February 25, 2017

    Fremantle, Western Australia, is the final port of the cruise.  The ocean had a small ripple, the skies were sunny, the temperature was 25 C and there was just a bit of wind.  From Deck 12, we could see two Australian navy ships, the largest was called HMAS Adelaide and the other naval ship was smaller.  The berth is close to the harbour entrance where many small fishing boats and pleasure boats were skipping across the water on this Saturday morning.

    After breakfast, we waited with continuing passengers in the Colony Club to be called to go to the buses waiting for today’s excursion. Some of the 647 continuing passengers are staying onboard, but most elected to take tours of Perth and Fremantle or a Swan River valley wine tour.  We officially disembarked and then were directed to a table where we were given the new Seapass card (stateroom key) for the next cruise and an “In Transit” card.  The “In Transit” card was needed to bypass Customs when leaving the ship and when returning today to the ship later, circumventing the registration line for the new passengers embarking for the Southern Australia and New Zealand’s South Island.

  We are taking the next cruise and have kept our same stateroom.  We also have a reservation with Maureen and Bob for dinner each evening.

  Steps until we boarded the bus were 1,968.

The total distance travelled from Sydney to Perth with the stop in Benoa, Bali was 9, 493 km.

blog complete
   

trip continues at   http://newzealandsouthaustralia.blogspot.ca

February 24, 2017

       Our final port of call for this cruise, before Fremantle/Perth, is Geraldton, Western Australia. It was scheduled as a tendered port, but the ship was able to be docked.  The forecast for today was a high temperature of 39 C, windy and sunny.  The day started at 26 C, no cloud in sight but very windy, not good for tendering, so great that we could dock. The waves had two meter troughs with some whitecaps.  During breakfast in the dining room, where we were seated at about in the center, the ship was swaying noticeably. During the a five minute period, the ship was entering the harbour, at the extreme points of the swaying, when you looked over to the windows, one second only sky was visible and a few seconds later as the ship swayed the opposite way, all that could be seen in the window was distant water. The captain made an announcement later that the winds were 40 knots as the ship entered the channel into the harbour, which was not expected, that is what caused the roughness of the approach. 

    After breakfast we watched from Deck 5 as the ship maneuvered into its berth. When we looked over the side, we could see tiny shiny minnow-like fish, in a school of several hundred, flitting around at the surface.  We watched as the dock workers tied the ropes to the pier’s bollards. Then we noticed one of the dock workers launch a small white drone that rose to the 14th deck and zipped above the length of the ship.  Then he guided the drone over to a construction site at another part of the facility.  We went back to the stateroom to get our sunglasses and camera then climbed up to Deck 12 to get some photos.  We could see some reefs about 300 meters from shore as the waves crashed on to them.  Nearby is red and white striped Point Moore Lighthouse, which is the tallest prefabricated cast-iron lighthouse in Australia, one of Geraldton’s landmarks. Visible from the ship, the Point Moore Lighthouse is an iconic Geraldton landmark. Standing 34 meters high, its beam can be seen 26km out to sea. It is the oldest surviving Commonwealth lighthouse in Western Australia. There are many shipwrecks along the Coral Coast.

    For many centuries, the Yamaji People lived in this area of Australia’s Coral Coast region. The Coral Coast runs from North West Cape (that the ship passed around noon yesterday) to Perth, which is 420 km south. 

   The ship was cleared by Australian Border Force to allow passengers to leave the ship about 10 a.m. The Tours left first, to take shuttles off the dock area and onto their tour buses.   From then until 11, there was a triple line of people lining the halls, snaking around the Centrum lobby on Deck 4 waiting for a shuttle bus to take them through the dock yard to the parking lot 500 meters from the ship, which was about a 5 minute drive through the winding roads within the port. More than half the passengers opted to walk the 100 meters to the edge of the main street and wander through the town.  Other passengers paid $15 US for an all day circular route pass, where they could get on or off at the Information Center, Cathedral of St. Francis Xavier, the HMAS Sydney II Memorial and the shopping center.  The temperature was tolerable at 29 C, the wind had calmed to a nice breeze. 

