Sea Days, Tasmania & Melbourne

After leaving the Fjordland park we continued sailing to Tasmania with two days of sea time. It was relaxing to play cards, trivia games, and get a bit of sun while wrapped up in blankets! It is the coolest weather yet here. Our night ended early as we had to be at a customs meeting at 6:30 am and then to our tour group for a trip to Cradle Mtn , Tasmania (another world heritage area) via..yes, another bus.

G is really tired of tour busses but it seems to be the only way to get to the interior locations. We stopped for an hour in Sheffield but little was open at 8 on Sat. of the "Holiday". Big draw there was the several murals which had been painted on the various buildings around town. It was quaint and might have been fun if more was available. As we climbed the mountains the scenery became lovely. Waterfalls, mossy trees, rocks and ferns. Some of the trees are over 500 years old..amazingly slow growers. The ground is covered with ferns, lichen, moss and it almost glows green. Looks like fairies should hide there or maybe trolls! Cradle Mt. was beautiful with Dove Lake in front reflecting the view. Unfortunately it was very cold, and damp with only a few glimpses of sun and blue sky.

Lunch was at rustic Cradle Mt. Lodge ....pumpkin soup, Italian dishes and salads. Panna cotta dessert with fruit and cheeses. Not so Aussie but good. Except pumpkin soup...that is a common ingredient in many Aussie dishes. Good thing I love it!!

Back on board we had a nice dinner then G and I went to a movie while D&D turned in to read. Movie called "Red Dog" and is based on a true story. Sad at end but great dog acting!! By the time I got to bed it was obvious that dinner had not agreed with me. I was sick until late yesterday. I thought those "straight shrimp" were odd..or was it that Indonesian sauce??

Everyone but me got off for a traipse through Melbourne visiting places we missed the first time around. They saw the Botanical Gardens and Victoria Market while G was with them. I was sorry to miss it as I was going to see about the opal store again but oh well. I've discovered they are fairly expensive...sorry girls!! I enjoyed room service and had the stewards make my bed while I watched them work...luxury for me!!

So today we are back to normal. A sea day before docking in Sydney at the foot of the Opera House!! We are going to bingo at 11 to try and win a cruise and not sure what else yet today. Still working on my bracelet..Dale has finished two!! The weather will start getting warmer now and "hot and humid" seems to be in the forecast.

Joanne..love to read your comments and thanks for putting the link on the GG site. Happy Birthday Jane!! We love and miss the family but this is a great adventure!!

We are trying to post more photos, it uses lots of pixels up and we need to figure that out. Love...

 

		Sea Days, Tasmania & Melbourne VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL This album has 1 photo and will be available on SkyDrive until 7/8/2012.

Your message is ready to be sent with the following file or link attachments:
DSCN3843 (640x480)

Note: To protect against computer viruses, e-mail programs may prevent sending or receiving certain types of file attachments.  Check your e-mail security settings to determine how attachments are handled.