We departed Sydney aboard the Viking Orion on Monday, December 17, at 6 pm. We noticed throughout the cruise, we arrived and departed promptly on time at each port.
Tugboat and pilot boat escorting our departure from Sydney Harbor.
It was a beautiful evening for departure.
Sydney bids us farewell.
Fort Denison, built in 1840, is a military fort sitting on Pinchgut Island, a small island at the center of Sydney Harbor. It is now an Australian National Park. It was closed for renovations.
The pilot boat leads us to the mouth of the harbor as we head into the open sea.
We watched as the Harbor Pilot jumped from the Orion to the pilot boat.
While following the Australian coast we spotted a pod of four orca, some porpoise, many birds, and even a flying fish from our veranda.
MELBOURNE, VICTORIA, AUSTRALIA
After sailing the Tasman Sea all day Tuesday, we arrived at Melbourne at 9:30 on Wednesday morning. We boarded a bus for our four hour Melbourne Highlights Tour.
Our first stop was the Fitzroy Gardens, in the heart of the city. At the entrance to the gardens sits Cook's Cottage, the charming family home of Captain Cook, the British explorer. This home, built in England in 1775 was shipped to Melbourne in 1934, and reassembled.
The 64 acre Fitzroy Gardens are located near the downtown area.
The beautiful purple jacaranda tree seen in the background were blooming around the city.
Hotel Windsor in the Parliamentary District
Melbourne Royal Exhibition Building built in 1880
Shrine of Remembrance War Memorial
We departed Melbourne at 10:30 pm.
HOBART, TASMANIA, AUSTRALIA
After sailing overnight and through the Bass Strait we arrived at Hobart, Tasmania at 7 am. The island of Tasmania is Australia's smallest state with the city of Hobart as its state capital. Hobart was founded as a British penal colony that originally housed about 300 inmates. It served as a prison throughout the 18th and 19th century. Our included Hobart City Tour was scheduled for 2:30, so after breakfast we set out for a self-guided walking tour.
Orion was docked in close proximately to Hobart's city center.
St. David's Anglican Cathedral, built in 1874.
We took a guided tour of The Hobart Convict Penitentiary and Chapel.
Criminal Courtroom
Passage between the dungeon and the courtroom
.
Prison Cell
After lunch on the ship, we boarded our bus for a three hour Hobart Sights Tour.
The tour included a stop at the Royal Tasmanian Botanical Gardens.
A very unusual Cork Tree
We departed Hobart at 4 pm for a two day trip across the Tasman Sea to New Zealand.
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