19 March 2020

We arrived at White Bay Cruise Terminal at one minute past midnight today, two days earlier than scheduled.

Disembarkation was easy and Princess provided free buses for us to the airport. Princess has been fabulous during these difficult times and we look forward to cruising with them again.

It was a short flight back home to Brisbane...

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17 - 18 March 2020

The rest of the cruise has been cancelled and we are at sea travelling from Kangaroo Island, South Australia directly to Sydney (missing Burnie and Melbourne).

Tuesday, 17 March 2020 - St. Patrick's Day

Wednesday, 18 March 2020 - Ukulele concert (and last day at sea)

We weren’t planning on it, but we were asked if we’d perform another ukulele concert in the Atrium. Unlike our Indian Odyssey cruise, there were only 14 of us ... luckily most were not beginners. It turned out to be a lot of fun and everyone seemed to enjoy it.

Thank you again to Aslan (a wonderful guitarist and a member of the Sun Princess orchestra) for your instruction and dedication. Thanks also to Ewan for your assistance.

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Saint Patrick's Day
A cultural and religious celebration held on 17 March, the traditional death date of Saint Patrick (c. AD 385–461), the foremost patron saint of Ireland.

Saint Patrick's Day was made an official Christian feast day in the early 17th century. The day commemorates Saint Patrick and the arrival of Christianity in Ireland. It also celebrates the heritage and culture of the Irish in general. Celebrations generally involve public parades and festivals, céilís, and the wearing of green attire or shamrocks.
Source: Wikipedia

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16 March 2020

The weather was good to us today, so we were able to tender to Kangaroo Island ... 15 kms off South Australia’s mainland. ... population approx 5,000.

KI was first explored by Matthew Flinders in 1802 whilst en route from UK to Sydney. He named the island in honour of the feast of Kangaroo he and his crew enjoyed on the island. It has 540 kms of coastline and the island is 145 kms long and 54 kms at its widest point. Their economy is mostly agricultural (grapes, honey, wool, meat and grain).

Based on what we saw while wandering the 1.5 km KI Sculpture Trail set on 4.5 acres, there’s obviously some very talented artists.

The Penneshaw Markets are held to welcome every cruise ship and today was no exception.  The locals in Penneshaw (population approx 300) seemed happy to see us, and hopefully some much needed capital has been injected into the community following the recent devastating bushfires.

The hotel offered alfresco dining and spectacular views over Hog Bay.

The rocks, colours and vegetation along the Penguin Boardwalk were quite stunning. Unfortunately, the small colony of Little Penguins could not be seen.

On departure, Captain Kent advised that the Tasmanian Government won’t allow us to dock in Burnie, so a decision has been made to also skip Melbourne and sail directly to Sydney ... two days earlier than expected. The COVID-19 virus is certainly causing havoc in the world. We have been isolated but kept up to date via the media. We hope the panic buying has ceased by the time we get home.

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Kangaroo Island
Australia's third-largest island, after Tasmania and Melville Island. It lies in the state of South Australia 112 km southwest of Adelaide. Its closest point to the mainland is Snapper Point in Backstairs Passage which is 13.5 km from the Fleurieu Peninsula.
Source: Wikipedia

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15 March 2020

Today was all about having fun and jamming with good friends (from the 2016 and 2018 World Cruises).

On our way to their home in Lyndoch in the beautiful Barossa Valley, Chris and Sandy took us via the Barossa Reservoir, widely known as the “Whispering Wall”. The dam has surprisingly acoustic properties ... sounds at one end of the dam can be heard clearly 150 metres away. It’s curved, slender shape and quiet location induces conditions that contribute to the transmission of sound. We tested the theory and it worked beautifully.

We jammed for hours and enjoyed lunch and dinner together.

Thanks Chris and Sandy for a fantastic day.

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