     We explored the old train station, converted to the Information Center, which told a brief history of the town.  Geraldton was founded in 1849 as a port for exporting the lead from the Murchison River mines.  There was a gold rush east of the town in 1892 and a larger jetty was constructed allow larger ships to dock.  Off the coast are the Abrolhos Islands where cultured pearls are cultivated. 

     A ten minute walk away from the Information Center was the Roman Catholic Cathedral of St. Francis Xavier.  It was designed by a priest who had trained as an architect, John Cyril Hawes.  He started his design in Rome in 1913 and the first stage was begun to be built in 1916 opening in 1918, but there were issues with the bishop and construction was stopped until 1926 and the cathedral was completed in 1938.  It is a lovely church. It reminded us a bit of the southern California Spanish mission churches.

   We walked about 15 minutes further to the HMAS Sydney II Memorial.  It commemorates the sinking of the naval light cruiser off the coast about 112 nautical miles off Steep Point on November 19, 1941. This was Australia’s worst maritime disaster.  There was a brief battle with the German raider ship, HSK Kormoran before both ships sunk. The large silver coloured Dome of Souls has cutouts of 645 seagulls, one to represent each of the perished Australian seamen. Their names are inscribed on the black granite wall of remembrance in alphabetical order as well as some pictures engraved in the stone.  Rosemary bushes nearby symbolize memorials. A propeller facing down represents a sunken ship. There is a 70 foot marine steel pillar that represents the height of the HMAS Sydney II bow.  The wrecks of both ships were found in 2008 using information that the German ship survivors provided in their report of the incident.  The bow of the HMAS Sydney II was blown off in one of the first volleys, from the disguised German warship and sunk quickly.  The sailors barely had time to get to battle stations, most were on deck watching the “friendly” ship, because it was thought that they were approaching a Dutch merchant ship.  The HMAS Sydney II rear gunners were able to damage the German raider enough that crew evacuated ship before it was scuttled.  German sailor survivors were picked up several days later.  The memorial also includes a bronze statue of a woman looking out to sea for an HMAS Sydney sailor. The woman is looking to the site of the ship’s wreck more than 250 miles away and over 2.5 km under the sea. After the wreck was found an additional Remembrance Fountain was added.  The site is atop a hill that has a view of Geraldton and the ocean.

    We walked back to the main street, Marine Terrace, where we ordered milkshakes at a food court and tried the Wi-Fi, but the signal was very weak.  We found a second hand bookstore that also had Internet and paid $3.50 Australian for 30 minutes of High Speed Internet to upload the past few days of blog in a much shorter time than the ship’s slow speed Internet.  Claire bought a Lee Child novel.

    Then we walked along the Geraldton Foreshore Park.  The Foreshore is reclaimed land that was formed from sand excavated from moving the rail tracks to a different location.  The sand was dumped and allowed to be swirled by the wind and ocean for about a year then, once settled, was grassed. Next a waterpark and playground were added, as well as pathways, free Wi-Fi, beaches, picnic areas, barbecue pits, cafés, restaurants and a concert venue.  There are no crocodiles or aggressive sharks in the Geraldton area.

   We arrived at the shuttle pickup in time for the next shuttle back to the ship. At 2 p.m. the temperature had risen to 38 C, but it did not feel as hot as two days earlier in Port Hedland where the humidity was a lot higher.  We were looking forward to soft ice cream in the Windjammer, but the machine was closed off so we settled for coffee and small cake slices.

    We joined Maureen and Bob for dinner and they told us about their journey to Kalbarri National Park.  It was the longest tour taking six hours.  Bob showed us his videos of the breathtaking coastal scenery.   There was a small problem with the little non biting flies which were around everywhere in Kalbarri National Park and many flew on to the buses and made the ride back to Geraldton rather unpleasant.

   The appetizers for dinner tonight were Eggplant and Kalamata Olive tartar with pita, Sea Scallop & Chorizo and Lentil & Tomato Soup.  The main course was Tandoori Chicken Salad with Naan bread and Fish and Seafood Mash.  The chosen desserts were Key Lime Pie and Frozen Strawberry Soufflé. Near the end of the meal, the maitre d’ announced that some of the wait staff would a song. About 50 staff lip synced to a forgettable song.

