We didn’t start out with an abundance of energy. Well, I did, but G bunked in. We lowered the anchor(s) in Port Arthur around 7am, and tender operations were begun shortly thereafter, but there was never a question about us rushing off the ship early. We had pretty much covered the Port Arthur Historic Site during our previous visit in late October (please click on the Port Arthur label on this blog for more information about its history and significance) and didn’t plan to spend too much additional time there today.
I happily had breakfast in the Horizon Court Buffet and talked with fellow passengers and then interneted wildly (picking up a Telstra cell signal from shore) until G finally joined me. Although a lot of Aussies had told us they weren’t getting off the ship today, having visited Port Arthur several times in the past, it certainly felt relatively empty, and we enjoyed that too. All the Buffet windows were filled with the views of the beautiful surrounding hillsides and numerous stretches of long, sandy beaches at their bases.
Finally, we did get motivated to get moving, and took a tender to shore with the idea of going walkabout, preferably somewhere along the waterfront, with all its beaches and coves. We were helpfully pointed in a good direction by one of the staff at Port Arthur, but first walked up to the Port Arthur Visitors Center which had been closed for renovation during our last visit.
We spent some time reading the exhibits there before we exited out of the front and walked through the parking lot and up an entrance road to the highway that runs to Hobart, about 65 miles away. We turned right, as directed, and stopped in a small general store there to get some items for a picnic and then headed a little further until we saw signs for the Stewart Bay Lodge.
This road took us off the highway (which hadn’t been heavily traveled, so we were safe) and right into a wooded area, and we were instantly thrilled. There were several small cabins located among the trees with views of the waterfront, and we followed a road down toward the bay, noticing all the vacationers arriving with suitcases and boxes and it occurred to us that this is probably the peak travel time of the summer in Australia, over the Christmas holiday. It’s kind of strange to think about that. ;-) We eventually turned off on a 4WD road that immediately started a steep climb, but when it curved back around realized we were lost (we called it lostabout), and reversed our steps until we came upon a cabin with people just arriving and they had a map in hand to point us in the right direction.
This drawing had us in stitches. We had walked into a local excursion office that offered wildlife viewing cruises. They had artwork done by local kids. G told them he wasn’t certain this one was good for sales. ;-)
I could spend a week (or a lifetime) there
Finally we got to where we wanted to be, and walked first in the direction opposite Port Arthur, on this wonderful meandering path in a forest right along the water. Now this was my idea of exercise! We walked down to a long stretch of beach (we later learned it was called Ladies Beach; the wives of the officers at Port Arthur would swim and bathe there, because it was clearly out of sight of the convicts working at Port Arthur), and walked the length of that gorgeous beach, the only two people on it. I can’t imagine how cold that water is! We sat there on a fallen log and ate the lunch we had picked up in the general store (sandwiches and fruit, and, of course, a salty snack for G called Burger Rings. Really.) and heard no sounds and saw no people and it was heaven.
An echidna Since I only captured its backside, here’s a photo from the Australia Zoo
Source: https://www.australiazoo.com.au/our-animals/mammals/echidnas/short-beaked-echidna
Ladies Beach
We backtracked then and started walking toward Port Arthur and the Golden Princess eventually came into view, sitting in the bay. I took I don’t know how many photos of it- the ship with seagrasses, with beaches, with flowering shrubs, with dead tree limbs- because every time we went around a bend on the path the view changed. We walked the length of another narrow beach and could start to see the tender boats going to and from the Port Arthur wharf so we knew we were getting close. Eventually we arrived at the Port Arthur Dockyard which is where the convicts sawed the tall Blue Gum eucalyptus trees into planks to build ships used to carry convicts and supplies between England and Australia.
A Port Arthur tour boat in the background 
The Port Arthur Dockyard
First view of Port Arthur Historic Site from the trail
A lot of history in those steps
The PenitentiaryIt wasn’t a particularly long walk- my Fitbit said about 7 miles with all the backtracking we did- but it was just what we needed just when we needed it. The entire area reminded me so much of a lake resort area in upstate New York or somewhere in New England and we spent the day much as we might spend a sunny Sunday at home. We tendered back to the ship just before the last tender at 3:15pm and took quick showers and dressed for dinner while the Golden Princess left Port Arthur and started on the three hour sail to Hobart, where we were scheduled to arrive at 7pm and stay overnight.
Before dinner, we sat in the Piazza (sat! We got seats!) and enjoyed another snowfall accompanied by Christmas carols. We are really enjoying those. We went to dinner in the Bernini Dining Room at 5pm, because lunch hadn’t filled us up very much, and it was Italian night. Headwaiter Sean provided the standard seafood starter made without dairy, the standard salad made without pecorino cheese and bacon and then- joy- a plate with a little penne arrabbiata, some sautéed shrimp, and lots of broccoli. Finished with limoncello sorbet for dessert and it was a meal to remember.
Penne arrabbiata with broccoli- yum!As we sat in the Bernini Dining Room, we were following the ship’s progress on Google Maps (we had cell service the entire time) and saw that we were just entering the narrow harbor to Hobart. Then, we were shocked to pass the Diamond Princess which had just left Hobart. I knew that ship was down here somewhere, but had no idea that we are following it so closely on this cruise.
The Diamond Princess sails from HobartWe went up to Skywalkers to watch the remainder of our arrival into Hobart. By the time the ship was at its berth, it was nearly 7:45pm but sunset wasn’t until 8:45pm and we dressed warmly and walked off the ship. In the parking lot car park ;-) we ran into the Tasmanian Police Force bagpipe band that had performed for us our last overnight in Hobart and was scheduled to do again tonight at 9:30pm. They were warming up and we chatted with them for a few minutes before continuing along the waterfront.
Practicing in the car park
We stepped into the hotel MACq 01, and were walking through to see if it had a coffee bar when we heard someone call our names; it was a couple we’ve sat with for shows in the Princess Theater, grandparents traveling with their grandkids. They had put the kids in the kids club this evening and were out for a drink. They invited us to join them and we stayed there until nearly 10pm when they had to pick up the kids and we continued along the harbor. The night was beautiful but a little chilly; we were wearing our jackets and hats and gloves and felt very comfortable. We are currently having round two of drinks and coffee and dessert at a outdoor cafe on the harbor, and I am going to post this while I have free WiFi. Tomorrow: another (forecasted) beautiful weather day Hobart after sleeping on a stable ship tonight. We love these overnights!
