possum52

Really the only way to do a Great Barrier Reef excursion from Airlie Beach is to do it from the ship because of time constraints. The GBR excursion boat ususally will pick you up from the ship and drop you back there saving on the long tender trips. Yorkey's Knob - shuttles will take you into Cairns central business district (CBD) - the train station is fairly centrally located so not too much of a walk from anywhere in the CBD. But the time you arrive at Yorkey's Knob will not give you enough time to catch the Kuranda train. You may need to take a taxi from Yorkey's Knob to Smithfield for the Skyrail to Kuranda (leaves every 15 minutes) and then take the train back to Cairns and then shuttle back to Yorkey's. Although once again, time may be against you as train doesn't arrive back in Cairns in 3.55pm which doesn't give long to get to shuttle and back to Yorkey's and then tender to ship. Ship's excursion may be only way to do this. There are many things you could do in Cairns, it's a beautiful city. Cairns Port Douglas - yes I agree with what you suggest. Many will say Port Douglas is the best place to do a GBR excursion from. But a trip to the Daintree/Mosman Gorge is very worthwhile. Good luck with your planning and enjoy your time down under. Port

Where the shuttle drops you off in Ann Street, the Anzac Square and Memorial are interesting to have a look at. It's probably a 20-25 minute walk from there across the river to Southbank.

If the cruise line is providing shuttles into the city I would take one of those and then either walk to Southbank or taxi/uber if too far for you to walk. If no shuttles, then taxi/uber are best bet.

Yes you are correct Lyle, it was February this year. Luckily the crew came away with with fairly minor injuries. The preliminary report into the crash was released last week. The aircraft was originally delivered to Southeast Airlines in latw 1995 and retired as a commercial aircraft in 2017 when it was purchased by Coulson. It didn't start operatiing as a fire fighting tanker until mid 2022 and was under contract from Coulson to the Australian Government when the crash occurred. In January 2020 three American crew were killed when another Coulson plane crashed in the Snowy Mountains in NSW. Coulson has an operations base in Australia at Bankstown Airport NSW. I'm sure experienced firefighters would be welcome here too Lyle. In fact I know in Victoria, the government employs seasonal firefighters each fire season. In

Sorry, I can find nothing about for 2022. If you are talking about fire fighting aircraft, most aircraft are now leased from Australian companies and we don't have to be reliant on overseas aircraft being available. The pilots are also Australian, usually from a military or outback background.

I'm sorry, I haven't had to use the NZeTA app - perhaps contact them on this email address - info@newzealand-visas.org

When was that Marion? The last big fires in Australia that we needed help from Canada were in December and January 2019-2020 and the last time Australia sent firefighters to Canada was in July 2021.

It would be extremely unusual if both countries had big bushfires at the same time and needed each other's help as our seasons are not the same. We are not going to have large bushfires in Australia at this time of the year and Canada is not going to have large wildfires during their winter/our summer.

Full time - Pies 11.11.77 d Swans 6.12.48 Swans only kicked one goal in 2nd half.

3/4 time Pies 6.9.45 v Swans 5.10.40

1/2 time Swans have hit the lead - Pies 4.6.30 v Swans 5.8.38

Swans are playing Collingwood at the MCG this afternoon - 1/4 time Pies 3.5.23 v Swans 1.1.7

We booked through a tour company, which you can't do now for Taieri Gorge excursion. It can only be booked through your ship (if they have it as an excursion).

If I'm home I'll try to remember to do scores. Enjoy your trip Mic and Rosie.

The main difference to the Inlander I think is that for the ship excursion, you start the train trip dockside at Port Chalmers. I looked up Princess and they charge $299.95AU which is a rip off anyway but way cheaper than Celebrity. We did the train trip pre covid and booked privately. We were picked up by coach at the cruise terminal and taken into Dunedin railway station to catch our train which was a separate one to the ship's excursion. They were about 30-40 mins ahead of us.

Just a correction - the Otway Ranges are cool temperate rainforests, not subtropical with mainly mountain oak forests.

Happy Birthday Les. Enjoy your birthday dinner.

