According to an article in USA Today last week, Silversea Cruises have announced plans for a complete circumnavigation of Australia.  This is a first for the line.

The luxury operator says the 382-passenger Silver Shadow will circle Australia during a 30-day voyage from Sydney that kicks off on Jan. 19, 2011.

Traveling counter counterclockwise around the island nation, the ship will call in Brisbane, Whitsunday Islands, Port Douglas, Cooktown, Darwin, Broome, Exmouth, Perth, Albany, Port Lincoln, Adelaide, Geelong, Melbourne and Hobart (Tasmania).

"It's not often you have the chance to explore an entire continent on one voyage," Silversea vice president Steve Tucker says in a statement accompanying the announcement.

"This itinerary will hold great appeal for those who seek unique travel experiences off the beaten path."

Silversea says passengers on the cruise will be accompanied by more than half a dozen experts on Australia including Geoffrey Blainey, one of Australia's best-known historians and commentators, and Craig Franklin, a professor of zoology at the University of Queensland who will discuss Australian marine wildlife.

Other experts who will be on board for parts of the cruise include Noel Miller, an artist known for landscapes of the Australian outback, and wine expert Jamie of Australia's Penfolds Wines.

Editors Comments: To be included in this prestigious, inaugural cruise itinerary is another example of Port Douglas being seen as a pinnacle destination.  And we don't have to spend thousands of tourism dollars to take advantage of this opportunity, All we have to do is 'raise our game' to meet their expectations.

This will ensure that these cruise passengers have the time of their lives during their brief visit with us and therefore make it a given to return for the full tropical experience when next they travel.