Being in Australia is an experience we never imagined. But this South Pacific and Australia cruise was hard to resist. It seemed to offer everything we ever hoped for. And in retrospect, it is much much more.
Our cruise was scheduled to end in Sydney where we would meet Curtis, Cintra’s nephew, for a short visit and sightseeing. The cruise did not have any excursions planned for us on our disembarkation day in Sydney.
However, the cancellation of the stop in Hobart, Tasmania, meant the cruise had to make an earlier than planned stop in Sydney just to process our entry documents for Australia.
Quite surprisingly, the cruise offered us a free shuttle to browse the city and a tour of the Sydney Harbour on a luxury ferry. We couldn’t believe this unexpected treat. And, we still get to return to Sydney later for our own personal tour.
After the immigration formalities, we joined two friends on an outing in the Chinatown area of the city. This included brief stops at the Chinese Garden of Friendship and the Paddy Market and parts of Chinatown. With Chinese New Year on the 10th, there were Chinese decorations throughout this part of the city.
On our return, we boarded the ferry from which we viewed highlights like the iconic Sydney Opera House and Sydney Bridge, Botanical Garden, Amusement Park, temporary home for dignitaries, beaches, luxury homes and waterfront condos. The city skyline from the harbour was itself breathtaking.
After this bonus treat in Sydney, the cruise headed to Phillip Island to see the baby penguins when they emerge from the water at dusk. We arrived at Phillip Island in the late afternoon but had to wait about two hours before the famous penguin parade.
On the way to the beach where the penguins would appear, we glimpsed some of the wildlife, in particular wallabies. This was the first time to see wallabies and some of the island birds. At first, I thought the marsupials were kangaroos, until I was corrected. They do look similar.
From a bright sunny day, we waited until near dark before we saw the first penguin. Several minutes later, about six more waddled out of the water and labored their way across the sand and up to the grassy hill on their way to their underground homes. Some lived in tiny wooden houses.
It was an interesting experience to view this famous Penguin Parade as these foot tall amphibious birds make their way to the safety of their nests in the sand dunes after a day’s fishing. However, we were not allowed to take photos. The small number of penguins was unusual as sometimes they come in significantly larger numbers.
Next excursion two days later, was was our excursion to Geelong, a town about an hour away from Melbourne. Much of our tour explored Geelong, the second largest city in Victoria after Melbourne. Geelong khas a rich history including gold mining, industrial development and the wool industry. It was described as Melbourne’s playground.
We were treated to a coach tour ending in Queenscliff, Bellarine Peninsula. Along the way, we saw beautiful towns, historic buildings made of bluestone, and lush countryside where we saw our first mob of kangaroos - the real thing. They are much darker, bigger and stronger than the wallabies we saw on Phillip Island.
Back on the ship, we had enough time to catch some of the Super Bowl on the big screen in the Star Theatre.
Later, we had a pleasant supper with two couples who occupy the two staterooms to the left of us. With two days left in the cruise, we wanted this to be a farewell dinner. It was touching to share memories over the past five weeks on the Viking Sky. We were invited the next day to have a farewell lunch with three other couples.
The choir on the ship is getting close to a performance of a Rogers and Hammerstein medley, but it will happen after we leave the cruise. It was fun just rehearsing under a world class director.
Our final port of call was planned for Eden, Australia on Wednesday the 14th, Valentines Day. However, due to strong winds and choppy waters, they were unable to dock the ship. instead, the captain had to cancel and return to Sydney. We will meet Cintra’s nephew in Sydney for five days of sightseeing and family time and report on that phase in our next cruise update next weekend.
For now, we have mixed feelings about the impeccable hospitality we enjoyed on this cruise, the unbelievable sights, scenes and experiences in every port, and perhaps most of all, the special bonds were created with the passengers and crew. However, we are also looking forward to being home and seeing family, friends and community connections.
Thanks for joining us on this historic journey. Moses and Cintra
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