Hello to all
Since our last post, we stopped at three ports: Adelaide, Melbourne in Australia, and Hobart in Tasmania. Technically all three are in Australia since Tasmania is the 5th state. Each stop was short in time, so we tried to use it wisely. However, getting on and off the ship takes approx. a 1 hour of time each day.
We also stopped in 3 ports in New Zealand South Island which will be separate post.
March 6th –
In Adelaide, we went to the botanical gardens and enjoy a leisurely stroll and then went for lunch off ship. Bonnie had the opportunity to watch some dolphins play in the harbor which was her first sighting of wildlife beside the zoos. Can you find the spider in the pictures below
March 8th –
Melbourne is an enjoyable city and easy to get around. We took the bus from pier and took the Upfield train to Royal Park station. We then walked to the Melbourne Zoo which was rated #1 in Australia. It was nice and very kid friendly, but my vote would be Targona Zoo in Sydney or the Australia Zoo (Steve Irvine’s) in Queensland were better. The zoo animals were limited, and they used plastic net fencing in different areas which is economical but is distracting from appearance. They had a baby elephant which he is 6 months old which we saw him and his mother. However, they were shy and only showed us their butts. After the zoo, we rode the train back into Flinders station and walked along Swan River to grab an enjoyable lunch. Then we walked to pick up the bus back to the ship.
March 10th –
Hobart there is something I like about this city and countryside since this was our second time to Hobart in the last six weeks. We had a tour scheduled which covered the highlights of the area. First stop was top of Mount Wellington which is approx. 3400 ft above the city and provided an excellent view of the city and harbor area. The wind was blowing, and the temperature was only 50 degrees on the summit, so we did not spend a lot of time since we were dressed for 80 deg weather in the city. The road up the mountain is basically just 2 cars wide so in a bus there were some challenges. There were no guardrails, and the drop-off was anywhere from 10-50 ft. Our driver was the second oldest driver and first time to drive down the mountain. Only kidding, he was experienced, and I was glad that I did not have to drive up and down the mountain. On side of the mountain there are several tubular columns and according to our driver, the mountain can make a hum based on wind direction. My picture of the rock area on mount Wellngton reminded me of a Star Trk scene where Cpt Kirk fought an alien.
We travelled to another lookout point located on the other side of the river. From there it was a short drive to the botanical gardens. The one issue I have with tours is they have set times to be spent at a site, which it takes several minutes to unload the bus and 40 minutes total to walk through and visit a botanical garden is insufficient. The Royal Tasmanian Botanical Gardens in Hobart are the second oldest gardens in Australia with Sydney being first. The gardens opened in 1818 two years after Sydney. We had a short walk and viewed several areas before heading back.
After getting back to the ship, we had approx. 90 minutes, so we walked to a local restaurant on the waterfront for Fish & Chips and two cold local beers. The food was good, however unfortunately Bonnie had a case of food poisoning. After being back on the ship which sailed at 4 o’clock, she started to feel ill. Next day she felt better while we were sailing to New Zealand.