    After dinner we went to the Colony Club to dance to recorded ballroom music.  We were the only people there and the music was so soft that the music from the Schooner Bar 100meters away could be heard.  The tunes were 1940s foxtrots for the 20 minutes that we stayed only dancing to one decent tune.  We returned to Deck 4 and although the Centrum was filled with more sofas and chairs than usual, we had the whole 100 square feet to ourselves to the dance to the variety of music played by the Traffle Duo.

   The Aurora Theater Show tonight was a Farewell Show with the ship’s singers and dancers and “Australia’s funniest American Juggler”, Marty Coffey.  He was quite entertaining and even juggled on a five foot high unicycle.

Daily steps 16,543

February 23, 2017

Our final Sea Day (#8) for this cruise brought a sunny sky, temperature about 26, strong winds and low humidity.  The forecast for the next few days along Western Australia’s west coast was for high temperatures above 32 C and no rain.  The sea had developed waves with about two meters troughs causing the ship to sometimes creak. Only some of the waves had white caps.

     At breakfast in the dining room, we shared a table with a couple from London, England, a couple from Southampton, England, a woman from England and man from Australia.  The couple from London flew to Australia on Qantas Airlines, because the plane had the longest beds in the first class section.  They were disappointed in the toiletries supplied by the cruise ship – shampoo in a shower dispenser and bar soap – compared to what they had in their five star hotel in Sydney – shower cap, mini sewing kit, cotton swabs, mini bottles of body wash, shampoo, condition, hand cream and bar soap. There were other shortcomings noted during breakfast, which were a bit eccentric. This was their first Royal Caribbean cruise, which also includes the next cruise.  They are going to try a P & O cruise next, because their neighbours told them that the alcohol prices are cheaper with that cruise line.  On board this ship, the daily special drinks on board are $12 US plus 18% gratuities. The wife does not like that the specialty coffee, at $4 for a 12 oz size, is only served in cardboard cups; somewhere she even made a Starbucks barista find her a “proper cup”.  They noted that the level of service is not as high as Cunard Cruises, which is a much higher priced voyage.

     This morning we needed to pick-up the Fremantle/Perth excursion bus assignments, since Fremantle/Perth is also disembarkation day for about two thirds of the passengers.  Then we sat in on a Jive dance instruction by Sue and Robert.  The instructors started the steps with the man beginning with his right foot, but our experience is for the man to start with his left foot.  Although the intricate moves taught were doable, they could not be incorporated into our current swing dance repertoire.  We also attended a Tango lesson given by the stars of the Tango Buenos Aires show, but they also started their Argentine Tango lesson with the man beginning with his right foot.

     The captain’s noon announcement informed us that to arrive in Geraldton on time, an extra $20,000 of fuel is being used travelling from Port Hedland and Geraldton, due to the three hour later departure from Port Hedland yesterday.  The speed has been between 21 and 23.5 knots per hour compared to 14 to 17 knots per hour from Cairns to Darwin.

      We chose Steak and Kidney Pie or Vietnamese Fried Rice for our lunch in the dining room.  After lunch, later in the afternoon, there was a meeting in the Aurora Theater for the 670+ passengers who are staying on board for the Fremantle/Perth to Sydney cruise.  Instructions were issued regarded surrendering the current Seapass card (ID for on the ship) and obtaining the new cruise’s Seapass card in Fremantle as well as what to do if you had to switch to a different stateroom than on the first voyage.  Bob and Maureen have to move to a front of the ship stateroom four decks higher.  They will have a great view of the helicopter landing deck that was used when the pilots form Port Hedland flew off the ship yesterday evening.  The system is quite different from the Celebrity Cruises continuing cruisers procedures in Barcelona last fall.

    We spent part of the afternoon sorting the photos, from the Spain and Portugal trip, to be eventually printed into a photo album either electronic or paper.  Then a venture to the Casino before dinner.

     Just before 5:30 p.m., an “Alpha on Deck 6” announcement was broadcast on all ship’s speakers even into the staterooms and pre-empted all television channels.  I wondered what happened.

