The Land Down Under
When and Where: 02/2023 – Sydney and Tasmania (Port
Arthur and Hobart)
64th Country Visited; 3rd Oceania Country
Visited
Interesting Facts:
·
Australia is a country and a continent. Australia is in a region known as Oceania.
·
90% of Australians live along the coast.
·
Australia is slightly smaller in size than the
continental US, but Australia’s population is only about 8% of the population
of the US.
·
Tasmania has the cleanest air in the world.
·
Australia is the only place in the world where
kangaroos exist in the wild.
I had such high expectations coming
to Australia. My experiences in
Australia have far exceeded my expectations.
Sydney was our first port of call.
Logistically our ship was assigned a berth at White’s Bay Cruise
Terminal, which is an area a little farther out from the center of the city. I didn’t wake up at 5am to see the Zuiderdam
pass by the Sydney Opera House and under the Harbor Bridge. I was however prepared to get off the ship as
soon as we docked at the wharf. Instead
of running back and forth to the ship over the two-day stay, I opted to stay at
a modest downtown hotel. I caught an Uber
with a cruise mate and checked into my accommodations in the center of town before
proceeding to Circular Quay, the heart of the city. Unfortunately, it was overcast and the threat
of rain was looming over the city. In
order to see as much of Sydney as possible on my timeline, I purchased a two-day
pass on the Hop On-Hop Off bus. From Circular
Quay, I proceeded to Woolloomooloo Bay, a scenic sleepy harbor with craft shops
and eclectic outdoor sculptures. After a
brief walk about, I proceeded to the infamous Sydney Opera House. The Opera House sits at the base of the harbor
adjacent to the Sydney Harbor Bridge. The
harbor is said to be the most photographed harbor in the world. The view was magical with the cityscape in
the background. I walked around the waterfront
for about 25 minutes to reach Mrs. Macquarie’s Chair, a lookout point which
offers the best view of Sydney Harbor. And
what a view it is. I took a few pictures
before making my way back to the Opera House.
Once back, I stopped at an outdoor café for a burger and a glass of Australian
Sauvignon Blanc. The quiet moments spent
at the restaurant with the harbor view felt surreal to me. I wanted to take in the culture of this world
class city. After eating, I decided to
take a harbor cruise. The ferry boat zig
zagged back and forth across the harbor to various neighborhoods and the
zoo. Along the way, there were some
amazing views looking back on the skyline.
I took the opportunity to take more pictures. Coming full circle back to the harbor, I exited
the ferry and began to make my way back to the bus. Within a few minutes, lightning was crackling
and a torrential downpour commenced.
Even though I had an umbrella and a poncho, I got soaked. Rather than go on, I made my way back to the
hotel. I hung out a bit and surfed the
internet before taking a late afternoon nap.
The rain let up and I ventured out for a pizza and wine.
In the weeks leading up to our
arrival in Sydney, I befriended several members of the crew. Given I am significantly younger than most of
the passengers on the ship, they enjoyed hanging out with me at night in the
Rolling Stone Lounge on the Zuiderdam. Several members of the crew had asked me to
join them clubbing in Sydney. After
dinner, I reached out and met up with the crew at the Stonewall Hotel which has
a vibrant nightclub. The atmosphere was
electric, the music was pumping, and the party was on. At least 20 more crew members showed up, along
with a handful of passengers. I had an
absolute blast! Collectively, we
ventured down the street to another bar, Universal Sydney. The music, mostly American, was even better
and the dance floor was packed with people.
I have not felt that kind of energy since my 20’s. I had so much fun dancing and partying. After 2am, I took an Uber back to my hotel and
crashed.
The following day I woke up still
feeling a bit queasy. But I had no time
to rest. I packed my bag, stored it in a
hotel locker, grabbed a coffee to go and headed back to Circular Quay. It was a beautiful day with the sun brightly
shining and the temperature in the mid-80’s.
