and so it begins....Dec/Jan Circumnavigation of Australia on Regatta

Emma - a definite yep to the Tassie wines - we keep most of them here as we reckon they are pretty special.

Ah-ha. I knew it! You don't share much with us up here in Qld either. Will just have to visit the down-under-est state of Down Under more often. Given the hot weather that welcomed us home last week (after we were on a cruise in Antarctica) we are thinking next Christmas will be in Tassie - or Thredbo.

Thanks for the excellent wine discussion--way to educate others on the glories of Tassie wines!

Update: ~10am.

remember how excited I was to be able to get off ship today (visited doc at 7:30am!!!) to visit the glories of Kangaroo Island? Rental car with Jennie&Peter and Cathi&Bruce? Full fun day?

well......not so much.

Captain sent the anchor down and it didn;t hold. Moved the ship, sent the anchor down, it didn't hold. Repeat a 3rd time and sent out a couple of "test tenders" so...

.the current was too strong to support the boat at anchor and it was drifiting into shallow water and the tenders were taking on water as they approached the ship so the decision was....

load up the tenders, pull up the anchor, and cancel Kangaroo Island....yep....another cancelled port.

Captain has kept us informed at every step of the process and the decision has just been reached by Miami to head to our next planned port, Adelaide, less than 60 nautical miles away.

Miami office is working with the Adelaide port authorities to determine when we will be allowed to dock but we are to be in position to do so by 1:00 and will remain there overnight.

temps are to be in the 80s and 90s while we are there and forecast is sunny.

10:00 and we are underway for Adelaide. Today will be a DIY day, who knows about tomorrow!!

and......

Captain just announced that the port authorities said that there is too much traffic at Adelaide harbor for us to go in this afternoon so we will reach the pilot station at 5:30pm and go into A at 7:00pm

which means....a day at sea, offshore A.

Wow!! What a shame that these events keep thwarting your trip around Australia! This seems sort of unheard of in the accounts of pax trips on O. You'll really be in need of some Tassie wine! Hope things improve for the rest of your cruise.

Francie

yeah....wine....well....no. Antibiotics and wine are a NO NO....

.still, as I keep repeating my life slogan for the down times-- "It's not chemo".....an excellent way to remind me I really have nothing wrong with me or my life.

Works every time!

I imagine corporate isn't happy--destination services can't be making much money, and I'd think port changes could affect their bottom line for this cruise.

I have to put in a plug for our wonderful Victorian wines. Both the Yarra Valley and the Mornington Peninsula make great Pinot Savignon's as well as any wine made with white wine grapes as well. Then our friends who own the Barrwon Ridge winery near Geelong make fabulous chardonnay, shiraz and sparkling white wines. Also in the north east of Victoria we have our fortified wines so we have the best of all worlds in our small State.

We are all so disappointed at not making Kangaroo Island. Peter and I have been here before and spent 8 days on this lovely island.We were so looking forward to showiing our friends around instead we are moving at around 3 knots as we cannot make it into Adelaide until 7pm!! The sea has calmed right down and there isn't a ripple on the surface. Just our luck! :mad:

Jennie

jennie,

we are so disappointed as well. As soon as Peter said we were headed to Remarkable Rocks Dave and I googled them and couldn't wait to photograph them.

the day's weather looked so promising for photography and for driving.

We won't leave ship today. Tomorrow, hopefully, we'll be able to leave early and walk around....just to be off ship!!!

see you at trivia....we will win!!!

I have to put in a plug for our wonderful Victorian wines. Both the Yarra Valley and the Mornington Peninsula make great Pinot Savignon's as well as any wine made with white wine grapes as well. Then our friends who own the Barrwon Ridge winery near Geelong make fabulous chardonnay, shiraz and sparkling white wines. Also in the north east of Victoria we have our fortified wines so we have the best of all worlds in our small State.