    Dinner this evening for appetizers we chose creamed wild mushroom in puffy pastry and royal crab cocktail.  The entrées were Thai Chicken Breast with red curry, edamame & shitake mushrooms, boy and steamed rice and Prime Rib Beef, potato croquettes, tomato and green beans. Desserts chosen were Grand Marnier Soufflé and Ivory Chocolate Mousse & chocolate ice cream.

     This evening’s main stage entertainment is a group of three women, called The Diamonds, singing soul, disco and popular tunes.  At the conclusion of the show, Cruise Director, Joff Eaton’s announcement was well received.  He informed the crowd that at Geraldton, the ship would be docked and not tendered.  There was a relieved cheer.

Steps  10,972

February 22, 2017

       The captain advised the passengers yesterday that the ship had been asked to arrive at Port Hedland earlier than scheduled. So, instead of docking at 9 a.m., the ship docked at 6:30 a.m. 

    We ate breakfast on Deck 11’s Windjammer buffet since when we were ready for breakfast there was still 10 minutes before the dining room opened.  We found Bob and Maureen as we were leaving and arranged to meet to take the shuttle into Port Hedland. The shuttles are complimentary, since this is a working port and it is not safe for passengers to walk through the port facilities.

   This morning’s sky had a few breaks in the white and gray clouds.  The warm moist air enveloped you as you stepped out onto the deck and we were grateful for the gentle breeze blowing.  Temperature is about 26 C.  It looked like it would rain, but the skies partly cleared by noon. But the clouds gathered again around 2:30 p.m. when the temperature had risen to +34 C and finally, around 4:30 p.m., a thunder storm drenched the ship, but the soaked surfaces were drying up by 5:30 p.m.  The ship was still in port, delayed from the scheduled 3 p.m. departure due to the priority of the iron ore carriers.  The ship departed during dinner and had to travel near top speed of 24 knots per hour for some time to make up for the late exit

    This area was home to the Karriyarra aborigines for thousands of years before Europeans arrived.  Their name for the harbour was Marapikurrinya, meaning hand pointing straight. The first European to see the deep natural port was a Dutch captain in 1628, whose ship ran aground on the sandbar by the entrance. Peter Hedland’s ship also hit a sandbar in 1863 when he was looking for a harbour. The river entrance on the American west coast near Astoria, Oregon, also has a sandbar and difficult river currents, where the Columbia River empties into the Pacific Ocean. 

    Port Hedland sits on an island joined to the mainland by an eight km causeway. The region surrounding Port Hedland and inland for hundreds of kilometers is known as the Pilbara.  The region had vast deposits of iron ore which were first noted by Australian explorers in the mid 19th century, but not commercially mined until the 1960s. Inland from Port Hedland are deposits of high grade iron ore that can supply 25% of the world for at least the next 50 years; plus quantities of lower grade ore can be mined when the high grade iron ore is exhausted.  The open pit mines operate using driverless ore trucks to take the ore to the railcars. The railcars form long driverless trains requiring four engines to haul them to Port Hedley where the ore is loaded into ocean freighters to go to Asia.  When the port opened in 1966, 29,500 ton capacity ships could be loaded in a day.  Now, the huge ships can be loaded at a rate of 40,000 tons per hour. Water is sprayed on the ore as it is dropped into the cargo holds, to reduce the red ore dust which used to cover everything in the town. Port Hedland is the largest iron ore loading port in the world. The ocean was shallow in the area so a channel needed to be dredged through the former Mangrove swamp to allow the huge freighters access to the deep harbour to get the loads out to the ocean.  There is a large sand bar of dredged material that keeps growing. It is a difficult harbour to enter due to the seven meter tides and the strong and tricky river currents at the entrance. Looking out from Deck 12, you can see the port operation.  We saw two ships depart the port accompanied by two or three tugboats nudging them into the middle of the channel.  Within the port facilities, there were massive piles of white salt and piles of iron ore. You can see truck trains of iron ore.  These are truck tractors that are hauling three or four trailers behind them.   Looking out to the many wharfs you could see which ships were ready to leave as they were sitting low in the water loaded with iron ore.  Other ships were waiting to be loaded. Other resources shipped include manganese, discovered in the 1930s, and salt, which is reclaimed from the sea, in ponds where the sun evaporates the sea water and levels pure salt. Salt is used by industries to make many chemicals. There also are traces of gold separated from the water that can accumulate and be worthwhile to salvage at the bottom of the salt ponds.  Today reached a high of +34 C with a breeze to assist the evaporation in the low lying tidal flats. In spring (October and November) temperature can reach into the 40s C.

