Newcastle, Australia; Cruise Day 60
I’m not sure why Regent chose to stop at Newcastle today, instead of Brisbane tomorrow, as we travel up the East coast of Australia, but they did.
We took the shuttle to town, walked around, and returned by lunch. Nothing would have been very exciting after Sydney, but this city is hurting.
Newcastle is 100 miles up the coast from Sydney, and looks like it is going out of business. They had important shipbuilding and steel businesses, both of which have shut down. Their current claim to fame is that they are the largest coal-export port worldwide. This helps business, but isn’t particularly touristy.
An interesting phenomenon is taking place. We have been on the ship for so long, that it now really does feel like home. As such, Sydney felt like a mini vacation, with all the eating, drinking, sightseeing and shopping.
But we are beat. I can relate to people visiting Las Vegas for two days.
Anyway, even though it is the Captain’s Welcome Party (and big doings around the ship tonight), we stayed in for dinner (no alcohol, thank you) and DVD (The Shield) viewing. We started with very fresh, delicious, Sydney Rock Oysters, followed by a simple roasted chicken and vegetables.