 

We are all so disappointed at not making Kangaroo Island. Peter and I have been here before and spent 8 days on this lovely island.We were so looking forward to showiing our friends around instead we are moving at around 3 knots as we cannot make it into Adelaide until 7pm!! The sea has calmed right down and there isn't a ripple on the surface. Just our luck! :mad:

 

Jennie

Jennie and CBB - What a bummer to miss KI - I am so sorry. The weather in Adelaide tomorrow looks gorgeous though - Hope your day there is wonderful.

Jennie - love your Victorian wines - esp the cooler climate ones that you mentioned - you make some great pinots there!!

Wishing you fair seas for the rest of your fabulous cruise - I have really enjoyed following your travels, thank you for sharing it with us.

Hilary

 

I imagine corporate isn't happy--destination services can't be making much money, and I'd think port changes could affect their bottom line for this cruise.

Yes but the shops will be doing a booming business... :)

So we missed Kangaroo Island and sailed....oh, so very slowly, toward Adelaide, making port at 7pm and we will be here overnight.

Had my twice daily doc visit and then up to Polo and a glass of wine...permission received from Doc. It all tasted wonderful!!

After dinner, we realized that at the pointy end of the ship (bow, for you nautically educated folks) was a lovely coastal walk in an area of Adelaide known as North Haven. I recommend it highly!

The little coastal walk is paved for those less agile and gives a nice overlook of the beach, for those more agile, sandy paths will take you down to the beach.

There are signs describing the beach plant life that you might see.

It is a lovely beach, with beach houses one row back from the sea. It has small shells and a gentle surf and the locals were out walking with kids and dogs....primarily dogs.

At 8:00 everyone released their dogs from the leashes since 8pm signified "unleashed is legal" and 2 legged and 4 legged mammals responded joyfully. Seeing the dogs dart, and run, and bark at the waves, and just generally tear around made all of us smile!

The sunset was stunning and we felt so fortunate for having discovered the little coastal walk.

As you exit the ship, simply ask the very helpful gate guards about the coastal walk and they will gesture to the pointy-end of the ship....it is just that easy to locate and I recommend it highly!

After breakfast and my early morning doc visit, Dave and I took off for the train station, which is easily visible from the port side of the ship.

Walk across a small parking station, exit the gate, and voila ....see the red brick building in front of you with a train.....train station.

This section of the train system has been undergoing repairs so our train ride was free. There are several stops along the way but from "Outer Harbor" (our port) to :"Adelaide" (where you must leave the train) is 45 minutes.

We love riding trains, so this was part of the adventure for us. We saw kids, and bike riders, ladies with empty shopping carts get on and get off 3 stops later, people hanging out their wash on clotheslines, or in other words-- life in the suburbs of Adelaide.

The train station is old and beautiful and you exit right out into the City Center. If you then walk one block south and then turn left, you will be at the Rundle Mall, the main shopping street of Adelaide CBD.

We walked east along Rundle, turned north, walked across the bridge into the University of Adelaide, around to the War Memorial, gardens, had lunch, and briefly walked through the a/c inside part of the Rundle Mall.

As it was well over 30C by that time, we decided to return to the ship, knowing that we had at least a 45 minute train ride ahead of us. We have visited Adelaide before so we were content with just visiting downtown.

I highly recommend Glen Elg, a beautiful beach community (also a palindrome). Walk to Victoria Square ( 4 blocks south of Rundle) and get on the tram....just that easy. We've been there before and it is lovely.

Our return by train was without incident and we retired to the veranda with some iced water and our books.

We were entertained by the arrival of the train and our fellow passengers but noticed that the accuracy of the train schedule was beginning to slip.....it had been arriving every 30minutes but about 5:00 we noticed that it seemed to be arriving 45 minutes or later.

If you are the kind of person who gets concerned about getting back to the ship on time, perhaps you will want to return to the ship a little earlier than you would have planned.

Everyone made it back in time, but the train did arrive after 6 and we saw crew members running past passengers to get back on ship to re-assume their jobs. We were to be on board at 6:30 and sail away was at 7:00.

After missed ports, it was good to be on land overnight, to be in the warm air and sunshine, and just to be masters of our own schedule.

Last night's show was our own Julie James, CD who did a lounge act. Low key, jazzy, just Julie singing, a mic, and a band of piano, bass, sax, guitar, and drums. Lovely selection of songs, and she is a generous performer.

