TRAVEL TOPIC Nov09
Cheaper than a divorce and worth every cent! 28 days cruising around Aus by Vicki (part 2)
Broome had been all we expected and then some. A photographers paradise, especially when a doorless helicopter takes you above the red cliffs of Gantheume Point, then the Cable Beach camel sunset ride that had been on my list since seeing it on Getaway years earlier.
We were approaching Exmouth and with our booked excursion a deep sea fishing trip, I began searching for sea sickness tablets. I needn’t have worried. Exmouth is a tender port and the Captain was not going to risk putting us in tenders in the sea conditions, so a second port was aborted, instead we continued on to Fremantle.
The three things I look for in a shore excursion is good photography, food/culture and an education. All three were served up in abundance at our four stops in WA.
Taking ourselves off to Rottnest Is from Fremantle and using the public bus to get around, we saved $340 compared to the organized tour.
In Albany however we couldn’t pass up one of the organized excursions which offered a sail around Princess Elizabeth Sound with a retired professor of Geology … and the food, his wife’s homemade scones with no shortage of jam and cream!
The Great Australian Bight is well known for its hazardous sea conditions. God blessed us well, as the Captain said the Bight was the calmest he had ever seen it. Really… where else could one enjoy a portable home, that feeds and entertains you, makes your bed, turns down the bed at night and leaves a chocolate, then rocks you to sleep, only to bring you as reliably as the rising sun, safely to an ever-changing view and not just any view but one that always includes the one constant – a sea so powerful and majestic that never can it be taken for granted.
One last excursion in Hobart to the sea caves of the Tasman Peninsula was also affected by weather, we wouldn’t have been able to get out again!
On the lee side of the island however, our Captain, the son of the last lighthouse keeper on Tasman Is, was able to share his backyard with us intimately. He knew every inch of the Dolarmite Towers. It was probably the most exhilarating of all our excursions, but I am Tasmanian so bias is allowed. Sailing into Sydney harbour at 6 am as the city is winding up is not to be missed. The 28 days had passed, and we were ready for home, but incredibly sad to leave the ship’s staff who had made us so welcome, in particular our stewards.
Packed in our luggage however, was a surprise we didn’t expect after 27 years of marriage: the magic that can be put back into a relationship given half a chance and twenty thousand dollars. Cheaper than a divorce and worth every cent!
Travelscene Samford would like to thank Vicki for this lovely travel article (again, difficult to condense down). Don’t forget that only Travelscene American Express lets you travel anywhere, any time and pay with your membership rewards points so contact us on 3289 3700 and let us help you turn your American Express membership rewards points into your next trip.
We were approaching Exmouth and with our booked excursion a deep sea fishing trip, I began searching for sea sickness tablets. I needn’t have worried. Exmouth is a tender port and the Captain was not going to risk putting us in tenders in the sea conditions, so a second port was aborted, instead we continued on to Fremantle.
The three things I look for in a shore excursion is good photography, food/culture and an education. All three were served up in abundance at our four stops in WA.
Taking ourselves off to Rottnest Is from Fremantle and using the public bus to get around, we saved $340 compared to the organized tour.
In Albany however we couldn’t pass up one of the organized excursions which offered a sail around Princess Elizabeth Sound with a retired professor of Geology … and the food, his wife’s homemade scones with no shortage of jam and cream!
The Great Australian Bight is well known for its hazardous sea conditions. God blessed us well, as the Captain said the Bight was the calmest he had ever seen it. Really… where else could one enjoy a portable home, that feeds and entertains you, makes your bed, turns down the bed at night and leaves a chocolate, then rocks you to sleep, only to bring you as reliably as the rising sun, safely to an ever-changing view and not just any view but one that always includes the one constant – a sea so powerful and majestic that never can it be taken for granted.
One last excursion in Hobart to the sea caves of the Tasman Peninsula was also affected by weather, we wouldn’t have been able to get out again!
On the lee side of the island however, our Captain, the son of the last lighthouse keeper on Tasman Is, was able to share his backyard with us intimately. He knew every inch of the Dolarmite Towers. It was probably the most exhilarating of all our excursions, but I am Tasmanian so bias is allowed. Sailing into Sydney harbour at 6 am as the city is winding up is not to be missed. The 28 days had passed, and we were ready for home, but incredibly sad to leave the ship’s staff who had made us so welcome, in particular our stewards.
Packed in our luggage however, was a surprise we didn’t expect after 27 years of marriage: the magic that can be put back into a relationship given half a chance and twenty thousand dollars. Cheaper than a divorce and worth every cent!
Travelscene Samford would like to thank Vicki for this lovely travel article (again, difficult to condense down). Don’t forget that only Travelscene American Express lets you travel anywhere, any time and pay with your membership rewards points so contact us on 3289 3700 and let us help you turn your American Express membership rewards points into your next trip.
