Down Under - Eden, Tasmania, Melbourne, Geelong and Kangaroo Island

After leaving Sydney, we sailed to the small fishing port of Eden which is located halfway between Sydney and Melbourne and was quite a culture shock after the big city.  However, we enjoyed our day in this quiet friendly town.  There was another small cruise ship in the harbor that day which apparently never happens.  The town really rolled out the red carpet welcoming 2 cruise ships on the same day -- a historic event here.  Two of our fellow passengers were actually interviewed by reporters from the local newspaper, The Eden Magnet, about our stop.  The weather was temperate, but there was smoke in the atmosphere from the inland wild fires.We took a ferry ride around large Twofold Bay in the morning and encountered seals and dolphins along the way and learned about the whaling history of this area.  In the afternoon, we walked around the friendly town and visited the whaling museum which was quite impressive.  Since whaling is no longer practiced in Australia, fishing and mussels are the main industry here.  This picturesque town was a good stop.



Eden on Twofold Bay

Rugged Coastline of Eden

Muscles???

Eden - Population 3,000

We sailed through the night across the Bass Strait to the island of Tasmania.  The Port city of Burnie is located on the northern coast of Tasmania.  We took a tour out to a family owned wildlife refuge.  We drove through beautiful hilly farmland.  This idyllic landscape and climate are perfect for growing every type of produce and raising cattle.  The wildlife refuge is located on the Wing family's 106 acre farm.  The family has been there for 7 generations.  Among the animals they have there are Tasmanian Devils, Koalas, Emus and Kangaroos. We were able to feed and touch the animals sheltered there.  Later in the visit we were allowed to wander around on the farm property and enjoy the countryside and other animals there under protection.  Tasmania is a fascinating place.  We would like to come back someday and do some hiking.

 

 

 

 

 







 

Melbourne  is Australia's second largest city and has been voted one of the world's most livable cities several years in a row.  In the morning of our visit we took a tour out of town to a national park area called the You Yang Mountains and a preserve area called Serendip Preserve to see animals in their natural environment.  This wildlife encounter was very different from our experience the day before in Tasmania.  Our guide was able to spot Koalas, Kangaroos and Emus for us to observe from a distance in their actual protected habitats.  We felt fortunate to have this experience and to get to see the countryside outside of Melbourne.  The terrain is very flat in this area and the countryside becomes very rural after just a short drive out of the City.

 

In the late afternoon Seabourn treated us to a very special event at a vintage theater in downtown Melbourne called The Regent Theatre.  In a beautiful old ballroom with very high ceilings and elaborate chandeliers we were served cocktails and snacks featuring local foods.  An Australian television personality who has a regular show on The Animal Planet brought in animals for us to see and touch including a crocodile, snakes, kangaroo, koala, dingo and other exotic animals.  It was a very interactive event and everyone loved it.  Also, we were treated to a show of music and dance by 3 members of a local indigenous group.  We returned to the ship after the show and were greeted with a welcome back aboard party.  We finished up our great day in Melbourne with dinner outside on deck followed by dancing under the stars with the ship's house band -- not a bad Thursday!!!

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

  





After leaving Melbourne we sailed a short distance to Geelong which is Australia's fifth busiest commercial port.  This charming town has a busy downtown with restaurants and shops and interesting architecture. It also has a beautiful waterfront featuring a swimming beach and boardwalk, marina and pier.  There is a lot of public artwork around town to add charm.  We walked along a waterfront park, then walked across town to a riverfront area.  We visited some other downtown sites, then stopped in the Lord Nelson Pub for a late lunch and a pint of local beer.  All the locals were very friendly to us which added to the charm of the seaport town.

 

 

 

 

  

After a full day at sea, we arrived in Pennashaw on Kangaroo Island, an island of ,4500 inhabitants. The locals utilize a ferry service that runs regularly to shuttle back and forth to the mainland.  The channel is about 10 miles across to a port on the mainland that is a short drive to Adelaide. As we arrived, we were greeted by a colony of Little Blue Penguins near the dock.. In the morning we took a tour that stopped at a dramatic cliff overlooking deserted beaches down below.  The weather was bright and sunny making the turquoise water look like a swimming pool.  We went on to a preserve on a beach inhabited by Australian sea lions.  These interesting marine mammals were all over the beach.  Under the supervision of guides we were able to walk along the beach and watch the female sea lions return from 3 days at sea feeding.  They come back to the beach exhausted and re-unite with their pups and feed them, then rest, then repeat the cycle of going back out to sea for 3 days.  They travel out as far as 30 miles and dive as deep as 1,000 feet to feed.  They do not sleep during their 3 day swim.  They collapse as soon as they hit the beach and let the pups nurse while they sleep.  It was a wonderful nature encounter.  In the afternoon, we walked around the small town and explored the local deserted beaches and enjoyed the splendid weather.  This was a wonderful stop for us.
   





 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Next stop, Adelaide and Barossa County wine country!