She'd often step out of the spotlight so that it could display the band; she repeatedly introduced them as each guy performed and thanked them for performing with her for the last 4 months.

They are headed for a gig on Regent and she is headed home, then will join Nautica.

On our way today to Melbourne and hope to arrive at 8:00. We shall see what tomorrow brings!!!

.

I imagine corporate isn't happy--destination services can't be making much money, and I'd think port changes could affect their bottom line for this cruise.

But, think how happy they are with all the port fees and taxes that aren't being returned to the customers.

Sounds like you had a very pleasant time in Adelaide. Dave's photos show an interesting town with some great beaches. Loved Julie James as a CD and she does have a great voice. Probably will enjoy her time off after the challenges of your cruise! I can imagine how glad you were to step on shore. The longest we were at sea without a foot on land was 11 days Papeete to Lima, as we missed Easter Island. I could have kissed the ground in Lima!!

visited the Albert Hospital ER and had a 2.5 hr wait. If you ever find yourself here, rest assured it is a modern ER, staff is very caring, and evidently knew immediately we were Americans.....accent?

ER Doc said Regatta doc did everything that he should have. ER doc used something to extract part of a yucky mess in my ear, told me to chew gum for landings and take-offs and wrote a letter stating it certainly was safe for me to fly. and that everything appeared to be healing nicely..

He also said that ear drums will heal by themselves and to see an ENT in 3-4 weeks if i'm still having problems--only symptom i have now is that it feels like i have water in my ear after snorkeling....

jumping up and down with my head cocked just doesn't seem to work in this case!!!

telling you all of this so if you ever have a similar adventure, you won't get worried.--ear drums take care of themselves usually.

We grabbed a cab and went into City Center-- exiting the cab at the Flinders Railroad Station---at the Clocks!!! Had lunch across the street from it where a room full of people next door were watching Australian Open tennis in Melbourne!

Then we walked some of the little byways and since it just after noon, there was lots of alcohol being consumed. How does one drink like that and go back to work? I'd need a nap!!!

Didn't feel like shopping, although we ducked in and out of a/c malls and generally just walked around. Went to the river and walked along it and returned to Clocks, grabbed a cab and returned to the ship.

Not what we had planned to do in Melbourne, which was see the byways and lanes of Melbourne with Jennie and Peter, Cathi and Bruce, but it was fine and we were grateful for not having to contemplate bad news or a change in plane schedule for home!

on to Burnie, Taz tomorrow!

After suffering severe pain in my ear during a landing some years ago I now can't fly without wearing Ear Planes, a special type of ear plug designed for flying. I swear by them, available at any chemist and worth every cent. The only time I've had a problem since is when I forgot to put them in!

Melbourne certainly gave everyone a very “warm” welcome today!!

It should be much more pleasant in Burnie tomorrow; enjoy beautiful Northwest Tasmania!

Melbourne certainly gave everyone a very “warm” welcome today!!

It should be much more pleasant in Burnie tomorrow; enjoy beautiful Northwest Tasmania!

We were wilting in Sovereign Hill -- 44 deg.. Some almost had heat stroke including my DW.

We were wilting in Sovereign Hill -- 44 deg.. Some almost had heat stroke including my DW.

I am sure you will appreciate returning to the ship.

Melbourne can have some extremely hot summer days but not too many consecutively, thank goodness.

Hope all the heat affected passengers are ok; look forward to much cooler weather tomorrow in Tassie.

voluntr57,

thanks for the info....i may look at the ear plugs, although the ER doc said i should handle the landings and take-offs much better than most passengers since i already had a hole in my ear drum....which is exactly what engineer Dave said more than 1 week ago!!!

cruise director said it was 66C in center court Australia Open today.....geez, that's crazy hot!

looking forward to Burnie...good health and good friends = good day in Tasmania!!!

I have really enjoyed your posts. Very well written and entertaining. I have had a perforated ear drum and it healed nicely on its own... sounds like you have gotten good care. It is hard to not feel well away from home.

