It was an early start in Bayswater, but having done a deal of the packing up the night before, we managed to leave only a little after our scheduled departure time of 0630 and after a brief journey, returned to give our set of keys back to Jo and Simon. We arrived at the dock at Port Melbourne at a little after 0730 and spent the next hour and a half snaking our way around the dock while everyone got loaded onto the Spirit of Tasmania 1. It was a sparkling morning in Melbourne, and our excitement grew as we got closer to boarding the ship.
Once on board, we scrabbled up from the lower deck as quickly as we could, to get a seat for the nine hour journey. We felt a bit like gold prospectors grappling for the right patch of ground before it was all claimed. We made a few false choices (too sunny, not all together, next to a rough family etc.) before we finally found our resting place: in the swish restaurant that isn't open for meals on day cruises. It was great to have a space to stretch out a bit, and relax into the business of 'crossing the strait'. After we established our base, there was plenty of time for wandering around and seeing the various bits of the ship and what we were sailing past etc. There were also a few photo opportunities and things to catalogue. One of my favourites was when we passed through the heads, the sight of the waters of Port Phillip Bay mixing with the waters of Bass Strait was pretty spectacular. The water seemed to boil and swirl and as we passed over the join. Emma said that she and the boys felt and heard the water churning against the underside of the ship as they watched a documentary on Tassie Devils, and wondered what it was at the time.
Bass Strait meets Port Phillip Bay
We forged ahead into Bass Strait, and I took a great sniff of the sea air and thought of my beautiful dad, as we headed into the open sea. He described to me recently that one of his favourite things about life on the sea was the feeling you got as you pass through the heads, the smell of the salt air and the promise of adventure and the unknown.
Cards in the Restaurant
The rest of the journey passed without a hitch, with cards, reading, movies, food and trips to the 'exercise yard'. The sea was calm, with only a short time of barely perceptible rolling on the ocean swell. The last couple of hours before we got to Devonport were a bit scratchy, with the boys starting to show the effects of the early start and the long day. Everyone was happy to see Tasmania come into view on the horizon.
In Bass Strait
Arriving at Devonport
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