As you can see from the picture, our ship was berthed just across from the famous Sydney Opera House. We look remarkably well here I think. We have been on a plane for the last 30 hours or so, not much sleep, and have just settled in to our cabin.
Behind us was the bridge nicknamed "the coat hanger". The Harbor Bridge is another famous landmark and, for the sum of $200, you can walk along its span and stand at the top of the bridge. Many famous folks have done so and their photos are in the museum. Oprah, Al Gore, Prince Harry of England are just a few of those.
We left the harbor and sailed overnight to Newcastle. There were some Newcastle locals as passengers on the ship and they told me that it took all night to sail to Newcastle and it takes 2 hours by train from Sydney! Go figure.
We walked through town on our way to the beach and noticed something unique. There were many mature trees along the sidewalk and extending out into the street. Rather than cut down these magnificent trees, the just paved around them.
Along the coastline of Newcastle is seven miles or so of beaches. We strolled along one of them and watched as folks bodysurfed. I tested the water and, even though it is almost summer here, the water was too cold for my liking.
There was also a public seawater pool that consisted of a large open pool and a smaller lap pool. Here the water wasn't much warmer than the nearby ocean but much gentler.
Around the corner from this pool was a beach that had just recently hosted a large beach volleyball tournament. This day, there were several groups of young kids being trained to be life guards. We watched as they ran into the surf and practiced rescuing a swimmer in trouble. Lifeguards are well respected in Australia and positions are competitive and much sought after.
Looking out at the end of the beach is the weather station that we passed when entering the channel. This piece of beach is all manmade! In the 1800's the rocks and sand were built up over several years by convict labor to create this manmade breakwater for the harbor. This particular place has a connection to WW II. We took the picture from the high ground around Ft. Scratchley. Here in 1943, a Japanese submarine fired several canon rounds into Newcastle. The naval guns at the fort returned fire. It was the only hostile action of WW II that took place on Australian soil. We met a volunteer guide (named Mick of all things. Shades of Mick "Crocodile" Dundee...) who showed us around the fort. He was a delight to be around, very funny and informative. He took us on a tour of places that seemed off limits to the regular public (we had to unlock the doors to get in to the exhibits). Mick told us that our ship line had paid them to fire the forts guns in salute to the ship as we left the harbor. He told us to make sure and not stand on the side with the big red target on it... funny guy! Anyway, we picked up a prime viewing spot on the deck as we left and, sure enough, the guns fired not once but twice. It was never announced on the ship so only those fortunate few who were on deck got to see it. We had the insider info!!! Below you can see the cloud of smoke just exiting the guns.
Over the next couple of days we were at sea headed towards the northern town of Cairns (pronounced "Cans". The "R" is silent) On the way each evening, when we returned to our stateroom after dinner, we found a different towel animal (created by our room steward). I will share some of them with you below...
The Elephant
The Koala
The Monkey
No comments:
Post a Comment