Have a safe trip home!

After suffering severe pain in my ear during a landing some years ago I now can't fly without wearing Ear Planes, a special type of ear plug designed for flying. I swear by them, available at any chemist and worth every cent. The only time I've had a problem since is when I forgot to put them in!

Thanks for the mention of these, as I sometimes have ear pain, and not just if I fly with a cold. (At home I sometimes get that sensation of water in one of my ears, too. Maybe I have a hole too. It IS getting better, though.) Anyway, for folks in the U.S., I googled, and Ear Planes are apparently available at drug stores, online from Bed, Bath & Beyond & Walmart, etc. for $5-8. I'm going to go buy a pair for future trips.

Glad to hear that your ear drum is healing nicely and you've been cleared to fly. Melbourne sounds hot...always seems that way during the Australian Open. Taz sounds lovely.

Francie

We six left the Regatta in Burnie, Tasmania around 9:00 and boarded the shuttle (mandatory for leaving the port) which took us to Maker's Workshop (save some $ for purchases here!)

The Avis office was inside, and the rental minivan was in a neighboring parking lot--easy to walk to.

We all climbed aboard and off we went to Cradle Mountain National Park, one of the top-rated World UNESCO sites.

It took about 1.5 hours for Peter to drive the twisty mountain roads aided by backseat driver Dave manning the GPS. Oceania had a shorex here as well, but we beat the buses!

Once there we parked the car and boarded a shuttle bus at the Visitors Center that makes 3 stops. Our goal was Dove Lake, one of the stops, but I enjoyed the shuttle since it gave me views of various parts of the park.

At Dove Lake, you could walk around Dove Lake, about 6K, but we opted to walk just part of the way-- to Glacier Rock. Climbing the rock, which would be difficult if you weren't agile or wearing the right shoes, gave us an excellent elevated view of the lake and surrounding Park.

The weather was perfect--not too hot nor too cold--for which we all were grateful. I would not want to hike Dove Lake or any part of it in 30C+ temperatures!

Retracing our steps we got back into the shuttle and returned to the Visitors Center, retrieved our car, and pulled into a hotel immediately outside the park boundaries where we had lunch.

The Artists Gallery/Gift Shop there yielded a pair of earrings for me. A young woman photographer hones in on one feature of her photos and then designs earrings using that feature.

The pair that caught my eye was a black bottom, white background with a single black tree --much like the single trees standing on the top of hillsides that we had seen all through our trip to Cradle Mountain....yes, the pair is now mine!

Jennie asked that Dave plot a return trip through Sheffield and back to Burnie so we would be seeing new sights.

Around and around the mountain, up and down, curvy road, giving way to other curvy roads, all 2 laned but in some places....just barely!

We saw vast agricultural fields and cows and sheep grazing....well, the cows were mostly resting and chewing, but the sheep were still up.

We passed Sheffield, Penguin, and other interestingly named places and were treated to fields of green, all different colors of green, declaring what kind of plant they were--if only we knew!

I'm pretty sure several of the fields were filled with onions and a few miles down the road I did see a sign for "pickled onions of Tasmania" so I think I must have identified at least one shade of green correctly!

Back in Burnie parked the car, went into the Maker's Workshop, dropped off the car keys, to await the arrival of the shuttle. While there I discovered the handmade paper bookmarks with various little logos on them. Naturally I chose the Tasmanian Devil!

Back to Regatta, but we did not attend trivia--just too tired after the day's adventures. Thanks Jennie & Peter for suggesting this wonderful drive.

Cradle Mountain is stunning, and the rangers and park workers remind us constantly to keep the Park pristine, if not for us, then for our grandchildren-- a sentiment we grandparents hardily endorse.

Beautiful photos of the Cradle Mountain area! Thank you for sharing them.

Thank you for sharing your beautiful photos on your blog; I was born and bred in Ulverstone on the NW Coast of Tassie (still have relatives in Penguin) and the gorgeous countryside was my backyard.

As much as I love Melbourne, Tasmania is where my heart is!

Looking forward to being back on Marina in May for Transatlantic Cruise.