Close Encounter of the friendly kind
P&O Cruises Australia’s Pacific Encounter is calling Brisbane home
Well before I woke up today*, the Pacific Encounter slid in beside Brisbane’s International Cruise Terminal, which is its new home port.
That means if you’ve not been cruising and you want to give it a go, there are now few excuses not to do so. The terminal is less than 30 minutes’ drive from the CBD and about 10 minutes from the airport.
First, a few fun facts about this particular ship:
It has 1,298 guest rooms
21 dining options to explore over 12 guest decks, including Luke’s Bar & Grill by Luke Mangan and 400 Gradi by award-winning Melbourne chef Johnny di Francesco
11 bars and nightclubs
An outdoor lawn bowling green
The exclusive Byron Beach Club private retreat comes complete with pool, spas and comfy seating
The ship weighs more than 108,865 gross tonnes and is 290 metres long
According to a media release, the president of Carnival Australia and P&O Cruises Australia Marguerite Fitzgerald said Queensland, with more cruise destinations than any other Australian state, was a vital element in the rebuilding of cruise tourism in Australia and the region.
“It is fantastic to know that Queensland again has its own P&O ship to carry on a long tradition of having a ship based year round in Brisbane including the much-loved Pacific Dawn that did more than 500 transits of the Brisbane River,” Ms Fitzgerald said.
“Queensland has already done so much to support the restart of cruising with the phased return of domestic itineraries but it can now also be the springboard for the reopening of cruising in our region.
“Brisbane has always been a great turnaround port for cruises to New Caledonia, Vanuatu and Papua New Guinea and will be again before too long as P&O’s horizons grow.
“Having Pacific Encounter based year-round in Brisbane is also a welcome boost for our suppliers for whom our cruise operations are an economic opportunity and an essential contribution to their businesses.”
An important point that one — even if you’re not a fan, the cruise industry does contribute significantly to the local economy.
And it’s not just P&O that will be sailing from, to or via Brisbane. Royal Caribbean and Carnival Cruises will be represented here too, the former with the very big Quantum of the Seas and the latter with the Carnival Luminosa, which has been rebranded from the Costa fleet.
Surely all this activity is worth celebrating.
Pacific Encounter is departing today for a 7-night Barrier Reef Discovery voyage from Brisbane. Coming up, on September 3 , will be a three-day comedy cruise, entirely at sea, with talent provided by Brisbane’s own Sit Down Comedy Club.
OFF THE RAILS
I’m not the only one interested in the future of Brisbane’s public transport system. Since I last wrote about it, the Queensland Government has released its cunning plan for the railways once Cross River Rail comes online.
The major change for regular commuters is that some passenger trains will no longer be travelling via the Valley and Central, with Roma Street the new major hub.
And if you’re used to travel from north to south of the river, or vice-vrsa, you might also find that you have to change trains where once that wasn’t necessary. Or vice-versa.
According to a media release from Premier Palazsczuk and Transport Minister Mark Bailey, the government is also promising “the manufacture of 65 brand new trains in Maryborough”. Which is a shame, as I’d like to see them build old trains. You know, the way they used to be …
DUNNY DO
Last edition, I asked what one might do with a backyard dunny in this day and age. Daniel suggested it was a “perfect place to store your gardening tools. Long handled shovel in the long drop.”
Other suggestions were a smokehouse (Noel) or a tiny man cave (Terry).
And Trevor tells a lovely story on Facebook about how his father held a “a sacrificial burning of the Dunny to celebrate our freedom from late night walks for a sit”.
*Saturday, August 20