Viking Australia Cruise - December 15

As we entered the harbor of Newcastle, Australia, we were greeted with a cannon salute from Fort Scratchley, a custom apparently to welcome cruise ships making their first docking.

The cruise ship port is rather in its infancy, with a tent serving as the point of disembarkation and security arranged with temporary fencing.  But it worked.

We arrived late in the morning, so it wasn't until after lunch that our included tour was ready. Our driver-guide made sure that we learned a few facts about Newcastle as he made his way through the Saturday traffic.  Newcastle was founded in the 19th century after coal was discovered in the area.  At first it was a penal colony, with the convicts sent from England put to work in the mines. Thus coal became its first export, but now that commodity has been supplanted with grain and aluminum.

The city is a modest size, built up on the hills surrounding the harbor.  Prominently visible is Christchurch Cathedral, surrounded by parks and other civic buildings. Many of the older buildings are being renovated as is the whole waterfront, enhanced by a new light rail system.

Newcastle is proud of its beaches, and were shown two of the best - Merewether and Nobbys. One of the features of the beaches, beside the beautiful sand and waves, is ocean baths - sections of the ocean enclosed in barriers to make swimming safer even as the waves crash around. (The photo was taken at Merewether Beach.)

We visited Fort Scratchley, built in the early 20th century to protect the city and coastline from an anticipated invasion from Russia which never took place.  During World War II, a Japanese submarine surfaced and began shelling the city.  Guns from Fort Scratchley returned fire and the submarine retreated.

Tonight we sail for Sydney, Australia.  We will see only a glimpse of the harbor as we will disembark at 7:30 a.m. for a trip to the airport.  We will fly to Houston and then Newark, arriving home (weather permitting) on Sunday evening.

I hope you've enjoyed this trip with us.  You can see all the entries (in reverse order) at <https://jarchronicles.blogspot.com>

Viking Australia Cruise - December 14

Today we are at sea, on the way to Newcastle, Australia which will be our last stop before we disembark in Sydney early Sunday morning.

Our daily routine has been pretty consistent: up early, breakfast in the World Cafe (they have a homemade muesli which is great), checking the morning schedule.  We skipped the early lecture in favor of taking a walk on the jogging path. Later as we sat in the library, we spotted a small school of dolphins, leap-frogging in front of the bow!

The afternoon lecture by the Resident Astronomer on meteorites, comets and asteroids and the levels of threat they pose to earth.  Of greatest concern of course is the asteroids; he emphasized the importance of the work by astronomers in identifying the ones that might come near or collide with the earth, and the work that is being done to develop a way to intercept a future asteroid on a collision course.

The Viking Orion has an app for our phones which we've found useful in keeping track of our excursions and things like our onboard account.  There is a second related app which we chose to use this afternoon: a self-guided tour of the artwork which is to be found all over the ship.  Matching a number with the app generates a description of the artist and the subject of the work.  It was a pleasant diversion for a quiet afternoon.

This evening we had our second visit to the Chefs Table restaurant.  It was another fabulous meal, a five-courses inspired by China's Cantonese and Hualyang cuisine. The photo is Jan enjoying the hot and sour soup. Each course is small but absolutely delicious. And as a happy coincidence, a couple from White Plains, NY, a DKG sister of Jan's and her husband, were seated again next to us. Good conversation ensued.

The evening was completed with the Captain's Farewell. Just one more day and our journey will be over.  Still, more to come...

Viking Australia Cruise - December 13

We entered Brisbane, the capital of Queensland, by way of its namesake river. The Viking Orion docked riverside at a recently developed cruise ship terminal, including shops and apartments looking directly into our cabins. The residents seemed to be as interested in our presence as we were in theirs.

We left the ship for a scenic panoramic look at the city by way of a motor coach.  Brisbane is a bustling city - lots of construction and renovation going on in older areas of the city - with skyscrapers and a mix of old and new architecture in the city center.  Our coach stopped atop Mt. Coot-tha, the highest point in the city, for a great view of the city and the river which snakes its way through it. The weather was sunny and warm which made the outing that much nicer.

After lunch we returned by Viking's shuttle bus to the downtown area. Our first stop was St. John's Anglican Cathedral, a beautiful gothic structure begun in 1906 and completed in 2009.  Inside we found some unique art: life-size figures of the Christmas story, from the Annunciation to the visit of the Magi, made of cardboard.  In the photo is Jan standing next to one of the wise men.

From there we made our way to the Queen Street Mall - several long blocks sealed from traffic with hundreds of stores, restaurants, bars, boutiques - and crowds of people enjoying the sun and the Christmas decorations. And being from the northern USA, it is still a wonderment to see them without snow or at least cold weather! In Australia, Christmas falls in the beginning of their summer.

We did a little shopping and more sight-seeing, logging about 6 miles before returning to the ship.  Later tonight we begin another day at sea on our way to Newcastle.  More to come...

