March 2, 2013 Sea Day

March 2, 2013 Sea Day & Overland Plans

Tomorrow we leave the ship for our first “overland” tour. An overland tour is where you leave a perfectly good ship with included lodging, food and entertainment and pay to stay on land. However, since we are “so close” we want to experience a bit more of the country.

We will leave the ship in Sydney on the 3^rd and rejoin the ship the morning of the 7^th in Cairns. Everyone else will enjoy 3 relaxing sea days, but we wanted to see the Outback! I will post our next few days planned activities today and just review them when we return. We have several sea days after we return, so I will update the blog then.

We will pack a carryon and disembark the ship in Sydney and embark again in Cairns.

Here is our planned itinerary:

March 3 - Sydney, Australia 7:00a to 10:00p

Up early for the sail in!

We used Marriott points for 2 nights in Sydney. Located within walking distance of most of the sites.

We’ll leave the ship with our carryon luggage and check into the Marriott. Then off to explore the local area. I have several self-walking tours to help us wander.

Summary of things to see:

Start at the Sydney Opera House.  This masterpiece of late modern architecture is a symbol of both Sydney and Australia. It has earned a reputation as a world-class performing arts center and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The Royal Botanic Gardens. Proceed west to St Mary's Cathedral, Hyde Park, and Sydney War Memorial. Hyde Park, including the ANZAC memorial, fountains, and nearby buildings such as St Mary’s Cathedral, the New South Wales Art Gallery and Hyde Park Barracks. Browse through central Sydney shops on Elizabeth, Castlereagh, Pitt or George Streets.

At Sydney Tower, 100 Market St, you may want to go up to the observation deck for panoramic views of the city.

Proceed to Chinatown around Dixon St.

Proceed north to The Rocks district and have lunch and tour The Rocks (about 2 hours) Sandstone cliffs give the area its name. Site of the first penal settlement, the district is rich in colonial history and is home to 5 star hotels, restaurants, pubs, shops, galleries and museums. 2 hour self walking tour.

Sydney Harbour Bridge spans Sydney Harbour from the central business district to the North Shore, this icon, nicknamed the "coat hanger" by locals, is the world's widest long-span bridge and tallest steel-arch bridge.

Sydney Bridge Climb 4:15

Proceed to Darling Harbour passing by the Sydney Entertainment Centre.

Take the monorail for an overview of Darling Harbour.

Explore Darling Harbour

Here is a description of the Harbour Bridge Climb:

The Bridge Climb is a 3 ½ hour guided journey to the top of the Sydney Harbour Bridge. It takes you along the outer arch of the Bridge on catwalks and ladders all the way to the summit, 134 metres above Sydney Harbour.

In Climb groups of up to 14 people, you’ll be led by one of Bridge Climb’s professional Climb Leaders on an adventure of the world’s most recognizable Bridge. The steady incline to the summit leaves you free to focus your attention on your Sydney experience, with opportunities to witness 360 degree views of Sydney, including east to the Sydney Opera House, west to the Blue Mountains and the Harbour city surrounds.

March 4 we have a tour of the Blue Mountains.

Description of  tour:

7.30am returns 6.00pm

"GRAND CIRCLE WILDERNESS TOUR" up the main Highway into the Blue Mountains through the towns of Glenbrook, Lawson Leura and Katoomba to the Three Sisters and Scenic World. From there we continue to Blackheath and Govetts leap on to Mount York and the across to Bell and back towards Sydney along Bells Line of Road stopping at Mt Tomah and back down to Richmond and Windsor and finally to Olympic Park Wharf to catch the River Ferry Cruise to Circular Quay in the middle of the city passing underneath the magnificent Sydney Harbour Bridge.

This Grand Circle Tour of the Blue Mountains has the advantage of different scenery for the entire day tour with the bonus of avoiding the traffic congestion in the afternoon from the road works at Lawson.

You travel in a 14 seat luxury Mercedes Benz Mini Bus up into the this World Heritage Area for a small personal tour experience of the Blue Mountains.

We cross the Harbour Bridge around 7.30am to arrive at Featherdale Wildlife Park arriving 8.15am to 8.30am. This is before the park officially opens and the morning feeding is underway.

You have the Park to yourself and at this time of day the residents, all Australian Native Animals, are at their best. You can pat the kangaroos and wallabies, get a photo up close to a koala, check out the wombats, Tasmanian Devils or take a look at the crocodile together with an extensive Australian native bird collection.

On leaving the Wildlife park we drive up into the Blue Mountains along the Great Western Highway passing through the Villages of Glenbrook Blaxland Lawson Leura to Katoomba. Along the way we stop at Kings Tableland an exposed large Rock on the cliff face looking down into the Jamison Valley. Here you can feel the wilderness aura of this World Heritage Listed Blue Mountains created some 200 million years ago by local volcanic activity.

At this lookout out there are relics of the early aboriginal occupation of this area and was the area for Aboriginal Corrobborees, which was a meeting of the various aboriginal people for social activities.

