city with the most amazing color purple. Sydney is definitely a place to put on your bucket list if you haven’t been there!!!

My last story… we were out on the veranda late one evening while at sea. It was a dark, clear evening and the stars were out in the thousands. There are no lights around so you can see an amazing array of stars. I mentioned to Mike that it would be great to see a shooting star as I hadn’t seen one since I was a teenager. Mike told me he never saw one and I said “I wish we could see a shooting star” and there it was flashing across the sky, the most brilliant shooting star – “When you wish upon a star your dreams come true’. It truly was a blessed trip filled with so many beautiful moments.

So that’s the trip… I am now sitting at my computer, in my office after a 25 hour day of traveling (door to door). It is a very long trip… but it was such an incredible journey. Thank you for sharing it with us, blogging made me sit and make note of things that happened along the way, which I probably would not have done without the Blog.

Love,

Pat (the writer and picture taker) & Mike (the editor and blog poster)