Sydney to Sydney...the Long Way Around

Fresh off my Royal Princess cruise earlier this year, the time has come to brave my second cruise on Princess Cruise Lines, with a journey around the top end of Australia. Let's start with a quick roadmap of the trip. It kicks off with three nights exploring Perth and Fremantle before I board the Crown Princess for a seventeen-night Northern Explorer cruise. The itinerary includes port calls in Exmouth, Broome, Darwin, and Cairns, bookended by scenic cruising through the dramatic landscapes of Yampi Sound and the iconic Kimberley Coast, as well as a pass by Willis Island. The cruise concludes in Brisbane before the final leg back to Sydney. I had previously mentioned that I would only cruise Princess again at the right price, so this would be a good time to declare that we booked this cruise at travel agent rates. My cruise companion is my trusty travel buddy, Fiona. She has come armed with her own cute toy travel companion! To follow on some fun Baymax and Hello Kitty adventures, head on to TikTok!

It was a good time to fly out west and escape rainy Sydney. A pre-flight pilgrimage to the Qantas lounge was, of course, mandatory for the caffeine and sustenance (Thanks Fiona!). Our flight across the Nullabor was blessedly uneventful other than a very hot 40 minute wait on the runway due to traffic, and an overall delay of an hour. A minor amusement on arrival in Perth was our Uber driver, built like a brick outhouse, requiring assistance to hoist our decidedly non-heavy luggage into his boot. However, we were certainly happy to be greeted by sunny blue skies! After dumping our bags at our hotel, we set out on foot to see as much of Perth as we could. 

Baymax and Hello Kitty!

For the plane aficionados, this was the lunch served by Qantas. The hot option was lamb korma with rice.

Chicken pasta pesto salad. Not bad, but a bit too sweet for my liking

It appeared that all the drinks were served in one go! 

Snack

Citadines St Georges Terrace

Handy work area

Kitchenette

Spacious but very outdated bathroom

Shower and toilet on the other side

Our view

First stop - exploring Elizabeth Quay, a modern development on the CBD waterfront. We strolled out to Elizabeth Quay Bridge dodging speeding cyclists like a pro, to get a photo of the Perth Skyline. Our delayed arrival meant we were too late for entry into the Bell Tower (Swan Bells). Built in 1999 at a cost of A$5.5 million, it houses 18 bells, some with a rather lengthy history. Despite some internet sources proclaiming its success, I'm still leaning towards the initial public skepticism regarding the expenditure. It really was not that aesthetically pleasing! 

Our wanderings continued to Stirling Park and the Gumnut Babies sculpture – a nostalgic nod to childhood for some, perhaps. Finally, London Court, a Tudor-esque shopping arcade, was on the list. The clock, however, appeared to be permanently stuck at 6:55 pm....Sadly it seemed most of the shops in the arcade were closed. It felt very underwhelming.

The iconic Spanda

Bell Tower. The was the best I could make it look

May Gibb's gumnut babies

London Court

Dinner took us  Wildflower, a place whose website boasts "contemporary dishes revolving around the Indigenous ethos of six seasons with farmer and forager-driven menus." Always good to learn new things, and tonight certainly delivered on that front. We encountered ingredients like sunrise lime, redback ginger (which did indeed sound like a potential mishearing), and strawberry gum, amongst others. The savoury courses were genuinely impressive – unique, packed with flavour, and featuring some rather inspired combinations. Crocodile tongue was good! And this non-lamb loving girl chowed down her lamb dish!

However, the dessert portion of the evening didn't quite reach the same heights. The flavour profiles, in our opinion, seemed to clash rather than complement each other, and the overall sweetness level was a tad overwhelming. The non-alcoholic pairing followed a similar trajectory. The selections accompanying the savoury dishes were actually quite brilliant. Unfortunately, those paired with the desserts tasted suspiciously like something you'd find in the medicine cabinet. An interesting end to the meal, to say the least. 

For those interested in hotel details, our home for the evening was the Citadines St George Terraces Perth. It was a reasonably priced hotel and well located. The sights we visited were all within an easy walking distance. Other than an outdated bathroom our room was comfortable and clean. 

Like a date night!

Wildflower Restaurant

This was the only photo that turned out. The lighting was very dim...

Cone Bay Barramundi with sweet potato chips, desert lime and fire ants

Non-alcoholic martini

I may have said it was our birthdays to get a window seat...