    Asbestos used to be mined in the area, but is no longer.  When the dangers of the mineral were discovered many of the workers and families living nearby died from their exposure to asbestos and Australians refer to its toxicity as their Chernobyl.

    The loaded ore carriers have a clearance in the channel of as little as 25 cm and must exit at high tide.  The Radiance of the Seas clearance is about eight meters.

    We stopped at the Information Center for a map and to update the tabloid using the Wi-Fi; then explored the historic west end of Port Hedland finding the Dalgety House Museum. The museum is housed in the old Dalgety Company building where the business distributed food and supplies to the pastoral lands inland. We learned about the local history of Camel racing as well as horse racing and Gymkhanas.  There was information about the Karriyarra people and their culture, the arrival of Europeans, the mining, disastrous cyclones and the disappearance of the Adelaide Steamship Company ship SS Koombana carrying 83 passengers and 74 crew bound for Broome, in March 1912 in a cyclone. It was a blow to the coastal communities since there were local officials on board the ship. It had operated along the coast bringing supplies and a means of travel and even had the luxury of refrigeration.

    Port Hedland is located in the most cyclone prone coast in Australia.  Port Hedland’s worst cyclone was in 1937.  It damaged the railway, built in 1911, that brought fresh water to the port and other means of getting fresh water were needed. The average rainfall is 303 mm compared to Perth’s rainfall of 773 mm.

    After learning some of Port Hedland’s history we continued our walk and stopped in to the pub in The Esplanade Hotel where Larry ordered a Rogers beer brewed at Little Creatures Brewery in Fremantle and Gulong.  The temperature had climbed to 32 C and the humidity seemed high.

   The shuttle stop was at the Visitor Center.  During the morning some passengers were able to hold baby kangaroos, Joeys, that were five months old and 500 cm long wrapped in blankets.  They had been bottle fed before being allowed to be held by people for photos.  The shuttle route went about two km to the shopping center for people to shop before returning to the ship.  There was a line of people waiting for the shuttles that at noon were running about every five minutes with full loads.

    We arrived back at the ship and the clouds had diminished and the sun was beating down at a temperature of 34 C and it felt humid at 69%. There was a presentation by one of the Port Hedland marine pilots, Mark Ayre, about the port.  The port is quite busy with most of the ships going to China, Japan, Korea and the Middle East.  The pilot spoke about ship’s clearance to negotiate the channel and the unpredictable currents that necessitate the use of up to four tugs to guide the ship through the 24 km long 184 meter wide channel out to the Indian Ocean. The channel is dredged annually.  One cargo that is shipped to the Middle East is camels.  Fog can move in quickly, sometimes at 20 knots per hour (over 30 km per hour).  The accuracy of the GPS on the tugs is within 30 cm, much better than on most vehicles.  The largest ship using the Port Hedland harbour is the WozMaz which is 345 meters long and 60 meters wide and can carry a load of 260,000 tons. 

   After the presentation we had coffee with Bob and Maureen then read until it was time for dinner.  We noticed that a water feature in the Centrum (main lobby) had started to work, giving the gentle sounds of water as it trickled from Deck 5 down to Deck 5.  Dinner dress was Australian casual which was not much different than most casual dress evenings.  The starters chosen were mixed green salad, antipasti and Minestrone soup.  The main course was Tiger prawns (shrimp) or chicken marsala with mashed potatoes and steamed asparagus and carrots.  We both chose Tiramisu for dessert. We danced in the Colony Club to the ship’s orchestra which played a variety of dance music including our request for a Samba.

     The entertainer this evening was Phil Cass, a comic magician. The show was not your average magic show and very entertaining.

Steps  13,383