For The Love of Travel

Garrett McNamara…the Hawaiian big-wave pioneer who first travelled to Nazare in 2010 ….and rode a record-breaking 78 foot wave at Praia do Norte, put the small fishing village on the map. I am watching his documentary, ‘100 foot wave’, and it chronicles his attempts to (eventually aim to) ride a 100 footer. Because of the monstrous waves generated by the Nazare Canyon, they are too large and fast to paddle into manually – requiring jet skis to drag surfers onto massive peaks and execute high-speed water rescues. An amazing if indulgent docco. Have a few more episodes to go.

Monique Montez, known for her powerhouse vocals, has well and truly entertained us! From unforgettable classics to modern ‘anthems’, she delivers an electrifying performance. Packed audiences.

Up early to catch our personally-booked (as opposed to Princess ‘shore excursion’) with Albany Tours…guided around by the informative Chris. Had to catch a town shuttle bus first from the dock to the visitor centre. A gorgeous 25 degree day. The view back to the dock from a droney perspective in the town centre…..

We took in 360 degree views of the coastline from the summit and of the vast expanse of the Southern Ocean from Stony Hill @ Torndirrup National Park. These were the rugged coastal cliff lines the early explorers first encountered as they rounded the Flinders Peninsula for the sheltered waters of Princess Royal Harbour. Wildflowers (white, yellow and pink) were starting to pop out.

Next to the derelict whaling station and relaxed with scones and jam overlooking King George Sound. @ the Whalers Gallery Cafe. The whaling station set up in 1952, initially focused on hunting humpback whales, later shifting to targetting sperm whales, adapting to international quotas and changing whale populations. It contributed significantly to WA’s mid 20thC economy. Operations ceased in 1978, thank goodness. There’s a gorgeous photo display of ‘seafarers and their pets’ in the Gallery too…

Sent droney up for some lovely pics over the Sound……

We got closer to ‘the edge’ at The Gap and Natural Bridge – felt the power of the wind and water from the masterfully-crafted walkway lookout over the Gap; the waves pounded and thrashed the granite walls and surged through the narrow space formed by nature. Breathtaking!

Lastly, took in the view of the Albany Wind Farm @ stunning Sandpatch beach…those crashing breakers, wowsers!

We had ‘sweet’ tour plans for our stopover at Busselton. Our first stop was to be at Yallingup (tucked between the vineyards) and Gabriel’s Chocolate, WA’s first bean to bar choc maker. They import beans from as far away as Ghana, Sambirano and Rio Caribe.  Then Cowaramup – named after the purple crowned lorikeet Cowara that once inhabited the area. Originally a timber town in 1930’s,  and we were going to sample the famous almond and honey Niugaretto Licquer @ Margaret River Nougat Co. Lastly, delish fudge and honeycomb @ Candy Cow. None of this came to fruition…..Captain cancelled onshore excursions due to the swell and staff difficulty in launching (the ‘tenders’ attached to the ship) to take us to shore and then securing the tenders to the ship on our return. Bugger!

Amused myself by going to hear karaoke performers….some songs were totally butchered, some ‘spoken’ (like OMG, ‘The House of the Rising Sun’!!!), only a couple of dudes sang really well. Some very earnest singers, some attempting some awkward uncoordinated hand movements with the music ….goodness me. You have to admire their ‘pluck’ but not their sense of judgement/self-capacity assessment. 🙂

In Freo, Lynne had the most fantastic of times catching up with son John, and many relatives including grandkids and great grandkids. We gathered @ the Bridge Garden Bar, (with a ‘streets eats’ menu), only a hop and step from the Mandurah market along the Eastern foreshore. A delightful afternoon. Just made it back by 15.45 for the ship’s departure @ 16.00, phew!

And I loved these youngsters, we had a great time chatting away….

An observation we’ve made is that we need to factor in at least 1/2 hour after berthing to disembark…if at the front of the queue line.  This time we exited efficiently but then there was a hold up at Melb immigration, as they wanted to process international visitors first (so we patiently waited in a huge queue…and waited…until that occurred. Why didn’t Princess staff know of that expectation? Grrrr.

Got an Uber to our Forest Therapy session at the Botanical Gardens…but because of the Marathon being held and associated road closures, had to travel from Sth Melb along Queens Rd to Chapel St, turn left and then made our way along Punt Rd to Domain Rd to access the visitor centre. Gave the Uber driver some extra $ for his troubles. 

We needed the tree hugging and sensory enrichment experience to destress after all that. 

Couldn’t get an Uber to find us in the Gardens with all the road closures, so with ‘more front than Myers’, cheekily asked a driver close by, if they might be going along Punt Rd and could drop us off at Bridge Rd so we could catch a tram into the city? Yes, said Dean. Phew! Lynne was excited to sit in the back seat accompanying Ancho, a kelpie who has a fondness for and eagerly anticipates trains and stations apparently. Dropped us off at Jolimont station. 

Onwards to the Ritz Carlton for a high tea with spectacular views over Melb from the 80th floor. Beautiful presentation and moreish.

We could see our ship at Port Melb dwarfing the Spirit of Tasmania at the opposite dock. 

On the way back to the ship, lots of colorful characters in the city, attending the Pax (gamers) festival.

Scared Weird Little Guys entertained us again with a new show – loved their song about all the hits of the 90’s; and their impression of different artists’ singing Waltzing Matilda ( eg. in Coldplay, Em and Em, Elvis, Garfunkel, Katy Perry’s style).