Hobart, Australia

Day 32 - Tasmania is to Australia as Newfoundland is to Canada.

We were told it would be a holiday in Hobart and that many shops and business might not be open. An annual agro-fair was going on somewhere outside of the city center today. We marveled at the small-town feeling of Hobart and its peace and quiet. I'm in no position to judge, but I do not think our perceptions had much to do the special event. Hobart seems like a clean, picturesque, but sleepy city. Free Wifi is offered all over the downtown area as a friendly incentive to spend time here.



We'd been a little afraid that we'd not be able to get out to a special animal reserve as we didn't book a tour from the staff on the Noordam. What a tragedy it'd have been if we hadn't gotten a chance to touch a kangaroo during our third and final stop in Australia! It was a clear and cool morning with a few puffy clouds over the mountains behind Hobart. We briskly walked to the Visitor Information Center in the middle of town. Our ship was only about one kilometer away from the place to sign up for a little, white van that would take us to Bonorong Wildlife Sanctuary.

At our arrival at the office, we found the next ride wouldn't be available for an hour. We walked around Hobart a little. Things really looked deserted on the streets. Over at Salamanca Square, things were pleasant and warming up. By walking along the water, we returned to the place to board our van at exactly 11:00 AM. Yay, only 11 passengers in a van with exactly that capacity!



The sanctuary is approximately 30 kilometers out of town. We had two passengers to drop off in a historic town named, Richmond. I saw enough of it from the brief drive through, I think. Then, we continued via some back roads to interact with some Tasmanian fauna. The experience was delightful. Scattered kangaroo-feed boxes were placed around the inside perimeter of the hilltop location. This area is much drier than I might have imagined with the bulk of the rain falling on the other side of the inland mountains. The midday temperature must have been around 20C.







The many kangaroos had been fed by earlier visitors. Our ship and the holiday visitors provided that the animals didn't have to move a bit of their food. We held our hands right up to the creatures' mouths and they had no power to resist a bit more of a nibble. We saw many rescued small animals including wombats, Tasmanian devils, quolls, and some reptiles. Some were recuperating and would be released in due time. Unfortunately, some were no longer equipped for life in the wild and this place would become their lifetime home. The two hours we got to spend there were perfect.







On the ride home via a different route, we got to see a sample of land and housing in this section of Tazmania. We did notice a lot of sheep. Some of the range area reminded me a lot of central Washington State in the US. We spied a cove of many black swans when returning. We decided to eat on the boat, rest a bit, and return to walk around some of the city which we'd missed earlier. We did end up with a lot of mileage today as the Mi Band reported around 14 kilometers.



This was an excellent day and a fitting experience before we leave port and begin to travel east for the first time since we left Vancouver.

Tazmania to Our Right

Day 31 - The MS Noordam has been home for more than a month! Today we were at sea heading for Hobart.

I slept a bit much today with several naps. I am hoping this extra sleep can ward off any possible flu. I don't feel sick right now, but I am a bit slow. Perhaps that is how I should feel at this point during six weeks at sea. We had another 'Mariner Lunch" at 1:00 PM today. We sat with two couples also from British Columbia whom we'd not met. They were quite old and the conversation although pleasant was a little repetitive. A good number of the 880 passengers who continued the cruise in Sydney boarded back in Vancouver!

I am struggling to get through a novel called 'Mirage' by F. Paul Wilson and Matthew J. Costello. It's about a new memory visualization technology being used by the protagonist to find out what happened to a twin sister who's in a coma. It's not bad but not terribly riveting. Yet, I've invested too much time to give up on it now.

A few humpbacked whales entertained at afternoon-tea time.

Melbourne, Australia

Day 30 - I'm not sure of my vote. It seems that the cities of Sydney and Melbourne have always had a bit of a rivalry. I'm not sure where I sit on choosing the 'best' city. Although I did really like the stunning scenery and compactness of the former, I have to admit that today I witnessed many of Melbourne's charms.



The city is definitely friendly and every single bit of human contact today was more than cordial. We found the downtown core filled with visitor ambassadors who were volunteers helping visitors. Even an ordinary guy noticing I was trying to figure out our map offered help and suggestions for getting to Queen Victoria Market. I think today's city might win on friendliness.



Moreover, transit was excellent here. Similar to other cities with progressive transit, a downtown core area offered free service. We noticed that a huge number of tram lines serviced the neighbourhoods. The system ran a special bus to the cruise port because our ship was visiting. Downtown was about 20 minutes from the sea.



With the number of arts venues we saw, there is a prosperous cultural scene. In a related observation, Melbourne seems extremely multicultural and damn proud of it. The China town wasn't very large but we saw most ethnic groups represented. There was a bit banner visible from the main square near Flinders Street Station stating that "Refugees are welcomed in Melbourne".



We took several trips to down today. We first got there right in the morning. We returned after a little rest at the MS Noordam from 1:00 to 3:00 PM. Most of the trips were on the shuttle bus to the Arts Centre but the final trip back to the boat was on Tram #109. Although the ship doesn't leave until midnight we were back in time for dinner. By 8:30 a rainstorm had come that must have dumped a whole lot of water.



So, for the quality of life perspective, I'd say I could probably settle right into today's city. Yet, there was something I cannot exactly define that intrigued me about Sydney too. I never had much of an opinion about Australia before visiting but after seeing these two cities, my view is very positive. Hey, as the seasons here are opposite to home, we could do a future winter in Australia! I guess, for now, I should probably abstain from voting for which city is best.

Sydney, Austrailia

Day 28 - It's taken a month in the coming but we have been in Australia today. Sydney reminds me a lot of home with lots of waterfront, modern growth, and a relatively small but crowded downtown core. I think I could like it equally as much as home.

Holland America docked the MS Noordam at White Bay, to take on provisions. That meant we had to take a ferry or taxi to get to the city centre. We opted for the ferry over to Darling Harbour. I bought one additional ticket from the Circular Quay but we decided to hike across town and use it to get back for the connection to the ship.

Marching across to 'The Rocks' was easy and the city seemed quiet on a Sunday morning. We eventually saw that we could walk right along the front of the Circular Quay to the Opera House. So, of course, we did. The sun was bright at this point and the morning warm and beautiful. We also walked uptown to Hyde Park by foot. We put on around 12 km on our urban hike. We did get back to the quay for a 'Captain Cook' Cruise boat back to Darling Harbour and the return to our ship.











We were back at the MS Noordam at about 3 o'clock. Fortuitously, rain clouds rolled in just as we were reboarding. It poured and we were able to catch a quick nap during the rain.

By departure time at 6:30, things had cleared but it was then only around 17C. When scooting out under the famous Sydney Harbour Bridge, the air was cold. I held my ground, so to speak, along the railing and shot about 25 photographs of the Opera House as we passed it just before dusk.