Australia Circumnavigation Cruise
12-11-2022 to 17-12-2022
It's 5:30 in the morning. We are awake early because the clocks went back 1 hour. The tidal range here today is 9 metres. This photo was taken an hour before low tide.
Looking over the harbour from our balcony.
This photo was taken 1 hour later. There has been quite a drop in the sea level to low tide.
This is a piece of public art in Chinatown. It is influenced by Broom's pearling industry and called Fusion.
We had a long hot walk along this road to reach the shopping centre we wanted to visit.
Closer to town there were trees to shade us.
Here is the shopping centre we were heading for. Not much shade round here.
Colleen is standing under one of the many Baobab trees along the road.
Waiting in the bus for the lady with the pass. She went in on the bus before us and we had to wait till she came out again to take us in. We don't know why they operated that way.
Another view of the wharf from our balcony. This time at high tide. Our wait in the bus was a long one because they had to move the gangway periodically as the ship rises and falls with the tide.
Exmouth is a tender port. This photo is taken from our balcony. It looks like it is going to be another hot day. This time with very little shade.
Looking over the balcony I saw this sea snake.
As predicted. No shade. This is the line to board the shuttle to town. We just missed out on boarding one of these coaches. And had to wait for the next one.
Meanwhile another tender arrives with passengers to join the end of the queue.
There is not much in Exmouth apart from the Aquarium. Inside there is a section about the US communication station that Exmouth was established to support in 1967. This photo shows part of a tank the rises up to the next floor. It's not a good photo, the fish were more colourful.
Outside the Aquarium. And another queue for the coach back to the port.
Colleen sitting in front of the airconditioning unit on the tender (open window).
Passing an incomming tender on our way out of the harbour.
The airconditioning unit tended to let the spray from the bow wave in. The crew wanted to shut the window for us but we wouldn't let them.
Back at the dock in the side of the ship. In time for lunch.
0610 this morning we heard the winch going. This is why. A line being attached to the tug.
This is Geraldton as we entered the small harbour.
Geraldton's second railway station. Today the station only serves Transwa coach services. It is a busy local market place every Sunday.
This land mark building in Geraldton once housed the Victoria District Hospital. It was built to the Florence Nightingale specifications.
I don't know what this building is but it must be one of the older ones in Geraldton. The weather is now much cooler and the wind fresher.
Early morning sailing into Fremantle. In the haze is Perth. About a 20 minute train ride away.
We have not seen this way of securing the lines from the ship before. A boat carries the lines dropped from the ship to the wharf. Then the wharfies use a capstan on the back of a truck to haul the lines up.
While walking down to the river for lunch we passed this building. It is the Supreme Court of Western Australia.
A local game of football. Jacaranda trees in bloom in the background.
Heading back to the staion we stopped to take a photo of Viginia, Colleen and Wayne in front of the Christmas Tree.
Sunset from our balcony. The Cunard ship Queen Elizabeth on the left of the photo
We took a walk round Fremantle before sailing about 1pm. This is The Round house. Which is the oldest public building in the State of Western Australia. Opened in January 1831. It was built to hold anyone convicted of a crime in the settlement and was used till 1886.
Sailing away from the harbour in Fremantle. Once again misty Perth in the background.
HMAS Ovens an Oberon class authentic Cold war era submarine. It is on Fremantle's historic WWII submarine slipway. It is open for tours daily.
People waving to us as we leave the harbour.
There has been a lull in proceeding. On the 4th of December we were due to visit Albany. But it was cancelled due to weather conditions making it unsafe to enter the harbour through its narrow channel. The Sea Day on the 5th was rainy. But today we have some sun.
An early morning view of Port Lincoln.
On our walk into Port Lincoln we saw that this Railway Museum was open and went and had a look round.
At sail Away we were told that there was an Australian Submarine docked with us. We saw it as we left.
Today we have four wineries to visit for our Taste the Barossa tour. We were running early for our first winery so we stopped to have a look at the Langmeil Lutheran Church in Tanunda.
Our first stop was Chateau Yaldara winery established in 1947. The parent company is 1847 Winery (SA) Pty ltd.
My wine tasting glass.
After the tasting we were shown through the cellars. Apologies for the blurriness of the photo. The exposure was long due to light levels. But you can see how the wine is stored.
A display of Champagne bottles.
Down in the Cellar the ghost of Colleen is trying to manifest itself on the right of the photo.
Ah! made it!
Colleen sitting in the shade outside the winery.
Peter Lehmann's winery was our second stop. This is the lunch platter that Colleen and I shared after the tasting.
There were 17 of us on this 20 seater bus.
A view over the Barossa valley.
Our final winery was Wolf Blass started by Wolfgang Blass in 1966.
Christmas tree at Wolf Blass. On the left is a display of some of the awards the wines have won.
After Wolf Blass we stopped in Tanunda for a look round.
Wheat fields. This year has been a good year for growning wheat.