Viking Australia Cruise - December 12

Today was spent at sea, making our way toward Brisbane, Australia.

The days at sea are good for exploring the various options available on the ship.  For breakfast, we ate at the World Cafe, for lunch we ate at Mamsen's Norwegian Deli, and for dinner we had reservations at the Chef's Table, one of the two specialty restaurants available.

Then the events in the main assembly room called the Star Theater: in the morning was a cooking demonstration by the head chef and the pastry chef, demonstrating the cooking of Mediterranean sea bass, and the creation of chocolate truffles. (Recipes were provided.) In the afternoon was a presentation on the Bayeux Tapestry, significant in the Viking world as William the Conquerer was a descendant of the Vikings who had settled in the region of France. The Resident Historian traced the history of the English kings portrayed in the tapestry, images of portions of the tapestry adorn the walls of the stairwells. (The photo is of the presentation.)

Between all these events were some time spent walking the jogging path around the second deck, cappuccino in the lounge,and, in the evening, a star-gazing outing led by the Resident Astronomer outside on the top deck.  In other words, there is much to do, even without shore excursions.

Tomorrow we reach Brisbane.  More to come..

Viking Australia Cruise - December 11

Our destination for today was Hamilton Island, one of the Whitsunday Islands off the east coast of Australia.  It is a private island, complete with an airport, condos, private homes costing in the millions, a huge marina, hotels and a beautiful beach.  The weather had turned surprisingly pleasant after the last few days of rain.

The Viking Orion anchored at a distance from the island and we were transferred to the marina by the ship's tenders. Once on the island, we decided to skip the lines waiting for the shuttle bus and walked up and over the center of the island to reach the beach.  On the way we found a tiny wildlife park, with a collection of Australian animals, including koalas, kangaroos, wallabys and dingoes.  Of course we had to check it out and it was definitely worth the admission. (The photo is of Jan with the koalas just over her right shoulder having breakfast of eucalyptus leaves.)

We continued on to the beach for a stroll, then decided to go exploring again.  One of the highest points of Hamilton Island is the One Tree Hill, so we climbed it.  The view atop was amazing; the trip back down was long and when we got back to the marina (a total of four miles) we were ready to take the tender back to the ship.  Once there, we headed straight for the ship's pool to cool off and work out the kinks.

The rest of the afternoon passed pleasantly.  Today's lecture by the Resident Astronomer was on "Time - The Strangest Thing". While he was never able to give a firm definition of time, we got a thorough grounding on how time zones were established, how time is kept, and the role of astronomy in establishing the world's precise time.

Tomorrow is a full day at sea on our way to Brisbane.  More to come...

  

Viking Australia Cruise - December 10

The picture says it all.  It was another rainy day as we visited the city of Townsville, Australia.

The day was not a total loss.  The included offering was a motor coach tour of the city, including the landmark called the Castle Hill.  (In the photo we are standing at the top of Castle Hill looking down at the harbor.  The Viking Orion can be seen in the center of the photo just above the railing.) Townsville is a medium-sized city by Australian standards but it also includes a Royal Australian Air Force base (RAAF) and a large military barracks. The tour was a good introduction and Jan fell asleep only once.

The rain would not let up, so we abandoned plans to go back to the city.  Instead we worked on our Christmas letter and went for a swim in the main pool.  The evening included an IMAX theater 3-D movie on the ocean's whales and dolphins and the environmental threat to their existence, and later, another outstanding dinner.

Tomorrow we travel on to the Whitsunday Islands for an outing on the famous silica sand beaches of Hamilton Island. More to come...

Viking Australia Cruise - December 9

Today was a total washout. The weather turned to heavy rain and thunderstorms.

The much-anticipated chance to go snorkeling on the Great Barrier Reef did not happen. We docked in Cairns, Australia right at 8:00 am, but before we could go ashore, we were informed that because of the bad weather, the excursions to the Great Barrier Reef were cancelled.  We were bummed, to say the least.

However, Viking, true to form, was ready with Plan B.  All those holding tickets for the reef were invited to visit the Cairns Aquarium and to be transported there and back by bus. It was a good educational experience, and probably we saw many more tropical fish than we would have snorkeling on the reef.  In addition, we learned some amazing facts: fish moving from fresh water to salt water can change sex, which is part of how some reproduce. And we were given the inside story of how the rise in ocean temperature leads to the whitening of some coral beds.(The photo was taken from one of the exhibits.)

After another delicious lunch at Mamsen's, we decided to redeem the day with a swim in the main pool which, amazingly, we had to ourselves.  A nice swim, a chance to read by the pool while watching the rain pelt the glass roof, were somehow appropriate.

Tonight, the Viking Orion is en route to Townsville, Australia, where hopefully the weather will be better.  More to come...