We find the mythical southern Continent!

The distance a harbor pilot must travel onboard a ship depends on the difficulty of navigating the coastal waters. Approaching Brisbane, we inherit a very friendly pilot hours out because of the thrillingly complicated network of reefs and atolls. We soon find out that Aussie generosity is not a myth. Just before leaving the ship at noon, Graham the pilot tells us that he will return at 4 pm to start us on our way into the city. Sure enough he drives us from the shipyard to an ATM and then the railway station, buys(!) our tickets, and sends us off with advice for destinations in Brisbane.


Christmas celebrations are in full swing downtown, culminating in a spectacular fireworks show on the river. Even more stunning, at dusk as we wait for our dinner at an open-air restaurant, we look up to see a tremendous flock of large birds flying overhead. As we watch we realize that those birds are in reality hundreds of huge bats!

By the next morning we’re out at sea again, heading for Sydney. On Christmas Eve there’s quite a party with the officers and crew. A couple of jolly Japanese technicians who had boarded in Brisbane to fix an electronic malfunction sing Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer in Japanese!

We arrive in Sydney on Christmas Day. The entire dock is closed. Art and I leave to find a hotel for Christmas week – a tall order. We luck out, and the following day we bid a very nostalgic farewell to Captain and crew.


We spend a week exploring the city: the famous Sydney Opera House, the historic Harbour Bridge, the Royal Botanic Gardens, museums, docks, ferries, etc. On New Year's Eve we find ourselves in the biggest crush of people you can imagine for the wild fireworks show at midnight.


Other tidbits that impress us:

1. A substantial number of tourists having been knocked off in this
drive-on-the-left nation, all intersections provide a helpful hint on which way to look when crossing.

2. We are thrilled to find a large grocery store underground at the train station.

3. Most toilets offer a choice of flushes (half or full). What a concept! Why aren’t these standard in the US? 4. There are always buskers (street performers) on Circular Quay (Surprise– I’ve lost those photos).

5. Public restrooms are everywhere (again, why not in the US?) Also, in preparation for New Year’s Eve, hundreds of vault toilets are set up, but playing a practical joke on the desperate, they’re padlocked shut till the big day!