Eden, Australia

Eden is a very small town (population 4,000), located approximately halfway between Sydney and Melbourne.  It is located on a beautiful bay called Twofold Bay.  It was settled by Europeans less than 200 years ago, but has had a colorful history.  At one time, it was actually in the running to be the capital of Australia, but eventually became just another whaling town.

MICHAEL

It was actually here that the Orca whale, which we know and love so much in the Northwest, got it's nickname - killer whale.  It would appear that the Orcas worked hand-in-hand with the human whalers to capture and kill the much larger humpback whales.  They would lure the humpbacks into the bay and then they would separate one from the pack.  One Orca would seal off the unfortunate humpback's blowhole so it couldn't breathe while the others would drag it down to the bottom of the ocean by its lips, where it would drown.  The whale would stay at the bottom for approximately 24 hours and the Orcas would circle it to protect the carcass from the sharks.  When the whale surfaced they would drag it to the shore and into the hands of the human whalers.  As a reward for their labor, the human whalers would give the Orcas the humpback's lips and tongue.  The whalers knew each Orca by name, and one in particular, called Tom, performed in this fashion for over 50 years.  When he died they preserved his skeleton and it can be seen to this day in the Maritime Museum here in Eden.

The tour of the bay was interesting, though not particularly exciting.  We got to see some settlements, some famous structures, and an outcropping that looks exactly like an Indian's head.  One thing that did strike me was the number of hazards to navigation that were unmarked. They were all over the place and if you didn't have local knowledge you wouldn't stand a chance here.  Anyway, we returned to shore, and we proceeded on to the little town of Eden.

    Indian's Head

    Boyd Tower that was used to watch for whales

BEVERLY

I did not have an excursion today, so I spent a relaxing morning taking my time to get ready for the day. I spent part of the morning in Seabourn Square (the ship's living room) helping a few people with their iPad problems.  I also met a friend of a friend, who is also named Beverly.  I got a little bored, so I decided to go ashore to wait for Michael. It was a short tender ride to the pier, which turned out to be a  a concrete float that was attached to the pier. Frankly, it looked like the hull of an old ship. 

There wasn't much going on on shore.  There was another ship anchored in the harbor full of Australians who were circumnavigating the continent. There was a shuttle bus to town and it cost $10 if you were on the other ship, but free for us. I had an hour to kill and I smoozed with fellow passengers who were waiting to go on tour.  There were a few booths set up by the locals, who were very welcoming.  They were all wearing red hats and red/white shirts. There were banners greeting cruisers. The locals were very excited because two ships were in at the same time. This tiny community, that doesn't have a lot going for it tourist wise, was eager to show off what they did have. It is amazing that when you get out of the big city, the people are just so friendly and welcoming.  This is the charm of cruising to some of the out-of-the-way places that we have on this itinerary. 

I was intrigued with an aboriginal man playing the didgeridoo.  I watched and listened for awhile as he told the story that was represented by intricately painted designs on the hollow tube. This tube was once a tree branch that had been hollowed out by ants. It was about four feet long and had a diameter of about five inches. He would sell it for around $10,000!  As the other people drifted off, I sat and talked with him for about 20 minutes.  His story is very much like our Native Americans. He belongs to the Yuin tribe.  While they don't have reservations per se, each tribe has their own territory. There is still a lot of discrimination against the aboriginal people, but the government is trying to make things better for them. I so enjoy talking to the local people as this is where you get a feel for the culture.  When asked, I did offer my opinion of what is happening in the United States. 

When Michael returned from his excursion, we took the bus up heart attack hill to get to town. It was a short ride and we passed by the whaling museum and drove through some pleasant and very clean neighborhoods. The main town square was festooned with red flag banners welcoming cruisers. Town was about five blocks long. We decided to have lunch out and wandered around until I spotted a chicken take away shop. I have had a craving for fried chicken; I know, not heart healthy, but at least it is something like plain normal type food.  Terry, the shop owner, couldn't do enough for us. We ordered our chicken and chips (French fries in this part of the world) and got some interesting packets of ketchup. The chicken was great although I did miss the KFC coleslaw.  I was fascinated with the ketchup packets. I could not figure out how to open them!  Terry had to show us how to open them.  You don't pull off the top, you don't tear it apart, you pinch the two parts with the catchup together and it automatically squirts out the top!  When somebody builds a better mouse trap, I tend to get a bit excited about it!  We even have a couple of pieces of chicken left over for a nice lunch or dinner tomorrow. 

Continuing our stroll through town, Michael was able to pick up some swim goggles that he was looking for.  We stopped in a local store that had just about everything one needs in one small place. It would be the equivalent of a Target or Walmart store but on a much much smaller scale.  We passed the drugstore and the display window caught our eye. There was a huge display for products to get rid of lice.  Weird. 

We then returned to the ship and had a pleasant dinner with Marge and Eli.