Hobart, Tasmania, Australia

 Hobart, Tasmania, Australia March 6, 2025

We had a real treat today! Our friends, Max and Liz from Coles Bay drove down to Hobart to spend the day with us.

They picked up our rented car and took us to the top of Mount Nelson to the Bicentennial Park.

 

Looking down at Hobart from the top of Mount Nelson.

What a cloudy day!

Some unusual plant life.

Max drove further out of town taking us to

Mount Wellington. It was very foggy, but it had some unusual rock formations.

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An original homestead turned into a coffee shop.

Max drove us across the Hobart Bridge taking us to Richmond Village.

It was a joy to let Max do the right side of the car driving.

We were greeted by  live harp playing in the courtyard of our next stop.

Our next stop was the Lolly Shop, Sweet Treats in the quaint little town of Richmond Village.

The aroma in this shop was sweet and it had more than lollies.We all had to make a purchase.

This little town reminded me of Middleburg, Virginia, nice little shops and lots of old structures to enjoy.

We enjoyed walking along the river to the gorgeous stone bridge(1823), Richmond Bridge. I love these old classic bridges.

Larry found a swing. Wheeee!

Larry and I wandered into the local art gallery.

Larry found a swing.

Max and Liz showed us to the Derwin Estate Vineyards where we had lunch.

Larry and Max

The vineyard had built a new dining facility since Max and Liz had been there.

The restaurant was originally in this older home.

Grape arbors were covered to keep the birds from stealing the grapes.

Larry and Liz….. and Jay 

Views of the Derwin River from the old homestead

Derwin River 

An old pump organ, reminds me of the one at my grandmother's church in Burkes Garden, Virginia 

We had a lot of laughs and such an enjoyable day. Liz and Max took us back to the ship and returned our rental car telling us that they may be seeing us next year in the US. Wouldn't that be grand?

They are a reminder of all the wonderful folks that we have met during our travels.

Melbourne, Australia

 Melbourne, Australia   March 4, 2025

We walked off the ship into the city. Larry and I had spent a week in Melbourne previously. We had never arrived by ship so it was nice to find this was not a large industrial port. The beach was right there.

Larry and I enjoyed doing some shopping about the town while Jay and Kim took a look at the Queen Victoria Market deeper into the city. 

We had a delightful day sipping coffee and window shopping the streets of Melbourne.

What could be better than that?☀️

Sydney, Australia

  Sydney, Australia  Feb. 28- March 2, 2025

The Hixsons and Kreiders stayed in a quaint Airbnb in The Rocks neighborhood of Sydney. It was a perfect spot for exploring the city.

 After passing through immigration we left our comfortable ship to head a couple of blocks up the hill to the Airbnb in the Rocks.

That evening we went to the oldest pub in Sydney for dinner.

We enjoyed a stroll up on the bridge to view the Sydney city lights.

WOW!

The Opera house is quite a sight at night 

The next day we headed to the Sydney Bridge Museum.

From the lookout of the museum we watched the brave and physically fit

Folks climb the bridge.

This was a very popular tourist attraction.

Many groups were being lead to the summit.

Queen Anne ship docked in Sydney Harbor

Sydney Opera House

The Rocks neighborhood 

We spotted our Airbnb from the top of the bridge.

We spent the rest of the day exploring the nooks and crannies of the Rocks.

Larry and I walked to Darlington Harbor 

stopping for lunch in the Captain Hook Hotel and Bar.

The next day we boarded the Holland America Westerdam docked in a port in another part of Sydney Harbor that we had never been in. This made the sailway very interesting. 

We actually got to pass under the Sydney Bridge. The tower on the left held the bridge museum that we toured the previous day 

Passing the many ferries, and

the Opera House one final time was an exciting moment.