Australia 2015

We enjoyed two wonderful weeks cruising around the south coast of Australia which together with the cruise around the north coast last fall means we have nearly circumnavigated this island continent.  We always love Sydney and especially when we dock at Circular Quay and can see the Opera House from our cabin window.   We took many more photos of the Opera House from lots of places, including from the Royal Botanic Gardens and returning on the ferry from our visit to Manly Beach.  That night we attended a performance of the opera, Madama Butterfly, and it was amazing.

  

Sydney celebrated Chinese New Years with an exhibit of colorful "terra cotta warriors" in the park and we enjoyed window shopping at The Rocks.

Our next port was Melbourne, the second largest city in Australia.  We looked at the city from the 86th floor Skydeck and spotted the Amsterdam docked at the port.  Then we hooked online at Starbucks before taking a stroll in downtown Melbourne.  It's a friendly city and we enjoyed visiting the library and the train station.  Before boarding the train, we ran into Andy and Samuel, two of the three performers known as The Aussie Boys.  

Adelaide was the next city we visited and we traveled by tram downtown and visited two museums as well as the Apple store on Rundle Mall.  The second day we took a shore excursion that visited four wineries in the Barossa Valley with friends, Rosie and Randy, plus Jacques, the sommelier on the Amsterdam.  Steve checked out the quality of the grapes and then we toured the wine cellars and sampled many of the delicious wines.

That evening The Aussie Boys performed onboard the ship and, as always, they were a hit with the audience.  We celebrated Chinese New Years and got ready for Mardi Gras as the ship was decorated with flowers and streamers.  We met Dhinawan and Stephen Kent, our onboard Australian ambassadors.

Albany was our next port of call and we enjoyed walking around this small community that we first visited in 2013.  We started in the town park where vendors had set up tents and Steve was photographed with a friendly kangaroo.   We visited St. James Anglican Church and also the restored Amity, a ship that brought many immigrants to the Land Down Under in the late 1800s.

Fremantle is the Western Australia port city for nearby Perth which is a beautiful city with a mixture of new and old buildings and lovely gardens.  We spotted a few kangaroos (sculptures actually) and we enjoyed the parks and strolling the pedestrian-only lanes downtown with their European architecture.

Returning to Fremantle for an overnight stay, we explored the crowded markets in this quaint city.  We walked up the hill to the War Memorial overlooking the port and downtown and we saw crew members Henk and Christel (remember our earlier post in Japan) as they departed for another ride on their tandem bike.

On board the Amsterdam we were presented with Aboriginal performances by Dhinawan and Stephen Kent, including how to play the didgeridoo, a very unique instrument.  Joining a regular sail-away reception at the back of the ship, playing cards with friends, Larry and Bill, and inviting guests, like Gwen, to our table for dinners has been a highlight of this world cruise and we aren't ready for it to end.  

Choppy seas though prevented us from tendering to our final scheduled port of Geraldton, Australia and so now we're on our way to Bali, Indonesia.  With two months to go and lots to see on our voyage around the world, we hope you'll check back soon to find our next blog post.  Until then….thanks for following us.