As the Queen Mary 2 moved closer to Australia. I started to get a little homesick. No matter how much I traveled this beautiful planet I would always want to return to what I personally considered the best place in the world to live, I have been lucky to live in many places throughout this wonderful land. At twenty-four I traveled around on a motorbike from South Australia stopping everyplace I could until I ended up in Perth (Western Australia) where I spent the next fourteen years of my life, having lived in and visited almost all of the major city’s Australia has to offer. I have also visited many of our smaller yet more beautiful place this wide country has to offer some of my all time favorites were Byron Bay, The Gold Coast, Whitsunday Islands, Hervey Bay, Cairns, Townsville, Port Lincoln, Port Neil, Tumby Bay, Kalbarrie, Collie, Margret River and numerous others to many to mention here.
On this trip with the Queen Mary 2 we docked in Perth, Adelaide and Sydney.
PERTH
Having already lived in Perth, I decided to stay onboard on in port manning and gave my option to visit this city away to another crew member, I did manage to go out just before we sailed to stock up on all the things I have missed from the local supermarket. So nothing exciting enough to write about this time as well as no time to take photographs.
I will tell you a little about this beautiful city. Reflecting onto the Swan River, which curls around the downtown city area as well as Kings Park magnificent parkland adjacent to the city. The Swan River winds its way through numerous parks and residential properties creating stunning backdrops from either bank of the river, none more spectacular than the city view from south bank. Perth is a place of white sandy beaches 19 in all and a lively and trendy lifestyle.
While living in Perth I worked as a motorcycle instructor, high-rise window cleaner, roof carpenter, This is also where I learned how to become a croupier honing my skills until the day I started on the cruise ships. Overall I fell in love with the place, the people, and the general vibe that Perth exudes.
Adelaide
While I have also lived for short periods in Adelaide and having grown up in South Australia, I always yearned to travel to other places, Adelaide is called the city of churches I always thought that was because there are more sinners here. (Ha, Ha not really)
Adelaide is also a very pretty place to live and a lot of my family still live there and thoroughly enjoy everything that it has to offer.
Well back to the Queen Mary 2. I stayed onboard here as well as I was able to get my Sister and brother-in-law Sue & Charlie as well as my niece Samantha and her partner Pedro and his parents onboard to see the inside of the QM2 we spent the entire day just walking throughout the grandeur that the QM2 exudes. It was a spectacular day seeing family I had not seen for such a long time.
PS it was raining cats and dogs outside so I didn’t miss sight-seeing around the city this time.
Sydney
I have been lucky to visit Sydney on many occasions; I have made the journey in cars, planes and ships. Staying for short or long periods, walking or driving.
As you know the cruise ships tend to be here one day and gone the next, this time we got to stay in Sydney overnight. I stayed onboard for the first day and night again doing in port manning for another crew member, giving them the chance to see everything I get to see whenever I get home to Australia, I spent the second day, moving through the city taking photographs and visiting some of my favorite cafe and restaurants before boarding a ferry across to Sydney’s Taronga Zoo.
As I wandered around the zoo, I started taking pictures getting some keepers( Zoo Humor) The best were the kangaroos as well as the bird sanctuary, which were both walk in enclosures. All the other animals seemed to be on a time schedule if you wanted to see them you had to go at a certain time.
I did find the enclosures and cages there quite depressing.
Previously I had been to one of my favorite zoos in Singapore. All of the animals were easily seen, as the only fences are to keep the people away from the animals, which are kept in by moats of water that allows the visitor to be closer and see more while traveling around the vast interior of the zoo. After about an hour in Taronga zoo I had seen enough and went back to the ferry platform.
On our trip back to the city I was lucky enough to see the Queen Elizabeth (our sister ship) pulling out from her dock at Circular quay in downtown Sydney, I got some great shots of her turning around ready to start her new journey as well as some nice shots of the Sydney Opera house and the Sydney Harbour Bridge.
I got back to the city and after walking throughout the city again getting a few cups of coffee as well as a great meal I headed back to the ship and met up with my friends before we cast off from the dock and headed out through the crowded waterways off to our next adventure New Zealand……….To Be Continued.
CruiseNomad 