The Spirit of Tasmania docked at Port Melbourne
Date: September 2014
Destination: Devonport, Tasmania, Australia
Vessel: Spirit of Tasmania I
Sailing time: 10hrs 30 mins
As our two Girls had never been on a ship before we thought catching the ferry to Devonport would be the perfect way to start our holiday. We drove to Melbourne where we met up with my husband’s parents who were joining us on our holiday. After grabbing a bite to eat, we joined the queue in order to drive our car onto the ship. It was an overnight sail which was due to depart at 1930 and arrive at 0600 the following day. The wind was blowing the sand everywhere so I was expecting a rough voyage which didn’t impress me as I get sea sick. I needn’t have worried though as the ship had excellent stabilizers and we all felt absolutely fine. As we got closer to the ship it appeared much bigger than I imagined.
Driving our car onto Spirit of Tasmania I
I had been on the old Abel Tasman years ago but that was smaller. It took a while before we had our car on the ship and we made our way up to level 8 where our four berth room was located. The porthole was square and large making the otherwise small room less claustrophobic. It also was towards the back of the ship giving us excellent views of Melbourne City.
We stood outside and watched her sail off into the sunset before coming inside to take a look around. Despite the ship being close to capacity, it didn’t feel in the least bit crowded and there were a number of different areas you could go to sit down.
One of the lounges on board Spirit of Tasmania
We ordered some drinks from the bar and sat down and chatted whilst the Girls explored the ship some more. It was then we noticed a lady with samples of Anvers chocolates. Being a great lover of chocolate, we sampled what was on offer. They tasted good and we decided we would stop off at The House of Anvers for Breakfast just outside of Devonport where we would be disembarking. The ship had a theatrette which played a children’s movie at 2000 and an adults one later. We decided to give them a miss and check out the gift shop and the rest of the ship instead. The seas became rougher by the time we went to bed but it still didn’t cause us to feel queasy.
In the bunk bed of my cabin
It felt nice to be rocked to sleep. We woke early the next morning and watched the ship sail into the harbour. After finally making it off the ship we headed straight to The House of Anvers in LaTrobe for breakfast and to get a run down on the history of this chocolate business.
breakfast at the House of Anvers Tasmania
Breakfast at House of Anvers
The return sailing was fairly uneventful and we were again on the eighth deck. We ate at the Captain’s Table this time which was buffet food and quite tasty. You could eat as much as you could fit on your plate.
Pros:
Makes a pleasant change from flying
Allows you to take your own car over so you don’t have to hire one
Driving from Devonport to Hobart provides the opportunity to see other interesting towns along the way
Cons:
Fares can be expensive compared to flying
The ship leaves from Melbourne meaning you have to make your own way there first
Food on board is expensive
Requires more time which some people may not have
In Summary:
Having never been on a cruise before this was the next best thing to it. Whilst not always the cheapest option, it does allow you to take your own car over and it’s a nice way to travel. It also allows you to explore the northern part of Tasmania and visit some interesting and historic towns as you make the drive down south to Hobart.