Testing water on Sydney cruise

A TWO-night trip onboard the Explorer around Sydney Harbour is a great way to try out cruising, finds Brad Crouch.

Escape cruises

IT IS cruising's equivalent of sticking a big toe in the water - a sampler to see if life on the water is right for you.

Preparing to board my cruise ship on Sydney Harbour on a clear autumn afternoon, all the good things about cruising come to mind: unpack once, water views everywhere, sail-away party, interesting stops, spectacular scenery, great food, friendly fellow passengers, on-board entertainment, no taxi hassles at night's end ...

But on this mini-cruise there are a few differences to a full-blown blue-water cruise no need for a passport, for starters, because on this weekend jaunt we will not even pass through the Sydney Heads.

Captain Cook Cruises' two-night trip on its ship Explorer is ideal for any cruise novice wanting a test drive before booking a longer cruise on a bigger ship.

The Explorer is the only cruise ship with overnight accommodation regularly plying Sydney Harbour.

The 53m vessel has 61 cabins over three decks, sun deck with ample shade, restaurant with bar and lounge, library/lounge, nightly entertainment, but not the swimming pools, casino, Broadway-style theatres and boutiques of ocean liners.

The cabins are small and pretty basic, but have ensuites and airconditioning.

However, you quickly forget about cabin luxury when you throw open the curtains and find your million-dollar morning view is the Opera House and Sydney Harbour Bridge from an anchor point off the Botanic Gardens.

The Explorer runs weekend cruises with multiple landings a little like a "real" cruise stopping at various ports, except these stops are suburbs rather than countries.

The trip starts with luggage check-in from 1pm, with time to explore nearby Darling Harbour before boarding starts at 5pm for a 6pm departure.

Friday evening is relaxed a welcome fruit cocktail is followed by the mandatory safety briefing plus crew introductions, then the ship weighs anchor and heads out to the main waterway.

With the Harbour Bridge, Opera House, Circular Quay, The Rocks, Fort Denison and city towers in sight, excitement levels rise as champagne toasts flow.

An evening taking in the sights is followed by a three-course dinner then live music and dancing.

It is all good fun as you get to know your fellow passengers but this trip is about the Harbour and dawn's light does not disappoint.

Early risers are welcome to join a pre-breakfast walk around the Botanic Gardens or Bradley's Head, depending on anchor point.

After a buffet breakfast, it is time to cruise, with commentary giving a rundown of sights as you meander among the harbour's 66 bays and 250km of shoreline.

As fresh estuarine air opens the lungs, the diversity of passing watercraft is fascinating.

There are kayaks and water taxis, ferries of varying sizes, luxury motor cruisers and fishing dinghies, tourist jetboats and day cruisers, hundreds of yachts in dozens of bays, stand-up paddle boarders and windsurfers, rivercats and seaplanes, ocean liners and tugs, and the big ships of the merchant navy and the Royal Australian Navy.

Suburbs once considered working class, such as Balmain, are passed their once dowdy waterfronts now home to million-dollar mansions.

The cruise heads up the Lane Cove River, then the Parramatta River, where industrial sites have been rehabilitated and parks and public walkways give the harbour an egalitarian feel.

The ship then returns east and after a buffet lunch, docks at Walsh Bay, where guests can join a guided walk of The Rocks or wander at leisure around Circular Quay to rejoin the ship at the Man O'War Steps at the Opera House.

On Saturday evenings, dinner is usually followed by music and dancing but this trip had a quick early meal so guests on a special package could head to the opera, a special staging of Verdi's tragic La Traviata at Mrs Macquarie's Point on a stage anchored in the water with the Opera House and bridge as backdrops.

Sunday morning repeated the sensational wake-up view and the option of a pre-breakfast walk, then it was time to head east and gawk at the trophy homes of the seriously rich and famous.

These waterfront palaces come with price tags in the tens of millions of dollars and are owned by household names John Symond, Malcolm Turnbull and Russell Crowe, whose luxury motor cruiser Ghost roared past us, only to be dwarfed by Frank Lowy's mansion-sized cruiser.

At Watson's Bay, a tender boat to shore allows the option of a guided tour or time on your own.

We opted for a stroll around the beachfront, a walk up to The Gap to take in the ocean views then a wander down to the waterfront park for a spot of people-watching, which included a beach-side wedding.

The afternoon cruise back to Darling Harbour gave a last chance to enjoy the passing parade of watercraft, luxury homes, secluded beaches, landmark buildings, islands and waterfront parks.

A barbecue buffet lunch on the sun deck rounded off the trip, before settling the bar bill, bidding new friends safe travels and disembarking at 3pm with no Customs or Immigration queues. 

** The writer was a guest of Cruise Express.