The cruise industry is booming worldwide and Australia is no exception with a 60% increase in passenger numbers in recent times according to the Cruising Industry Council of Australasia.
Here are just four of the great Australian cruises available to cruising holiday enthusiasts.
Circumnavigate Australia
The 77,000 tonne Sun Princess was built in Italy at a cost of more than 400 million US dollars. Carrying over 2000 passengers it is one of the biggest cruise liners to be based permanently in Australia. It operates a range of extended, longer cruises out of Sydney and Fremantle. Amongst its many attractions it features four swimming pools, a theatre, a wood paneled library, beauty parlour and computerised golf centre. Kids are more than welcome with three supervised kids clubs available offering day and night supervision including teen disco and children theatre.
Murray River Cruises
Captain Cook Cruises has a fleet of small ships which can navigate inland waterways and shallow bays where larger ships cannot reach. Just one such trip is the 7-night Murraylands and Wildlife cruise which departs every Monday and Friday from Mannum, the historic centre of the Murray River trade. The PS Murray Princess was built specifically for the Murray River and holds only 120 passengers most in outside cabins. Even though it is a romantic modern-day representation of an old Murray steamer it is in fact genuinely powered by the giant paddlewheel that turns behind it. This seven-day cruise takes you 320 km upriver past spectacular gorges, golden sandstone cliffs, outback stations and vineyards. Along the way you'll enjoy a Barossa Valley tour and backwater wildlife boat trip that explores one of the 30,000 wetlands areas that are a feature of the Murray-Darling basin.
Cruising the Kimberley
This cruise starts in Broome aboard the Orion, a purpose built explorer cruise ship that takes cruisers on an 11-night expedition of the Kimberleys. The itinerary takes in most of the top end of Australia between Darwin and Broome and includes a trip to Arnhem Land - an area that's home to many Australian aboriginals.
It is a fantastic way to explore a remote country where you bring your luxuries along with you. The Orion's zippy inflatable zodiacs will let you land on remote beaches and explore the narrow inland channels and inlets famous for their abundant wildlife.
Cruising the West Coast of Australia
The North Star company believes in five-star cruising which is why the company concentrates on taking passengers to out of the way places, often only accessible by small boats, while delivering gourmet food and first class service. The purpose-built True North ship has only 18 sumptuous cabins putting it in the 'very small indeed' class of cruising vessels!
The 10-day West Coast Explorer leaves Fremantle in Tasmania and sets out for the Abrolhos islands and from then the unfolding scenery and incredible diversity of flora and fauna mesmerises passengers. The cruise passes rock lobster fisheries, sea lions and colourful corals and cruisers are invited to try their hand at landing one of Western Australia's monster jewfish.
For those game enough there is a chance to swim with the whale sharks at Ningaloo national park before discovering a little explored chain of Australian islands called Monte Bellos.
Taking any one of these four cruises is bound to turn the most hardened traveller into a cruising enthusiast and is a wonderful way to see parts of Australia that are unreachable by any other means. For a comprehensive list of cruise lines operating in Australia go to the International Cruise Council of Australia or click on this link.
Alexandra Neuman - Hi I am Alexandra Neuman a Zimbabwean born British citizen with a Hungarian father and a French mother. I started my career at the ...
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