OUR SECOND DAY ABOARD THE SEABOURN ENCORE

The Corso, the main shopping street in Manly Beach where we went by ferry our final day in Sydney.

An artist with his dog at Manly Beach.

Crossing under the Harbor Bridge as we leave Sydney.  Can you see the people on the very top left?  Somehow walking across the top of the bridge doesn't sound fun to me.  Especially if it's windy which it probably always is.

Leaving Sydney...

View from the restaurant aboard the ship. This is one of the Northern suburbs, but probably still has a Sydney address.  Sydney's four million people are quite spread out.

Mother Nature is not cooperating.  We are only on the second day of the cruise and already the two tours we signed up for have been canceled and our route has been changed.  But we shall roll with the waves and bravely soldier on. 

Yesterday, after our lovely drink with Cathy and Dan and friends, we had a quick lunch and repaired to the ship.  The check-in was remarkably hassle-free, we were greeted with champagne and a small dab of caviar and proceeded to work our way through the various literature and instructional materials strewn about the room.  The mandatory safety drill held no surprises and for dinner we decided to eat in the more casual restaurant rather than in the main dining room.  We had a delicious dinner of sashimi and lamb chops outside on the deck while watching the sunset with Sydney and its vast suburbs receding in the distance.  

Today was a scheduled day at sea on the way to Mooloolaba, a beach destination an hour or two from Brisbane referred to as “The Sunshine Coast”.  The area is known for its mangroves, whispering pines and hibiscus as well as all varieties of waterfowl like cormorants, spoonbills and ibis.  Various excursions were available but rather than explore the city of Brisbane or kayak down a river estuary, we decided to walk through the little beach towns of Eumundi and Noosa with their fresh food stalls and arts and crafts markets.   I read that Noosa also has a waterfront precinct with winding lanes,
al fresco cafes and fun boutiques, surrounded by spectacular beaches.  And a national park within easy walking distance.  All wonderful and attainable by coach.

The tour was canceled.  Unbelievably, no one else had signed up!  But not to worry, we were told, we could do an abbreviated version which still included the waterfront area and the park.  That was our plan last night.

Today, to while away the day at sea, we joined a trivia team (8 or 10 of us collaborating on impossibly obscure questions on every subject) and competed dismally against the other seven or eight teams.  We called ourselves the Brainiacs and had some good laughs with our teammates from Canada, Denmark and Florida.  Next sea day we will meet again and try to do better. 

Then we had lunch at the fabulous sushi restaurant and went to a lecture about the early days of Australia.  Did you know that camels were brought here from British India and Afghanistan as pack animals before the steam engine was developed because they could transport goods where horses could not?  But after trains and trucks became widely used, many of the camels were simply abandoned and now they run wild through the outback—seven million of them according to Col. McCormack, our worthy lecturer, and are projected to double every few years if left unchecked!  Feral pigs, rabbits, dingos, cats and even goats are environmental crises as well.  But the camels are especially troublesome because they drink huge quantities of water in addition to munching their way through everything green.  They are destroying farms and ranches throughout Australia.   And we thought the Australian jellyfish were their biggest problem!

When we returned to the room after the lecture, the captain made an announcement.  We would not be docking in Mooloolaba after all because the winds were too brisk, the tenders impossible to navigate, and since Brisbane was already full with previously scheduled cruise ships we would be going to someplace called Fisherman's Island some distance from Brisbane (and I gather nowhere near Mooloolaba) and further information would be pending.

No further info through dinner.  And so to bed.  We shall see what the morrow will bring.  Who cares, we're lovin' it.