On leaving Kings Tableland it is on to Wentworth Falls which after local rain are at their best. on leaving the Falls area we pass through the village of Leura to Katoomba where we stop at the Scenic World Complex. This is the home to the Scenic Railway which was built in 1879 to transport Coal from the coal mines in the Jamison Valley up to the cliff top and on to the Railway station. For those doing the train/cable car rides we take the Scenic Railway down and after a short walk on the raised boardwalk though the temperate rain forest we return up again on the Cable car.

On leaving Scenic World it is on to the Three Sisters for some more photos. Then it is on to Blackheath, Australia's Rhodendrum Capital where we collect our picnic lunch. (For those on the BM1 tour they will need to purchase their take away own lunch here). Next we visit Govetts Leap a fantastic lookout with views down into the Grose Valley and Bridal Veil Falls where there are picnic tables and facilities for our picnic lunch.

On leaving Blackheath we travel on to Mount Victoria and out to Mt York. Mt York is where the first road over the Blue Mountains, completed to in 1815 began the frightening descent over the cliff and down to the plateau below. There are a lot of historical markers and history at this area and some great views from the lookouts. From Mt York we travel along the Olympic Causeway to bell where we join up with the Bells Line of Road and commence our return to Sydney through dramatic scenery and wilderness forests.

We have a brief stop at Mount Tomah Botanical Gardens to see the once extinct Wollomi Pine Tree. It was belived to be over 1 million years old and only recently a small thicket of them was found in a remote gorge and new seedlings have been grafted at Mt Tomah. There is an interesting World Heritage Exhibition on display.

We continue your Grand Circle Tour of the Blue Mountains travelling down the mountains through the apple orchards at Bilpin and down to the through the Historic villages of Richmond and Windsor (Circa 1794).

Leaving these villages we travel to Olympic Park home to the Sydney 2000 Olympics where we take a short drive through to see the developments that have taken place since the Olmpics left towm. It has been a great success in the post Olympics period with a large business infrastructure.

It is from the Olympic Park Wharf that you board a River Cat Ferry to take you down the Parramatta River under the magnificent Sydney Harbour Bridge to dock opposite the Opera House at Circular Quay around 6.30pm. This is where your tour concludes.

Time to wander and see some areas we missed yesterday and have a nice dinner.

March 5 we fly to Uluru where we will spend 1 night at Voyages Desert Gardens Hotel and visit Ayers Rock. Here we will rent a car to see the sights on our schedule. Some things to do here:Visit the Cultural Centre first to learn more about the ancestral beings and significance of the walks. You can then begin your walks with a deeper understanding. Toilets are located at the Cultural Centre

and near the Mala carpark. All times are estimated for a moderate pace with some time to look, learn and enjoy.7

Uluru Base Walk

Grade 3 - Moderate, 10.6 km full circuit, 3.5 hr

In the morning it is recommended to start and finish at the Mala carpark. It would be even better  if you begin by first joining the ranger-guided Mala Walk and continuing on afterwards. In the

afternoon it is good to start from the Kuniya carpark. Escape the crowds and take a meandering journey through acacia woodlands and grassed claypans. Discover the diverse plants, animals and geological features of the park. From Kuniya Piti follow the snake-like grooves at the base of the rock show Kuniya’s journey to Mutitjulu Waterhole. Encounter bloodwoods, native grasses and many waterways. The Base Walk is the best way to fully appreciate the natural and cultural beauty of Uuru.

The Base Walk is the best way to fully appreciate the natural and cultural beauty of Uluru. 

In the evening we have booked the Sounds of Silence Dinner.

The Sounds Of Silence Dinner is an extremely popular  night under the stars. Coaches take diners from Yulara to one of a few dining areas out in the desert. Champagne (or beer, upon request) are served while the sun goes down over Uluru and the inevitable didgeridoo plays. The clean, elegant dining area is lit by table lamps. The food is served buffet-style, but it's cooked with the attention of a gourmet chef (considering the circumstances). Between the main course and dessert, a star talker guides you through the stars that are out that night, and telescopes are available afterward. There is also a camp fire in the winter.

March 6 The Olgas & Ayers Rock to Cairns

We will be up early for sunrise over Uluru. Today we will drive to the Olgas and hopefully have a beautiful sunrise. Kata Tjuta is a collection of 36 variously-sized rock domes 36km to the west of Uluru. Some geologists believe that once it may have been a monolith far surpassing Uluru in size, but that it eroded to several separate bulks of rock.

We will do one of these walks depending on how much time we have:

The Walpa Gorge walk (2.6 km) is the shorter - and easier - of the two walks around Kata Tjuta.

The Valley of the Winds walk (7.4 km) at Kata Tjuta is truly magnificent and should not be missed. The walk consists of a single path to the first lookout point. From this point, the walk enters further into Kata Tjuta, where a loop trail brings you to the second lookout point. The counter-clockwise (left-round) direction is recommended. The complete walk (to both lookouts) takes about 3 hours

We’ll have some lunch and then we take the rental car back and catch a 3:25p flight to Cairns where we will spend the night at the Bay Village Tropical Retreat Hotel.

Next morning we will be up early to rejoin the ship and get ready for the Great Barrier Reef Tour!

Phew!