Australian Cruises

Australia is a young, growing country and Australian cruises are quite popular considering Australia is the only continent that is also an island. Australia's location south of the equator results in the seasons being reversed with the best weather coming in September through April and the winter arriving during the summer months in the northern hemisphere.

Many Australian cruises dock at Sydney where you will pull into a magnificent harbor and see the Sydney Harbor Bridge, the largest arch bridge in the world. You may want to browse through the shops at Centrepoint Shopping Center and look for woolens, Australian opals, jewelry, and kangaroo furs followed by lunch or dinner at its revolving tower restaurant which affords a spectacular view of the city and surrounding areas.

Perhaps you would prefer to test your skills at surfing and skin-diving at one of the many beautiful beaches. There are numerous small, sheltered, romantic coves hemmed in by high rocky cliffs as well as wide strands of white-sand beaches with magnificent surf.

Biondi Beach, 5 miles south of town offers good surf, restaurants, a pavilion, and swimming pool. Manly Beach is a resort with a lovely park, pool, and numerous restaurants reached via a 20-minute ferry ride. And Palm Beach, arguably the most beautiful of all, is an hour and a half drive north of the city. You can see the koala and the duckbill platypus at the famous Taronga Park Zoo or visit Parliament House, the botanic gardens, Hyde Park, Randwick Racecourse, and the unusually designed Sydney Opera House.

If you have time, you can take a trip through the Blue Mountains to the limestone caverns and wildlife sanctuaries at Jenolan Caves. You can go down to the Circular Quay in the harbor and take a boat trip or visit The Rocks which is an atmospheric, old town area with pubs, restaurants, souvenir shops, and art galleries.

In the evening, you may want to see the theaters, bars, and nightlife in the King's Cross area, or take in a concert, opera, play, or ballet at the Sydney Opera House. If you have time to eat dinner off of the ship, you may wish to try You and Me on King Street, Fifth floor of Wentworth, Bulicinella at King's Cross, Doyles at Watson Bay, or the Summit Restaurant on the forty-seventh floor of the Australia Tower.

Several Australian cruises traverse the Whisunday Islands area near Cairns and the Great Barrier Reef. Generally, passengers participate in organized tours on smaller crafts to see the reef. If time allows, you would enjoy visiting Hayman Island Resort, located on its own private island and considered one of the most exclusive properties in this part of the world. Visitors fly into Hamilton Island Airport and are transported to Hayman Island by one of the resorts private launches. Australian cruises are a great way to see one of the most interesting and beautiful places on earth.