I headed back to the Hop On-Hop Off bus pickup location and made my way
to Bondi Beach, one of the most popular beaches in the world. I was awestruck by the beach and the crystal
clear/turquoise waters. I would say it
is the second most beautiful beach I’ve visited; the first being Trunk Bay in
the US Virgin Islands. I head for the
changing area to switch into my bathing suit.
I can be such a scatterbrain. As
I’m getting changed, two older women walked in and saw me. It was then I realized I was in the ladies’
room. I quickly redressed, grabbed my
belongings, threw on my sunglasses and took the walk of shame to the men’s changing
area. Soon I made my way down to the
water’s edge. The water was quite warm. Calm music was playing in the background, the
smell of suntan lotion was thick in the air and there were lots of surfers in
the lagoon. Again, this moment in time
felt surreal. I chilled on the beach
before heading back into town. I
retraced my footsteps from the prior day to take more pictures given the sun
would provide for better images. This
time though, I took a scenic stroll through the lovely sprawling botanical
gardens to get to Mrs. Macquarie’s Chair.
I took a few more pictures and then walked back to Circular Quay, once
again past the Opera House and Harbor Bridge.
I did some souvenir shopping around the harbor before making my way back
to the hotel, grabbling my bag and taking an Uber back to the ship. The late afternoon sail away from White’s Bay
was spectacular! The sunlight reflecting
on the glass skyscrapers made for some stunning pictures. As the ship meandered through the waterways,
under the Harbor Bridge and past the Opera House, I was in awe. Sydney is my new favorite world city. My visit was fun and memorable. I definitely want to come back someday.
After a day at sea, the ship
arrived in Port Arthur, Tasmania for a brief stay. It was a drizzly and chilly morning. I took a tender into the port with a cruise mate. At the shore were the remains of the most
famous penal colony in Australia. The prison
dates back to 1830 and housed men, women and children. It was an industrial penal colony where prisoners
were forced to work. We walked around
the pristine grounds, to the remains of an old stone church and through the beautiful
gardens. We made our way back to the
ship early.
After a 3:30 pm departure, we hugged
the rugged Tasman peninsula coastline as we made our way to Hobart. The boat ride was rocky, but the scenery was
spectacular. We passed giant pillars of
volcanic rock known as The Field. Atop
the pillars were majestic cliffs which rise nearly a thousand feet above the ocean. These cliffs are the tallest in the Southern
Hemisphere. By 8pm, we arrived in
Hobart, the capital of Tasmania. At
first glance, Hobart is a quaint but lovely small city. The city is walkable. Not far from the port was a trendy area
called Salamanca which was alive with pubs, outdoor restaurants, and trendy music
venues. I walked along the harbor area
in search of a bar where I could watch the Superbowl on Monday morning at 10:30
am. Sure enough, I found a place called
the Brick Factory which was opening at 10am for the Superbowl. Given the Eagles were in the Superbowl, my
priority for the day was to watch the game.
I got up early Monday morning, went to the gym and offboarded before 9:30am
to make my way back to the Brick Factory.
Roughly 40 people were there to watch the game; almost all Aussies. I started off with a Foster’s at 10am and switched
to wine from there. Despite the Eagles
loss, it was a great game and a fantastic experience! As I made my way back to the ship for an
afternoon departure, I did some shopping and walked by the harbor area
again. There was a major event taking
place by the wharf called the Australian Wooden Boat Festival. The port area was packed and hundreds of wood
ships filled the harbor. Overall, I
thought Hobart was beautiful. I was disappointed
I didn’t get to explore more, but watching the Eagles was more important to me.
Sydney Harbor from Mrs. Macquarie's Chair
Beautiful Bondi Beach
Sydney skyline
Another section of the Sydney skyline from the port
Sydney Harbor Bridge as the Zuiderdam departed Sydney
Sydney Opera House from the Zuiderdam
Port Arthur Tasmania penal colony
Picturesque Hobart, Tasmania
Superbowl (Monday) in Hobart
Some of the wooden boats docked in Hobart's harbor.
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