Australia

We next visited three ports in Australia.  This is a reduced number than on the original itinerary, and we visited Melbourne instead of some of the others.  This was because our itinerary has been changed significantly due to the issues in the Middle East, leading to the cruise line deciding that transiting the Suez Canal at this time is unadvisable.  Since our primary goal for this cruise is to circumnavigate, and we are still doing that, we are just going with the flow and looking forward to seeing some places we were unlikely to get to in our lives.

Sydney

Our first port of call in Australia was Sydney, the largest city in the country.  Because there were two other cruise ships in port that day, we were “tendered in,” meaning that our ship anchored in the bay and then we took small boats into port.

Our shuttle boat dropped us off at the “Man of War Steps,” next to the famous opera house.

Our first stop for the day was to visit the adjacent Royal Botanic Garden.  We enjoyed the many trees and plants, birds, and the great views of the city from the park.

Next was our typical self-created food and drink tour.  We started with the Endeavor Brewing Company, in “The Rocks” neighborhood near where the cruise ships dock and adjacent to the central business district.

Next, we went to the Eastbank Café for oysters, more local beverages, and views.  Here we enjoyed visiting with a woman from Sweden who was on her last day of a tour before heading home.

Our final stop was the Opera Bar, in the Sydney Opera House complex.  We shared a good rice and vegetable dish and had a few more beverages before heading back to the ship.

Melbourne

Our next Australian port was Melbourne, the second largest city in the country.  While we could have gone into the main part of the city, instead we stayed in the Port Melbourne neighborhood where we were docked.  It is considered to be a very desirable neighborhood to live in, and I can understand why!  It is right on several beaches that seem to be used daily by many locals.  There are several good local restaurants and pubs.  As a tourist I liked it because it was not touristy; while there were several people visiting from our ship (passengers and crew), many of the passengers went further into the city.  The two restaurants we visited were filled with locals and didn’t seem to have any other tourists in there that I noticed.

Fremantle

Our final port of call in Australia was Fremantle in Western Australia, a suburb of Perth.  Perth is a city of around 2 million people and one of the most geographically isolated city of its size in the world.  Fremantle serves as the main port for Western Australia and has a somewhat laid-back bohemian vibe, particularly compared to the other places in Australia that we visited.  I enjoyed it.

Fremantle is considered to be the best-preserved 19^th century port city in the world, with several historic buildings, now mostly shops, pubs and restaurants of various types.  We started our day walking around looking at the buildings in town, then walking the waterfront.

Next, the food and beverage tour, starting with Char Char for several shared appetizers – oysters, kangaroo, beet carpaccio, and bread.  For me the kangaroo was okay and tasted like beef, but I am not a big meat eater.  But the other dishes were outstanding!

Next stop was the Gage Roads brewery, conveniently near where our ship was docked.  We also had shared plates along with our beverages.  The ceviche was great!

The food in Fremantle was by far the best we had in Australia, whether because of where we chose to eat, or because it just was better, I am not sure.  Either way, it was a great finale to our time in Australia.