1. For one of your stays in Melbourne, I would suggest a trip to Phillip Island for the renowned Penguin Parade. Phillip Island is around a two hour drive from Station Pier where you will dock. The penguins, many hundreds if not thousands, come out of the sea at sunset (8.30pm in February, 8pm March) and make their way up the beach to their burrows. You could hire a vehicle if one of your party is confident driving on the other side of the road (left hand side) or do a tour. I would suggest you google tours for Phillip Island Penguin Parade for more information. Ballarat, which is a historiacal gold rush city could be of interest and can be reached by train, bus/coach or car. Melbourne itself has plenty of things to do, see and visit - if you are interested in sport, the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) and Melbourne Park, the home of the Australian Tennis Open both have tours. There is the Australian Sports Museum at the MCG which is really interesting. Melbourne is renowned for its coffee and its cafe culture. You will find fabulous little cafes down laneways and hidden away in 19th century arcades and along Southbank. The State Library is also worth a visit, one of my favourite places in the city. It is a beautiful builiding. Penguin Parade Victoria Regional Attractions Visit Ballarat Visit Melbourne Melbourne Cricket Ground Rod Laver Arena Tour 2. Dunedin - last time we were in Dunedin, pre-covid, we went on the Taieri Gorge railway which we thoroughly enjoyed. Post covid, the company has changed the trip and it is shorter. This past cruise season, this particular trip was only available on the days cruise ships were in port and had to be booked through the cruise ship. Of course this may or may not change next summer. There are other train journeys you could do as well. The links below may help. Taieri Gorge Shore Excursion Dunedin Railways Dunedin Activities 3. Christchurch - I haven't been to Christchurch but here are a couple of links which may provide some information. Christchurch Attractions Christchurch Activities 4. Picton - haven't been there 5. Wellington - the Te Papa Museum - you could spend hours here. Zealandia Wildlife Sanctuary Wellington Botanical Garden and cable car Waterfront Te Papa Museum Zealandia Wellington Botanical Garden Wellington Cable Car 6. Gisborne - We tendered in to the pier and caught the shuttle bus into the town across the river and wandered around. There was a cultural performance by the local Maori community which was really good. Gisborne Activities 7. Tauranga - we took a private tour to Rotorua which icluded a stop at a kiwi farm. In Rotorua we visited the Te Puia for the geothermal and Maori Cultural experiences. We enjoyed our day and would recommend it. Te Puia From Tuaranga you can also visit Hobbiton for the Hobbit and Lord of the Rings experience. Hobbiton I haven't been to Napier, Whangarei or Bluff but Napier is renowned for its art deco architecture after having to be rebuilt after an earthquake in 1931. Geelong - Yarramar has given you some suggestions for Geelong, Geelong has a vibrant waterfront so a walk along there is interesting. There are some great cafes and restaurants and wineries in the area too. Geelong Enjoy your cruises and if you have any questions please ask.

You will tender at Airlie Beach and Port Douglas and dock at Cairns. October is before the wet /cyclone season starts so weather should be good.

Rather than rely on snacks, if you are prone to motion sickness, it may be more beneficial to take/use a preventative either an over the counter medication, sea bands which I find help or perhaps ginger which many swear by. Perhaps speak to your doctor. I am prone to most forms of motion sickness and by taking medication each night, I am fine whether at sea, or doing excursions travelling by both buses or trains. I do usually wear sea bands too.

Thanks Geoff.

GWS captain Toby Green kicked the winning goal with a minute or so to go. Giants kicked last four goals.

Credit card I believe or a Visa/Mastercard debit card.

When we fly to Sydney, either for a cruise or a holiday, we usually use a taxi to travel to our hotel/apartment. In saying that, we usually take the train from Circular Quay to the airport after a cruise. Anywhere in the CBD or Rocks is fine to stay for any length of time. I would suggest if staying for a few nights an apartment is ideal. You will usually have cooking and laundry facilities in the apartment which can make it very convenient. The prices of an apartment and hotel are much the same. We usually use Meriton apartments when staying in Sydney. They are in a mumber of areas of the CBD. Most of the CBD is close to public transport - train, bus or tram.

That article doesn't make sense - the lawyer (who does have an anti cruise-line bias) stated it is legislation in the US to have an Automatic Man Overboard system in place. But Quantum sails in US waters so wouldn't she have the system in place? Or is he saying it is turned off in other waters? Or that Royal Caribbean CL doesn't obey US laws?