Travel to Sydney, Melbourne and Tasmania

Part 2 of my trip to Australia and New Zealand

Early the next morning, after our first night on the Viking Mars, we left for an excursion to the Hunter Valley wine region. This area, about a two-hour drive north of Sydney, is famous for its production of Semillon and Syrah. We had a well-planned excursion to three vineyards including lunch. Our miked-up bus driver provided a humorous welcome and narration to the country and the region.

At our first stop, Oakvale, we tasted wine on the patio, as we were entertained by our hostess Jennifer. As a vivacious wine sales lady, we could not help but be charmed by her shtick and her wines. After our tasting, we took a walk along the adjacent well-manicured rows of vines. We were treated to the one of the quintessential sights that just screams “Australia.”

Hiding in the scant shade of the trellised grape vines were several resting kangaroos. This is something I have never seen at any of the many vineyard tours I have taken in California, Oregon, France, Portugal, Virginia, and Spain. If you look closely at my selfie, you can see the kangaroos laying in the shade.

We went next to RidgeView wines to have lunch. Lunch was meh but the tasting planned there was a little different. It featured three interesting dessert wines made at the vineyard that were paired with white chocolate Panna Cotta and dark chocolate. What could be bad about that?

Our next stop was at Wandin vineyard. This was a lovely property and they had a large tasting room to accommodate our group. Their salesman Matthew was also charming but his wines were not quite as impressive as Oakvale. I dumped most of my tasting portions so that I wouldn’t go straight to sleep.

We wrapped up a full day of touring and tasting and had ample nap time on our way back to Sydney for the 6:30 sail away under the Harbor Bridge and past the famous Sydney Opera House. Leaving the embarkation harbor is always very festive with people standing and seated on deck to watch the spectacle. This might be one of the most iconic sail aways imaginable. We had bright sunny skies and warm temperatures as we just cleared the main span of the bridge. One of my newly found Australian friends gave me a lovely narration of all the neighborhoods and sites I was seeing as we sailed out to the Pacific Ocean.

Khachanov serving to Tsitsipas photo by Joan Naidorf

We were on our way to Melbourne which during the third week of January means one important thing: the Australian Open. After thinking we would not be able to score tickets, the Viking Cruise Line made an excursion available with tickets, transportation and a guide. This was an opportunity we were not going to miss. We boarded a bus and were dropped off right at the gates of the massive tennis center grounds.

The afternoon match of the men’s semifinal round featured the Russian Karen Khachanov versus the Greek star Stefanos Tsitsipas. The Greek fans in attendance were loud and raucous. The weather was a pleasant 80 degrees with relatively low humidity. We were seated in an upper deck in the shade. The gentleman gave us an enjoyable match with Tsitsipas not quite putting Khachanov away when he could have or should have. Khachanov literally bludgeons the fuzz off the balls with his groundstrokes. He put up quite a fight but Tsitsipas prevailed.

Laver statue outside the Rod Laver Arena

We didn’t see any part of Melbourne but the Open. But you only live once and I like our choice. Later that evening, we set sail again southward for Hobart, the largest city in Tasmania. Does anyone in the US even know that this town exists? They really should.

Perhaps the Australians are keeping it a secret from the rest of us so that they can go on their holidays undisturbed by annoying Americans. They tell us half of the population of Tasmania, half a million people, live in the city and environs of Hobart. And why not? Most of the inhabitants have beautiful views along the Derwent River and the Harbor.

We chose an excursion to another wildlife sanctuary. We were off to find those devilish little creatures that look so cute but bite with more power than any other animal. The Tasmanian Devil got vaned because of its awful screech and its red ears. IRL, they look deceptively cute. They reminded me of my own furry black little devil who was back at home in Virginia.

The wildlife sanctuary of Bongaroo boasts a wide variety of animals who have been saved from accidents and injury. Their Echidna was hit by a car and rescued. Although he has no vision, he gets along and educates folks at the sanctuary. They also have a baby wombat that is just adorable.

The family of kangaroos on the property is so very domesticated that they could never let the creatures out into the wild on their own. They come right up to the people for food.

From the sanctuary, we took a short ride to the historic town of Richmond. Most of the village was constructed by convicts serving time at Richmond Gaol (Jail) between the 1820’s and 1840’s. The Richmond Bridge is oldest existing stone arch bridge in Australia, erected in 1825. The prisoners quarried the sandstone in the surrounding countryside with basic tools and transported the rock to the bridge site by cart. The local history tells that the construction was so good, with minimal yearly maintenance, cars and trucks still pass over the nearly 200-year-old stone arches.

Much of the colonial architecture of the town is authentic. The streets were lined with sweet shops and boutiques. It is easy to see why locals and visitors enjoy hanging out in Richmond. We found an outdoor garden to enjoy a refreshment before we headed back to the ship.

In our afternoon sail away we got to see some of the rugged countryside we missed before dawn during our arrival. Coming out of the harbor and into the Tasman Sea brings quite an Antarctic chill to the air. This is the furthest point south on the continent of Australia. Now we sail east to New Zealand and a few quiet days at sea.

Next Installment will feature New Zealand.

#70 You saw a Kangaroo Where?

#71 New Zealand: Open but not Quite Ready

#69 Reflection: When You Don’t Like Someone